High Raised Hearth in our new home?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tlhfirelion

Feeling the Heat
Aug 6, 2007
442
Hey guys. We are planning to build a new home, will break ground this next march (late march) and are of course planning to have a wood burning stove. We would like to have it on a raised platform of sorts so it's easier to just open the door and put wood in, reducing the bending over all the time as well as allowing the heat to be "thrown" further across the room avoiding furniture and the like. When I see this in my mind, it looks odd. I don't mean raised as in eye level like a pizza oven (lol) but I don't mean a few inches off the ground either. Maybe a foot or so?

Does anyone have a setup like this or is this just insane? I'm thinking a foot to a foot and a half might be the ideal without looking up or needing a step ladder to load the stove. lol

Any pics of this idea would be great if you have something like this.
 
We put in a new stove 2 years ago and had the same thoughts. We ended up raising it 16" and that height for our stove is ideal. We have a chair setting near the stove and when we put wood in or take ashes out we sit on the chair. It works like a charm and I think having the stove a little higher also makes the stove look better.
 
I think you have a good idea and in general I applaud your thinking ahead on this. I imagine that the visual appeal will largely depend on the whole setting you build around the stove as well as which stove you put in there. Is this going to be in the center of a large room or off in a corner? A big rock or something smaller and in steel? I can imagine so many possibilities. Perhaps just go with the BKK or some other stove with a pedestal design which is already raised up for feeding and ash removal and save the trouble of building the hearth up? Nah.. that's no fun :)

I actually raised mine up about 5" - nowhere near what you are thinking, but considered going higher so I could build some storage space under the stove for some of the stove 'supporting materials' such as gloves, IR thermometer and all those other things that collect next to the hearth but in the end it got too complex and I just went with the easier "stick the 2x4 on the side to frame it out and build up on top of that" approach.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
We put in a new stove 2 years ago and had the same thoughts. We ended up raising it 16" and that height for our stove is ideal. We have a chair setting near the stove and when we put wood in or take ashes out we sit on the chair. It works like a charm and I think having the stove a little higher also makes the stove look better.
Click to expand...

Yeah 16" was a number I was looking at. I'm planning a larger hearth, cinder block base with stone veneer on top of that and LOTS of storage. I was thinking raised so not only could I have storage on the sides, but underneath as well. I am planning a rather large floor plan to facilitate heat movement, but I've still not decided on a stove or an insert. I am leaning towards the stove by a slim margin. If I went with the insert I could have duct work to the other parts of the house and small fans could distribute heat towards the bedrooms. However it will be an ICF house so the bedrooms should be cool but not cold in 1 nights time.

Do you have any pics of your set up? Thanks for the reply!
 
Slow1 said:
I think you have a good idea and in general I applaud your thinking ahead on this. I imagine that the visual appeal will largely depend on the whole setting you build around the stove as well as which stove you put in there. Is this going to be in the center of a large room or off in a corner? A big rock or something smaller and in steel? I can imagine so many possibilities. Perhaps just go with the BKK or some other stove with a pedestal design which is already raised up for feeding and ash removal and save the trouble of building the hearth up? Nah.. that's no fun :)

I actually raised mine up about 5" - nowhere near what you are thinking, but considered going higher so I could build some storage space under the stove for some of the stove 'supporting materials' such as gloves, IR thermometer and all those other things that collect next to the hearth but in the end it got too complex and I just went with the easier "stick the 2x4 on the side to frame it out and build up on top of that" approach.
Click to expand...

Yeah the hard part if the design aspect of it all. My idea is to have the hearth kind of "split" the kitchen/dining room and the living room with the bedroom hallways opposing each other to square it all off it that makes sense. Like go north, master bedroom, go south, kids rooms, go east kitchen, go west, living room kinda thing. I think by doing that, the heat will warm up each area more evenly and I won't have to deal with the duct work and fans to distribute the heat to the bedrooms. We all like to sleep when it's a bit cooler or those down comforters will bake your goose!

I can tell you one thing, I will be getting a VERY large firebox, no soapstone or anything fancy. I want large, and long lasting, like the honda of stoves, no glitz just reliable. Maybe a blaze king. I was thinking of having bench built in to the hearth on one side, (the living room side) and a large portion of built in wood storage. I need to sit down and draw it out I think.


