MSRP vs street price

Hi folks! I just began looking into replacing the Scandia 900 that came with our house and hasn't been used by us. The terracotta in our exterior chimney is cracked and needs to be lined, but can't fit the 8" steel liner that this stove requires. The stove is also not in great shape so we're OK with getting a newer nicer one.

It's been suggested to us that putting in a 6" liner in with a new stove will only cost a bit more than sticking with our current stove and paying for the labor and materials to break out the terracotta and install an 8" liner, so I'm looking into this option seriously. It means we get a new stove AND a new liner!

Now I'll get to the point... in most of my other interests, from guitars to photography, there is a large gap between MSRP and actual price in stores. I'm trying to figure out if this is true for wood stoves also but haven't had much luck. Specifically I'm looking at the VC Resolute-Acclaim, and the VC Encore.

I don't think I've mentioned yet that I have almost no wood stove experience, and I'm just starting to look. I've chosen to explore these two models because of their size and look more than anything else, but I'm more interested in the msrp vs street price question. If it's relevent, I live in southern new england.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Thanks for the replies guys. It's helpful to know if I should expect any bargaining room when I finally go to make a purchase.

This stove will be going in our living room and will not be used as our main heating source (we use natural gas for that). I'm expecting to use the stove as supplemental heat and for the cozy atmosphere, but expect that this may change once I start using it. I wouldn't be surprised if I start using it a lot more once we get used to using it. In any case, I'd like to be able to heat the first floor of our home which is about 550 sqft. with 9' ceilings.

The hearth our current stove sits on is only 40" deep, so I need a stove with a tight back clearance in order to have enough space in front of the stove for code (our current stove does not meet code because of this). The rear wall of the hearth is also brick.

As far as money goes, I'm trying to not go broke on this project. I think the cheapest option is to order a 6" lining kit and install it myself, then find an affordable used stove. Otherwise, spend a bunch of money, hope to get a nice Christmas bonus this year, and pay a local business for the whole package (liner, stove, and install). I really hate to go this second route, but I also hate dancing up on the roof. I'm handy enough to do the work, but would feel like a cheap jerk if I ever hurt myself working way up there instead of just paying a pro.

Let me know your thoughts and if I've forgotten anything that would be helpful to know. Thanks!

It's too dark out to take photos of the outside chimney, but here is a shot of the current stove location with dimensions. For location, I'm not too far from Providence, RI, on the MA border. Hope this helps. =)

Today I spoke with a salesperson who suggested a Lopi Republic 1750 because it has a really tight rear clearance (4.25"). I think it still wouldn't leave enough room in front, but I was surprised to see such a large stove with such a tight clearance. I've been looking at small stoves hoping to make up for the shallow pad it will sit on, but a lot of smaller stoves would come to about the same front clearance because they require 9"-10" rear clearance. They quoted me just under $3400 for stove in basic black, double wall pipe, thimble, 25ft 6" liner kit, install labor, and tax. They also will throw in a blower for "free". It's a lot of money for me, but I didn't think it sounded like a rip off. Anyway, thanks for the help guys, let me know your thoughts. =)

begreen, those are full bricks, not just a facade. I am honestly not sure how much clearance there is behind the brick. I had the Jotul Castine on my list of stoves to investigate, but I haven't yet. I know they can be pricey. I'm really trying to not extend the hearth if possible at all. The room is only 12' wide here, and the current hearth already occupies a good chunk of that. I understand it may come to this, but I hope not.

Dill, I do need a liner, that's how this whole thing started. My original post explains those details.

mellow, no it is not electric baseboard, it is forced hot water from our NG furnace.

Cheers

begreen said:

Depending on the stove, you may be able to extend the hearth at floor level with simple ember protection. This is the case with the Lopi 1750. The extension could be just a sheet of metal.

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Thanks begreen, that is something I'll seriously think about. By my calculations i need an additional 3.75", so maybe I can get something on the floor to surround the current hearth. The real trick will be to find something that looks nice and doesn't stand out too bad. As easy as it would be to use some sheet metal, I don't think my better half would let that fly.

If the brick on the back wall counts as a protected surface, AND I use the double wall pipe, can I get any closer than 4.25"? The salesperson I spoke to said it's a possibility, depending on the surface, to have the stove hug the wall. This would be ideal for me as long as it doesn't burn the house down. The salesperson only mentioned that it was a possibility, not that it is likely...

begreen said:

That is not quite correct. NFPA 211 guidelines permit varying degrees of wall protection depending on the material and design. Metal does not have to be involved at all. A 3.5" thick masonry wall achieves a 33% reduction.

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Now your speaking my language! These bricks happen to be 3.5" thick. That can help with my front clearance.

begreen said:

However, for the 17VL there is no need for the additional reduction.

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I need to look into this stove, but I'm pretty excited about the Lopi now. It's always dangerous for the rational side of my brain when I get excited. It also doesn't help that the salesperson told me today he may be getting a less than 1yr old Lopi Republic 1750 in on a trade from a local woman who decided to remodel. He's going to call me when he had numbers for it.

I discussed the hearth with a friend at work who is handy, and we came up with a few ideas on how to tastefully get some more front coverage. So I think fitting the larger stove isn't too big of a deal now.

bluedogz said:

The possibility exists of finding a cheap jerk to get on the roof for you in exchange for hot chocolate and chili.... Worked for me.

Love ya, Hogz...

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Good point. I'll ask around

weatherguy said:

My local stove shop sells these black hearth extenders in different sizes, not sure what they're made of but they were relatively inexpensive and looked good, in the spring you just pick it up.

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Thanks weatherguy. That's actually one of the ideas that we came up with. At the very least this would be useful to pass inspection if we can't get a permanent solution in place by that time.