So, we got heat which was fabulous. We didn't opt for a more expensive air tight wood stove. We definitely will for the house. Wow, it can get downright smokey if you have to have the stove door open for long. It took a bit to get the hang of this stove. We found we really have to use fire starter helpers. We experimented with a few and Brent favors the Stump Chunks.
The fire needs to get going fast and fairly hot in order to heat the stove pipe and chimney which really helps with the draw. We also found that in the initial stages of getting it going, don't whip the yurt door open. Don't open it unless you have to, but if you do, do so slowly - otherwise the vacuum created by suddenly opening the door sucks the air down the chimney and stove pipe and out our NOT air tight stove and it smokes the yurt.
For the most part, we have it figured out. Generally, we just burn a fire starting around 4p and on through til bedtime. Then we start one again in the morning. This stove isn't great for being able to stoke it well, so it doesn't last the whole night. If we're get up in the middle of the night and it's still going, we can add another log.
The earthen floor took a while, but it did heat up from the woodstove and keeping the yurt warm. We noticed a big difference when it did warm up and became our thermal mass.
On colder, windy days that are cloudy, we might keep the stove going all day if we're home. But, generally speaking, it just hasn't been necessary. It's amazing how 41* in the yurt in the morning isn't so daunting when you know your woodstove will warm it up shortly. It makes a big difference.
Sadly, we had to buy a new chainsaw. Our old Stihl's oiler broke and it took forever for someone to figure out that's what it was. They kept sending it home like it was fixed, but it wasn't and they'd look at us like we were crazy when we'd bring it back with the same complaint. By the time they figured it out, it wasn't worth putting more money into it. Fortunately, the last place we had it didn't ask us to pay for the parts they'd ordered or for their time and even offered us a deal on a new saw. But, yikes, that was $490 we hadn't needed to be spending! And, we also needed to buy a cord of wood, which is pretty expensive here.
We now have a shower surround for our garden sprayer shower. We even have it so the shower head can be hooked up, like a normal shower head.
So, as far as the house goes. Our contractor turned the plans in to the engineer for approval on Jan. 10th and here we sit. I'm not sure how long it is normal to wait for this part of the process. Everything else (construction loan, permit, etc) is on hold for that engineer stamp.
In the meantime, the winter here is pretty fantastic and we've been getting out and hiking, biking and walking pretty much every day. There was a snow dump of 13" on Dec. 28th while we were gone. Destroyed our kitchen awning, but we were able to cobble it back together for now. So, yeah, that's about it and why I haven't written recently. Not much to report! Oh, I am making a load of calls and email contacts trying to find straw bales to build with. Not fun and not much luck yet. We'd like to buy them at least in the region, but I'm thinking we're going to have to haul them from CO.