I wonder if I should just use black pipe all the way up and out, or a stone column? I like the large black stove pipe as it allows more heating and is simple. I will not have a vaulted ceiling or anything above it.

Thanks for the replies guys.
 
tlhfirelion said:
... but I've still not decided on a stove or an insert. I am leaning towards the stove by a slim margin. If I went with the insert I could have duct work to the other parts of the house and small fans could distribute heat towards the bedrooms. However it will be an ICF house so the bedrooms should be cool but not cold in 1 nights time.
Click to expand...

Ok - so some thoughts to consider:

IF you want to duct heat to other parts of the house but still want to burn wood, have you considered a wood furnace? Most likely it would be more efficient than trying to duct off an insert. Note that I'm not talking about an outdoor boiler here, not that those are necessarily bad, but this is a different animal that until I lurked around here I didn't even know there was such a thing as a wood furnace.

Stoves are generally really good for radiant heat - stick it in the middle of the room if possible so that you can enjoy that heat all around it.

If you are doing new construction and don't want the 'stove style', and have the $'s to spend, consider designing a good quality masonry heater into the home instead of an insert - you could then get the height built into it as you desire and also benefit from a larger heat sink/thermal mass to radiate the heat into the home. I've seen some beautiful designs that even have ovens on the back walls (put the kitchen there) to bake in.

I expect that there are many here like myself who just wish we had the opportunity and $'s to design a home around the wood burning device, but even without going hog wild the potential is great to really come up with something extraordinary.

If fans are to be a part of your heat distribution plan, unless they are part of the duct work moving very hot air around pretty fast, then you likely should be planning on moving cold air toward a stove not pushing warm room air around the house - consensus of those who have shared their experiences here is that moving cold air toward the stove is the way to go. However, those who have a home that can move the air with natural convection and avoid the use of fans are the most fortunate - thus if you can design for this in your new build you are likely to be happiest.
 
Stone raised hearth link down below in sig,

note that their can be stove top to ceiling clearances you may need to consider, ie; i believe for our t6 it was ~ 55" + 0r -

I would guess that other stoves have ceiling clearances as well, but ceiling clearances are typically discussed here.
 
Slow1 said:
tlhfirelion said:
... but I've still not decided on a stove or an insert. I am leaning towards the stove by a slim margin. If I went with the insert I could have duct work to the other parts of the house and small fans could distribute heat towards the bedrooms. However it will be an ICF house so the bedrooms should be cool but not cold in 1 nights time.
Click to expand...

Ok - so some thoughts to consider:

IF you want to duct heat to other parts of the house but still want to burn wood, have you considered a wood furnace? Most likely it would be more efficient than trying to duct off an insert. Note that I'm not talking about an outdoor boiler here, not that those are necessarily bad, but this is a different animal that until I lurked around here I didn't even know there was such a thing as a wood furnace.

Stoves are generally really good for radiant heat - stick it in the middle of the room if possible so that you can enjoy that heat all around it.

If you are doing new construction and don't want the 'stove style', and have the $'s to spend, consider designing a good quality masonry heater into the home instead of an insert - you could then get the height built into it as you desire and also benefit from a larger heat sink/thermal mass to radiate the heat into the home. I've seen some beautiful designs that even have ovens on the back walls (put the kitchen there) to bake in.

I expect that there are many here like myself who just wish we had the opportunity and $'s to design a home around the wood burning device, but even without going hog wild the potential is great to really come up with something extraordinary.

If fans are to be a part of your heat distribution plan, unless they are part of the duct work moving very hot air around pretty fast, then you likely should be planning on moving cold air toward a stove not pushing warm room air around the house - consensus of those who have shared their experiences here is that moving cold air toward the stove is the way to go. However, those who have a home that can move the air with natural convection and avoid the use of fans are the most fortunate - thus if you can design for this in your new build you are likely to be happiest.
Click to expand...

