Water Heater Relocation Question
 

I just purchased a house built in 1916. The water heater is located in the basement which is accessed from a trap door in the middle of the kitchen. I want to remodel the kitchen and get rid of the trap door but I need to find a different way to access the water heater for repair or removal. It seems like there was another access way to the basement from the outside, however, it has been cemented over with steps. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to create an additional access to the basement, allowing enough space to remove the water heater when that time comes. Or should seal up the basement and look into installing an electric tankless water heater for the whole house? Do tankless water heaters work well?

Electric tankless works very well for the power company...

Homeowners are usually less impressed with them.

Is it possible to reconfigure the steps to provide access.

Maybe a deck with a section that can open to provide access?

Tankless water heaters aren't all that bad; however, you need to purchase the right one. I did a quick search and came up with this site: Tankless Water Heater Buying Guide

See if it can help you decide if a tankless water heater is right for you.

Yea Exactly...

If you feel like upgrading your electrical service so you can add 3-60-amp 2-pole circuit breakers to your electrical panel so you can fill a bathtub with a 2-3 gallon per minute flow that slows down by half when someone turns on the kitchen faucet your power company will be very happy but you won't...

Now if you have natural gas available it might be another story...

But you still will not see any payback for years to come...

Its all about rate of rise and flows...

Try this for a good read... Tankless Water Heating Guide