Cb, ask your plumber if it is possible to add a circulator pump to your hot water heater. It does 2 things: prolongs the life of the heater and provides hot water instantly at any hot water tap. It is a water saving feature!
If your water heater is in the crawl space, you might also want to add some sort of a leak alarm… just in case.
I’m thinking maybe we can just move it next to Crawlspace entry door to make it easier.
I have investigated circulator pumps at the bathrooms and the cost is prohibitive for turning a house. It’s something buyers can add if they want it. It is not a ‘sexy’ feature for selling a house. But, I’ll talk to my agent again because we reviewed it a couple of years ago, maybe buyers are really concerned about that nowadays.
Is this a gas or electric water heater?
My understanding is that all you need is one pump at the heater and some minor retrofit of piping by the heater. The hot water system is a closed system; all the pump does is circulates water in the system. No plumbing redo or pumps at bathrooms are needed.
This:
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Watts-Hot-Water-Re-Circulating-Pump-with-Timer-500800/100426993
I certainly love mine! It was a huge selling point for Mr. B 16 years ago, lol, because we did not know how easy it could be done. I really appreciate the fact that I don’t need to run the shower for a few minutes to get it hot.
If the hot water heater starts to leak it will not be noticed for a good long time though right?
^ Problems with that system:
There have been no problems with hot recirculating system in our house in its 16 years of existence.
It is an example. You can get better metal ones from online sellers and separate timers. No, it does not circulate cold water - that’s why I mentioned a minor piping retrofit by the heater. If the heater is being moved, it would not be a huge deal.
Not a large saver? It depends on where you live and where the heater is located relative to the shower - when our pump was off, it took good 3 minutes to get the hot water going. Water savings are all relative depending on where you live - in CA, every drop counts. Check the drout thread - people are talking about collecting grey water for irrigation purposes. Or using a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water before hot water reaches the shower head. 
We run ours 24/7 - never bothered with getting a timer. When the pump was off, I did not notice any savings in the gas bill.
You forget one more thing: it really adds a few years of life to the water heater.
I’m not saying it is a must have system, but it adds a nice touch and has its benefits. We will make sure our next house has one in it. I’m not sold on tankless water heaters - in my neck of the woods, using electricity to heat is throwing $$ at the utility co.
How would it extend the life of the water heater?
Without a separate hw water line, the only way for it to work is to use the cold water lines to close the loop. So you wind up with warm water in the cold water pipes. Some people don’t care, some do.
Retrofitting a separate return line in an existing building is not a minor retrofit, although if the walls are already open it might not be too difficult.
Because there is no stagnant layer of water that sits on the bottom of water heater and creates rusty sediment - that’s what the plumber who installed it said. The guy who fixed our furnace confirmed that, too - he said we should hang onto our 16 yr old heater for a few more years.
That’s what I mean - cb is already ripping out the entire plumbing. 
It would be a minor thing to add.
These things are pretty costly in terms of energy for the amount of water saved:
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/ask-pablo-will-a-water-saving-hot-water-recirculation-pump-really-save-me-money.html
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/Recirc/RecircEnergy.htm
Maybe in CA, reducing water usage trumps everything.
re: 16 year old water heaters - some of my oldest ones lasted that long, newer ones die at 6-8 years. Changing the sacrificial anodes does a lot to extend the life as well, but almost no one does this.
My personal experience contradicts the calculations in those articles.
“Maybe in CA, reducing water usage trumps everything.”
It is a big deal here in WA as well. Despite the reputation of being the rain capital of the US, we can have severe drought issues - we are very dependent on the snowpack in the mountains.
We have a recirculating pump, on a timer. No problems at all since DH installed it over 10 years ago.
I’m in So. CA. And reducing water usage trumps everything…especially when you have trees you want to get through the drought. I don’t care about the grass, but I’m doing all I can to save my trees, and a couple of roses I’ve had since our D was born.
CB, you might want to check with your agent on the pump issue now. I’d be reluctant to move the water heater or patch the door. Stucco patch is a hassle.
Draftsman / Planner says we can close up door because window provides egress. But he doesnt understand why I would do that because it provides access to exterior stairs. Also, if someone in future wants live in help or private entry i am eliminating private access. He also called hallway ‘dressing area’
My plumber /carpenter says i am nuts to move water heater. Too much work. So that is not going to happen. His opinion is buyers wont care while viewing the house
I will draw out a plan tonight with bath to south wall, no special access to water heater and window in bath replacing door opening. Will review with agent and discuss recirculating pump
It seems like the bathroom works well where it is because you get access from family room.
It is not the end of the world to forego the walk-in closet to retain the exterior access to the stairway, if you decide to go that way. And regardless whether it is a hallway or closet, you could still provide access to the water heater from that corner of the room, if you wanted.
