Water Tanks stacked outside a Maine barn.

Albie Barden selects a suitable tank for my project.

Albie fits a stand to the water tank.

Here’s a slightly edited email I sent to Jeremy Brown, of Hillcrest Masonry, and Albie Barden, of Maine Wood Heat Co;
Hello, Gentlemen,
Progress of considerable proportions has occurred! Albie’s design is genius – even better than I imagined. So I contracted with him for the stove as well as the heater, no wait, make that three things; the stove, heater, and soapstone sink. Before those can be installed, however, we need to replace a few studs with non-combustible/steel, and then tile the place. Now I’m thinking of using 12” tile on the whole wall and a bit around the corner to surround the window. The tiled area will also include 26(?)” out in front of the stove and oven. I’ll include square footage at the end here. I’m not going to try to make a counter to replicate the present butcherblock which is holding up the electric cook stove – we’ll let the stove stand on it’s own, beside the heater. I am thinking of putting a counter to the right of the sink – if it goes all the way to the wall it will need a metal support tied into the proposed metal studs.
Please include the copper water jacket (which of the two can be discussed; I don’t mind dents if that one functions better ((there was a difference in where the spigots were?)) and the funky stand for the waterjacket. That copper waterjacket is gorgeous and should really be somewhere we can see it – maybe a cut-out niche in the tiled back wall which will also position the waterjacket relative to the hot water heater and the bath.
I’m finding a plumber now who wants to learn that (gravity plumbing, errr, what did you call it, Albie? The thermodynamic stuff.)
So, the first steps, then, is some more demolition and the retrofit of metal studs in the kitchen/bath wall, and a demolition and archway in the kitchen/living wall. Also, rip up the vinyl kitchen tiles and look at the underlayment of the floor relative to heater project. Jeremy, would your father be interested?
Then, Jeremy, we need to install the tile, and whatever underlayment etc – specs you and Albie discuss relative also to matching floor level of oak flooring to be installed in kitchen floor and where we tore out wall kitchen/living.
I suspect the soapstone sink will need cabinetry to sit in – I will think about the rest of the design (left side of sink) in a bit.
I may put the refirg up on a dolly and position it up against the cold back door. (then we’ll need to put in a cat door, a firewood shoot, a cold air intake…)
Salutations,
Kathryn

Edited this post to correct misnomer; those are water tanks. A water jacket is the piping that goes around the heater or stove to the tank that transfers heat to the tank.

Jeremy Brown’s Hillcrest Masonry
Albie Barden’s Maine Wood Heat Company