Pellet stove might not be a great only heat source in frigid weather lol.

From another fixer upper owner I feel your pain. My house is a 100 plus year old farm house. We have pretty much done just about every upgrade restoration affordable in the last 15 years. Started with throwing out the old coal burning converted to oil burning boiler. Windows all around. Plumbing gut of old galvanized pipe to new copper and fixtures everywhere. Electrical upgrades from 60 amp screw in fuse to 100 amp with circuit breakers. Lots and lots of new wire everywhere. Flooring throughout the whole house. Insulation where possible. New drywall in the kitchen bathroom, bedrooms. The last upgrade was installing my dual fuel stove. Probably the most cost effective upgrade of all of them

Knowing how we struggled to get our old house fixed when we moved in 25 years ago, you have our sympathy.

But we have something for you that's more worthwhile than sympathy.........

Use this first winter to list all the important insulation and draughtproofing jobs that need to be done (and you can work down the list starting with the cheap ones straightaway).

You can spend the time prioritising the other jobs you need to do, whilst taking stock of your heating needs.

Huge hint for starters, it is not a requirement to have just one heating system for a home. A backup is handy for when it's really bone chillingly cold.

And the comforting thought that if one system breaks down, you have an alternative to freezing indoors........

Join the club rehabbingisgreen, I'm in a house I though would be flipped a couple of years ago. My first winter the boiler went and I thought, hey I could make it with just the wood stove that was in place. It was such a hassle and I suffered many a cold day and night, and I know exactly what you are going through with the time and money situation. One thing for sure, when the weather breaks you will get it fixed, I remember it was my top priority because I wasn't going through something like that again.

My best wishes, hang in there it gets better, and one day you will laugh about it.

woodchip said:

Use this first winter to list all the important insulation and draughtproofing jobs that need to be done (and you can work down the list starting with the cheap ones straightaway).

Huge hint for starters, it is not a requirement to have just one heating system for a home. A backup is handy for when it's really bone chillingly cold.

And the comforting thought that if one system breaks down, you have an alternative to freezing indoors........

Click to expand...

We have two wall mounted propane heaters as our backup, BUT we don't want to use them unless we really have no other choice.

Any insulation that can be added will help lower your heating/coolng cost in the long run.

How much square feet you all trying to heat with these space heaters?

I once was were you are, But I tighened up the shack the best I could with the pink stuff in the attic. Also walls and basement exposed cement. But the best upgrade is the beast I added a few years back. I sized the middle of this stove to the required BTU's I thought I need to stay toasy. Now when them frigid temps come about. I have some room to spare with the stove. Trust me we suffer for better than 8 years with a stove that was a bit to small for the needs of the drafty old shack. Just went through the single digit stuff late last week. Stove cruised on medium with some top shelf stuff in the hopper.

Sounds like you need a little more stove or take a page from snowy rivers thread on multiple stoves and add another stove to assist the one you have. Or add the furnace to your next wish list. Put the heat to where its needed with vents or baseboard DHW.

I have been there and done that and totally feel your pain. Slept many a night by the pellet stove just to keep warm. Glad them days are over, well I haven't seen the -20º's yet. But hoping I can ride them out!

Y'all do know about blown in insulation for the walls, right? My parents put no insulation in the walls of the house my father built before I was born (many years ago), but did put some blown insulation in the walls and attic space when I was a teenager. House was much warmer after that. It's a fairly simple do-it-yourself project that will pay back huge.

when you do the insulation start from top work your way down . attic first , walls next then basement last . just doing attic alone you will notice it . plastic on windows also works . good luck well worth the struggles in the long run .