Jotul Oslo installation thread (with photos)

This weekends progress:





Hoped to get more done, but am battling a cold and also had to run out to buy more mortar. I am beginning to think that they did not give me all the stone I am supposed to have. I paid for 60 sq feet, but my wall space is less than 54 sq feet. I do not think the stone I have will even cover the 54 feet I have, so I will most likely be going back to the business to get more. I have very little waste, so that is not the problem. I have saved every chip and piece, and they all fit in a pie tin.

I finally got well from that cold thing. I also had a relative visit for a weekend recently, so could not focus much on the project then either. Despite all of the distractions, I have made quite a bit of headway though and finally have the stone work done! Here are the photos of the work in progress:











Thought I would throw this action shot in there. She was playing with the camera while I was out mixing up another batch of mortar. She was playing with the reflection getting the wall and me out on the deck, and it came out pretty neat I thought.



Sizing up the last piece.....



All done!



I have had the steel plate I will be using for my hearth pad for a while now, and got it in place to be sure everything was going to work out ok. It all looked good, so now I have to take it to get powdercoated tomorrow. Hopefully Tom can get it done soon because that is all I need to get the stove in place and ready for a fire. I have also fit in some time to make a few runs to scavenge firewood lately too... There just arent enough hours in the day to get it all done!

Thanks for all the comments. I am excited to have it close to being fire-ready. These nights are getting pretty cool lately and a fire would be nice. The stove was about 2700 I think, since I got the enamel finish on it. From what I read, the extra charge is worth it in the long run though. I am a do it yourself type of guy, and I am really happy with how the stone work all turned out, but this project showed me that I definitely did not miss my calling to be a stone mason. I dropped the steel hearth pad off tonight as planned, and it looks like I should get it back some time around the beginning of next week.

My stove is now complete and working. I finished it the weekend before thanksgiving, but have not had the time to post photos until now.





I am glad to have it done and am really happy with how it all looks. We have been using it quite a bit since I got it functional, and have had a spell of cold weather that makes us appreciate it even more. I have had a fire going in it constantly for the last 5 days or so and our furnace has really not come on much at all. I have a fan set up to blow the cool air into the room and that really helps to circulate the heat through out the rest of the house. I am hoping to get time this spring to complete my shelves and cabinets on each side of my wall and also to finish the floor around the hearth pad. For now though, I am happy enough with it as it is. Thanks for all the help, compliments and advice offered!