Log Burner Quotes

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Summer is over (do not try and convince me otherwise) but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Why? Because CHRISTMAS FIREPLACE THAT’S WHY.

I have two weeks off work, a DIY schedule to make you wince, and three slabs of porcelain absolutely dying to begin their new vocation as a hearth. I hope I enjoyed that ice cream, because play time is over.

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I got two official quotes and two unofficial quotes for the fireplace. The officials:

Quote 1

Open up fireplace (this was before we went hell for leather and opened it up ourselves which only reduced the quote by £300 (!))
Remove all waste off site
Install slate hearth
Sweep chimney
Board internal recess
Supply and fit stove
£2,600

Quote 2

Install slate hearth
Supply and fit stove
£1,900

The unofficial quotes came from my neighbour who is in an identical situation to me – one was £3500, the other about £3k.

I’ve decided to go with Quote 2 which will end up costing about the same as Quote 1 after factoring in a chimney sweep (£55-100, bird’s nest dependant), hearth slabs (£80 (£32 shipping made my eyes water)), waste removal (£200(?)), and rendering (£100(?)), but the stove I’m getting is bigger and nicer (it has double doors *smug face*), and I felt better about it even though the man I’m dealing with is sleepy af. Intuitively I prefer him to the other guy, so here we gooooooooooooo.

The last leg of plastering begins tomorrow, materials dependant, and then it is just painting, some flooring, touching up bits here and hiding bits there. Remember this doesn’t include the kitchen or bathroom. These are not factored in to The Five Year Plan. Nee chance.

The Five Year Plan

Five years is just the term of my personal loan (the credit cards are separate moons orbiting separate planets). Initially this felt like a really long time to be bound to debt, but as I turn 35 next month I am reminded of my 30th birthday and how recent it feels. It was impossibly so long ago. One blink and I’ll be 40. Not that I’m willing time to hurry along to a hypothetical moment in the future where I might be a bit closer to having a bit more money (which is a weird sentence), rather I can consider long-term plans more successfully than I could previously, when all of this seemingly grown up stuff felt very far away and simply difficult to conceive. No one is good at looking at the bigger picture, but I’m trying. I also can’t hack hangovers anymore so naturally I spend less money on booze, that helps. Bless you, middle age. Bless you. Oh and I also don’t really leave the house anymore so clothes are pointless. Sorry, I mean new clothes. New clothes are pointless. 👀

My schedule is mildly ambitious, but a little bit every day will keep the productivity guilt away. Also, lol @ even half of this getting done, what the fuck am I talking about? HOOOOOLLLIDAAAAAAYSSSSSSSSS.