Honestly, these are minor issues; the whole thing is coming together nicely.
My H used to be a spec builder. When making decisions you can’t think like a homeowner. He built quality homes but something like moving the water heater can cost a lot of money with no return on that expense. A buyer is not going to not buy the house because of the water heater location if they really love the house. They can move it at a later date.
We have a recirculating pump on our water heaters on timers. They are great. I don’t know how it works but our cold water is cold. My H is not sold on tankless. My D recently house sat at a home that had recently undergone a huge remodel with tankless installation. My D felt it took a longtime for the hot water to reach the shower. Guess she was spoiled with the recirculating pump at home.We actually have two water heaters, one on each end of the house.
For me not having a tub would be a deal breaker but I know other people who never use tubs. My nightly bath is suffering during this drought!
I was just about to post what mom60 said. CB, I think it’s commendable that you’re concerned about the location of the water heater and that you want this house to be the best it can be for whoever buys it. Having said that, no one is going to decide not to buy the house due to the location of the water heater…I’m guessing the words ‘water heater’ won’t arise once. Thus, the cost of moving it comes directly out of your profit. I wouldn’t say this if the WH were faulty in some way but it’s not – it’s perfectly fine the way it is, it’s just not located particularly conveniently.
Honestly, this is how I felt about the windows in the living room. Of course a nanawall would have been wonderful but what’s already there is quite lovely and the panes can be highlighted to buyers because of their noise-reducing quality. I didn’t post but was thinking, CB, that ‘wow’ entrance already looks great! Save your money and improve other parts of the house!
I think it’s easy for all of us to get wrapped up in what we’d want in our perfect, newly renovated house but it’s important to remember that every dollar CB spends is a dollar less for her. Of course, I wouldn’t be saying this for safety issues or even for aesthetic or convenience issues if it’s likely they enhance the value of the home. And, I will say that I sure wish you, CB, were renovating my house!
collage1 said exactly what I’ve been thinking.
PROGRESS UPDATE
We are now ready for hot mop shower pan goo in the two showers upstairs. This requires that all plumbing is done, the shower drain is set, wiring is complete (at least in that area), shower dam is built and we have to put blocking at least 12" up on all sides.
I sure hope I made the right decision about two showers on main floor and a bathtub down below It’s going to be too late really quick here! I just feel that the main guest bath that is used by casual guests should look as pretty as possible. I don’t think a bathtub looks as pretty as a nice shower
We are getting a new roof this weekend. At the last minute my roofing guy called up and said his dumpster company no longer delivers in the City of San Diego, they lost their license or something. Gee, do you think they got caught one too many times putting a dumpster on the street without a permit??? So, I had to scramble down to the City and sit there and get a Traffic Control Permit to put a dumpster on the street. Why oh why can’t they just put that stuff on the Internet for heaven’s sake?? Wait in line, then they require me to draw a map of the street and driveways and width of the street for location where the dumpster is going to go. They have this stupid rule that dumpster has to be 10’ away from both of my driveways. Who cares??? they are MY driveways. It would be much more convenient if we could block the little one car garage driveway and make a chute to push down the layers of roofing! Then I have to take a piece of paper downstairs to a Cashier and pay $113. Then back upstairs to be given the permit. Ugggh… bureaucracy at it’s finest Not to mention it is in the heart of downtown San Diego and you have to pay to park in a 12 story parking garage and it’s always my luck that there are no spots available until about the 11th floor.
So, roofing materials got delivered with a conveyor onto the roof. My guy did not have time to tear off a portion of the roof, so all this material is sitting on top of the old roof. Someone is going to have to waste their time moving it all around while they are tearing off. Then the dumpster arrived and Ooops… it got placed a little bit over the driveway. I have no idea how that happened?? Could have been me waving to the guy to put it there. He didn’t even ask about the permit, uggh.
Here is the risk we are taking. The tear off is going to start on Friday, which is a legal ‘holiday’ for July 4th. And then the roofing on Saturday July 4, and could push out to Sunday. So, technically all of those days are No Construction days. So, I have walked around to as many neighbors as possible and apologized and explained the situation. They were fine with it. We will see what happens. I can guarantee that there won’t be any City workers driving around checking on the holiday weekend.
I loaded some new pictures of progress. And a pic of how the dang electrician managed to completely mess up the old stove I was going to sell on Craigslist.
“Then the dumpster arrived and Ooops… it got placed a little bit over the driveway. I have no idea how that happened?? Could have been me waving to the guy to put it there. He didn’t even ask about the permit, uggh.”
Lol. I’m sure the city permit department will be there any minute now asking you to move it! (JK ) $113! What a cash cow for the city!