Home Heating IoT Project - MQTT? Node.js? Both? - Initial Thoughts

This is the plan:

In my house, I have 4 Redwell heaters in upstairs rooms. They were installed inexpertly (not by me) with the receiver/relay units downstairs, so the room thermostat's RF send signal is not always picked up. This results in heaters staying on all day sometimes.

An IoT solution would solve this problem as well as giving me a host of other useful features. Most desirable:

• Programmable on/off times (very desirable option: with thermostat control)
• Manual on/off override of timing program.
• All on / all off override for if we are out on an evening.
• Webpage interface.
• Internet access from outside the home.

From what I have read so far, it looks like MQTT could be very useful, as could node.js. (see also here)

First step is to build a mini-mock-up. On current form this will take months!