apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would get window treatments/curtains that extend equally on both sides and keep the sheers that you have in the middle.

I suggest you try to paint it the same color as your wall or if financially possible, have it moved into a closet?

A shoji screen?

My bigger concern would be noise...while you can get a screen to cover it quite effectively, can you cover the noise it makes?

paint it with special paint for heaters. then save, save, save some money and get that thing taken out. a good contractor should be able to come up with a better solution.

i forgot to say paint it the same color as the wall.

Is it possible to have it 'boxed' into a cupboard extending the cupboard into the corner of the room. Maybe using lightweight wood like a boxed in radiator. Presumably you won't be keeping the furniture in the photo.

Owch - is that another doorway to the right of the furnace? That makes it even more difficult... was thinking you could box it into a bookcase centered on that portion of the wall, but if there is a doorway on the right that eliminates some options...

I don't know that you can use curtains here--seems like they'd block air flow. What about a built in shelving unit entirely around the window, with the furnace covered by louvered doors? Angled shelves btwn the furnace and door that get narrower toward the door and allow access? You could do a little window seat with bright pillows to draw attention to the nicer features.

Another possibility is Ikea (or nicer) sliding panels. You could cover the entire wall. I think they are open weave enough to allow air flow.

Personally, I'd think long and hard about buying this place.

drapes would normally be a great idea for disguising eyesores, but its not an appropriate solution for anything that is hot or relies on air intake...like this furnace would be. Looks like the paint option is your best one for now, before you get around to removing it completely anyway.

Try alsa corp for paint resources they specialize in more high heat colors than just BBQ black or mailbox green...

Just be careful with curtains, some curtains could catch fire with just heat, and besides you need to leave the unit clear from early november to mid to late April to heat the room. I would check with other houses in the neighborhood that have the same problem because they might have the same layout as yours. Your RE agent should know of similar properties. Personally I would remove it and get a pellet stove or a fireplace, or a fireplace that uses pellets. Pellet stove are a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option, the only problem is finding pellets, but once you have a supplier you will be saving money. But I would put either where that hutch is. You might also be able to replace it with a smaller unit that is only half as tall.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a house in this condition. Period.

If you think you really want to, take a contractor or building inspector along for a viewing (yes, pay them!) and find out what options you would have (for this and any other changes you might make) and what they might cost, and include them in negotiations of the price. This furnace doesn't seem up to code (at least in my area) so you MIGHT have grounds to require the seller to do something to close the deal.

Good luck!

On those home improvement shows, I have seen a number of (custom-made) beautiful radiator covers. Can you do something like that?

Not exactly the same, but when we moved into our flat in UK, there was an awful 70s wood effect gas fire mounted on the wall, which we thought we could rip out, but turned out to be our water heater too! Nightmare. Anyway, we took the front cover off to get it to the smallest depth from the wall we could, which is about ten inches. We then made an MDF `3 sided box`cover if you know what i mean, that could sit in front of it, painted it the same colour as the walls and put a slick shelf above it, it looks so much better.

Why not build a cover, cut openings for vents and cover these with a nice wooden fretwork or metal mesh from a diy store?

Obviously, take into consideration how hot this thing gets, and design around it accordingly for safety reasons. Dont let it stop you buying a house, I know it looks horrific but im sure you can work something out!

In the last apartment I rented, the owner replaced a floor furnace with a wall unit like that (but of course from this century). The one I got was installed into an exterior wall, but the guys who installed it said there was a different kind you could get put in an interior wall that's perpendicular to an exterior wall (for venting); then the heat goes out both sides of the wall unit so you get more warmth in more areas. Calling a heating/cooling company to take a look and check the house for other places a wall furnace could go. It might involve moving an interior doorway over or something, but it beats having a giant eyesore jutting into your living room. After you have professionals check out the situation, research the most compact, discreet units.

And you can't block the unit with anything (curtains, screens, etc.) -- it's a hazard and a code violation.

if youre serious about this buy, then do take an inspector or anyone else qualified to make sure its even up to code with city regulations. sadly, it may be. i have a problem very similar to yours... nasty cream colored heater that we never use cause were terrified to light it ever winter, haha. theres just something about a continuous lit fire in my home that i dont like so much.

also, ive thought about painting mine until i either get central air orrr am able to rip it out properly. good luck with your eye sore!