I had considered the furnace, but I didn't feel it was for me really. I really think that with the basic layout of the home and that it will be ICF (insulated concrete forms), a good stove will be enough. The joke with icf is that you can heat them with a candle. lol Another reason I am moving away from duct work is because I am not using a standard hvac system, but am going with a mitsubishi mini split ductless heat pump system. So, the only duct work is going to be in the attic to provide ventilation to the ERV since this house will be so air tight. We will have cieling fans in every room as well. I MAY have a duct or two open up to the basement from the stove area, but that wouldn't be more than a few feet to jsut let heat "seep" into the basement or at th very most have a small fan pushing the air down there.

The massonry stove are incredible, and I wish I could justify the expense but I cannot. If I lived in Colorado or Montana, I would invest in one. In the midwest I should be ok without it. They are a beautiful though, a real work of art. It's still a work in progress, but ya'lls replies ar ehelping me think through the process and design so thanks!
 
I think your choice of stove will help dictate the height of the hearth. I just redid mine (almost done anyway) and went with about 6", but my stove is also about 39" tall. This seems to work out well as I can throw a pad down for my knees (on the hearth) and load the stove at a comfortable height. If it were much higher I'd have to get a chair or have something to sit on.

You might want to mock-up something and see what's comfortable with the stove of your choice.
 
Both of my stoves are on 12" raised hearths. I like it a lot. Could even go 14" or 16", but 12" is a convenient height for a mason to build to with common brick. Rick
 

Attachments

  • cats.jpg
    cats.jpg
    69.4 KB · Views: 424
  • lopinow.jpg
    lopinow.jpg
    76.9 KB · Views: 426
Tall hearths were always common in bedrooms so you can enjoy the view while laying in bed.
Then, people started getting old and found it was much easier to load and care for the stove like the guy above in Bend, Oregon, if it was raised.
I like the idea a lot and wish mine were.
 
kenny chaos said:
...Then, people started getting old...like the guy above in Bend, Oregon...
Click to expand...

Where the hell you been, Kenny? I've missed you. :) Rick
 
Cheeze, thanks Fozz.
I don't want to hijack this thread as I know nothing about raises.

P.S.- Don't tell the other moderators. I want to surprise them. :lol:
 
tlhfirelion said:
Backwoods Savage said:
We put in a new stove 2 years ago and had the same thoughts. We ended up raising it 16" and that height for our stove is ideal. We have a chair setting near the stove and when we put wood in or take ashes out we sit on the chair. It works like a charm and I think having the stove a little higher also makes the stove look better.
Click to expand...

Yeah 16" was a number I was looking at. I'm planning a larger hearth, cinder block base with stone veneer on top of that and LOTS of storage. I was thinking raised so not only could I have storage on the sides, but underneath as well. I am planning a rather large floor plan to facilitate heat movement, but I've still not decided on a stove or an insert. I am leaning towards the stove by a slim margin. If I went with the insert I could have duct work to the other parts of the house and small fans could distribute heat towards the bedrooms. However it will be an ICF house so the bedrooms should be cool but not cold in 1 nights time.

Do you have any pics of your set up? Thanks for the reply!
Click to expand...

I've got some pics but none that really show it good and can't take more pictures right now. Perhaps I'll post some later though.

If you can imagine, we have a chair, like you would use at a breakfast table, that sits by the fire door. The seat of the chair is below the level of the bottom of the fire door.

The hearth not only is 16" high but we also built it rather large. We used 12" square ceramic tiles and they are 5 wide and 3 1/2 deep. We have a pretty good area behind the stove; enough room on the edge to stack some wood overnight. On the other side we have room that we use for placing wet boots and gloves and this works great for drying them. Sometimes it also is used just for sitting on and that really feels good when you've been outdoors in the cold for a time.

Now that we've had it for 2 years I do wish we would have built it so as to be able to use some of the space underneath; even for stacking wood.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

H
Resources for 1840s/earlier Fireplace and Brick Oven Construction?
Replies
13
Views
515
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
bholler
B
M
New stove recommendations
Replies
4
Views
647
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
F
New member. So many questions. What stove??????
Replies
53
Views
3K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
jjam
J
A
New or Used Stove?
Replies
12
Views
1K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
mellow
mellow
C
Hearth Pad Replacement
Replies
3
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
Top Bottom
Back