Boiler install, floor, and walls

The above picture shows the tile underlayment (backer board). Underneath, to cover up the gaping hole in the floor that was leading essentially to the yard, I put 3/4 inch treated plywood. That was coated with thinset and the backer board was set into that and then screwed down.

Here is the tile in place before it was set.

All the walls had several layers of paint. The ceiling was done with drywall, but where the plaster had failed on the walls, I tore it down and restored it with new plaster. To achieve an even surface on the walls, they were then coated in special glue and skim-coated with plaster.

After the walls were plastered, I installed the boiler with Susan's help.

Above is the nearly final picture of the plumbing. This was the hardest part of the whole project. The two gray boxes are the electrically controlled radiator heating valves. They are controlled indirectly by the thermostat in the dining room, through the green box next to the boiler. There are two of them so we can control two zones. The intention is to put some heat upstairs operated by a separate thermostat. That will be a project for another time, though, but the guts are there to make it happen.

A problem we had with the last system was that it put out very hot water at the tap. It could even scald you, so for this setup, I put in a mixer valve to mix in cold water to regulate the temperature of the hot water to a reasonable level. Much better.

The boiler does not have a pilot, so we save gas there. Instead it has electronic ignition. The gas is equally distributed over a metal mesh so that there is no real flame, but the mesh sort of glows. I don't know how durable it is, but it is a better system than the last. The important part is that we can all take warm showers, wash clothes, and do dishes.