Since fire is an issue here...you may want to go chat with a glass shop. I could see building a shallow 3 sided box like explained above, with heavily frosted/designed and shatterproof glass...but keeping the top open for air intake. (something put together similar to a glass shower enclosure). This would then keep the front fireproof...and you could go with the drapery solution, or mount art/tile or make a fun dry erase board. However, this glass could get hot...so this may not be kid friendly.

Presuming you have not already made an offer to buy this place, if and when you do, try to make dealing with the furnace a point of the contract (at seller's cost). A furnace this old will have more problems than meet the eye, if you know what I mean. And being cold or living with a hazard is way worse than looking at that god-awful ugly thing everyday!

If it does have to be replaced (and it probably isn't very energy efficient if it's that old), check out Rinnai vent-free heaters:

http://www.houseneeds.com/shop/HeatingProducts/RoomHeaters/rinnai/rinnaiventless/rinnaiventlessmainpage.htm

We looked into them to heat a large sunroom that we converted to year-round use. It may be a good option for you. They're not the most gorgeous things ever, either, but at least they can be placed low on the wall below your line of sight!

I thiink your best bet is going to be to make a box using radiator using one of the nice metal sheets and instructions noted here: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,1582598,00.html

I am on board with deeboyyaya.

In addition, I suggest you research and schedule for an HVAC company to come during inspection time and provide quote for how much it would be to update the heating system.

Chances are you could ask for some $$$ to be knocked off the sale or require the seller to update the heating as part of the purchase agreement. Either way, since you would be buying the house, this is something that needs to be updated, not just covered up.

Do the 'need to' upfront and safe the 'nice to' for later.

I would definitely take a pass on this home unless the price is just too good to say no.

Budget AT LEAST $12 - $20K to replace this furnace and possibly all the duct work. We are talking take down the wallboard type work. If you manage to figure out how to keep the existing duct work, then a new furnace for a site this small might dip under $4K. You should add A/C, too.

The simplest solution would be replacing the unit with one that goes in the attic. Knocking the wall out and extending the room and replacing the furnace is another option. Replacing both the water heater and furnace with a boiler (they are tiny and can fit in small closets) would be fantastic, but you are looking at $12k easy to run the pipes all throughout the house and the for the boiler.

I have a vintage wall mounted heater. When I moved into this house, it was a mess. Dirty with chipped paint. I cleaned it up and used high-heat silver spray paint on it. It looks a thousand times better. Then I painted the wall a light blue color so it blends better. We don't have plans to remove it anytime soon so I decided to just go with it.

Either don't buy the house, or budget enough money to have a new more efficient heating system installed in the house.

(While you're at it, a new tankless hot water heater would be worthwhile - I understand that one costs $1200 and you'd get a $1500 tax credit for installing it.)

Wow, I've never seen that before. Take into consideration, that when you decide to sell, this could be something that deters buyers. I say, if you really love the house & feel at home there, then buy it, but talk to your realtor about negotiating the price. It might be a good idea to bring in a contractor (or whoever handles these things) & find out the cost of moving the furnace. We don't have basements in TX, our AC is in the attic & water heater in the garage- those might be options for you.

Wish I could help, but I don't know of any safe options that won't block air to hide that monster.

Put in a new furnace system

Wow...I live in Florida and had no idea they even made heaters that big. lol!

I agree with the boxed cover idea. But here is a photo and a how-to that might be helpful:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,1582598,00.html

You could also just take the metal radiator screen and sort of hang it in front of the radiator - almost like a moroccan-style patterned screen (with the ability for hot air to pass through it).

As a DC resident I have to wonder why you'd feel compelled to buy this place when there are so many other options out there.

"Budget AT LEAST $12 - $20K to replace this furnace and possibly all the duct work. We are talking take down the wallboard type work. If you manage to figure out how to keep the existing duct work, then a new furnace for a site this small might dip under $4K. You should add A/C, too."

A new heating/cooling system needn't cost that much.

Removing this dinosaur isn't going to cost that much - having it removed it from the wall and capping off the gas line wouldn't cost more than $250.

To replace it, LG Mini-Split heatpump systems runs @ $1200 each - a two or three zone system runs @ $2500 and installation would probably be another $750-1000, and the pipes could easily be run through the attic.

http://www.acsuperstore.com/store/LG_MINI_SPLIT_SYSTEMS.html

I wouldn't buy the house, at all, period. You'd hate it so much it's not worth it. Keep looking, hold out for something in your price range that has better bones, even if it's a fixer-upper.