Stove Install Plans for Next Heating Season.

I don't think you will have any problem heating the whole house with that stove location. Is your goal to eliminate propane or just reduce it and keep the house a little warmer?

No specific recommendations for a woodstove . . . there are many, many brands . . . some are good, some are great, some are not-so-great . . . a lot of what makes a great woodstove for you and your specific needs however is what you want for features, what you want to pay and what you personally think looks good.

One of your first homework assignments is to figure out your spacing needs and see what makes/models would make a good fit. You've already figured that you've got 1,000 square feet. That's the first step. However, I would strongly suggest you look at stoves that are just one size larger than this . . . or stoves that heat 1,000 square feet + . . . the reason being is that the stove manufacturers do not take into consideration various climates (i.e. a 1,000 square foot home in a windy, Maine winter is quite different from a 1,000 square foot home in an area where it gets cool for a few months), how well insulated your home is (i.e. is your home a drafty farmhouse built in the 1870s with little to no insulation and old windows or a super-insulated home built three years ago), home lay out (i.e. closed, traditional rooms vs. open lay out.)

At this point you should still have quite the list of stoves to look at which would fit your need . . . so now what I would recommend is figuring out exactly what you and your wife like in terms of stove features and the look. It sounds like she is not a fan of black steel stoves. Perhaps she would like enamled cast iron . . . or soapstone. Is an ash pan important? What about having both a side loading door and front loading door? Deciding whether to go with steel, cast iron or soapstone (and listening to the various pros- and cons- of each type is one of the great debates frequently seen here at hearth.com . . . my own opinion . . . all woodstoves generate heat and heat is good -- yes they each have some advantages and disadvantages so go with what you can afford and like.)

Now right about now you may be wondering . . . what's this cat (aka catalytic converter) and non-cat (aka secondary burning) . . . how important is this to my decision? Well, only you can answer this question. A lot has been written on the cat vs. non-cat debate with supporters and opponents in both camps . . . my own take . . . I went with secondary burning tech when I bought my stove . . . now, after having been here for some time . . . I think I could go either way . . . cat or non-cat.

So, you've now weeded down the potential list . . . first finding stoves that were the right size . . . then finding stoves with the features and type of construction you like . . . at this point you need to check your local stove shops (if opting to buy local vs. buying on the internet which is entirely possible by the way -- in fact Woodstock stoves pretty much are all sold on the phone and internet) and check out these stoves in person . . . find some prices . . . ask some questions . . . and then come right back here and ask even more questions about the make/models you are interested in . . . and check out the Stove Ratings section which has all kinds of reviews on all kinds of stoves from actual users.

You final step . . . make the purchase and set the date.

A few random thoughts . . .

-- You mention heating the home . . . I will say right here and now that not only can you supplement the heating in your home, but you should be able to heat your entire home with a well placed and well sized woodstove. I heat my 30 x 40 two-story Cape almost entirely with wood . . . I do run an electric space heater in my utility room (ironically enough to keep my oil boiler's pipes warm . . . along with some plumbing pipes) and when I leave for extended periods of time (i.e. vacation in the Carribean) I use the oil boiler . . . otherwise the woodstove is the main heater in my home . . . and many folks heat even larger homes than me entirely with wood.

-- Your placement looks OK . . . I would think the better placement might be the living room. My reasoning: a) you could set up a fan to direct the heat into the dining room and into the bedrooms and b) I am an advocate of putting your heat where you will spend the bulk of your time which I am guessing would be the living room. That said, I think your idea is also sound.

-- Getting wood now is the key to being a very happy first year burner. It sounds like you're already ahead of the game . . . a common mistake made by many of us.

-- I suspect your wife may really like the enameled woodstoves and soapstone woodstoves. The two soapstone stoves to consider would be Hearthstone and Woodstock . . . there are many, many enameled woodstoves out there: Quadra-fire, Harmon, Jotul and a bunch of other ones which elude my memory.

I personnaly went with a ''Black box'' for price reason..... but man, if you'Re ready to put some $$$ into it. Some stove out there are piece of art....... You don'T have a very big house to heat, so there is hundreds of diffrent stove available.

Me, the only thing I didn'T like on most of the smaller stove, it that you have to load the wood sideways...... Anyway, look around and there is a LOT to learn here on this forums...

My father in law just bought a enmaeled PAcific Energy, what a nice stove, but 3k$ is a lot of money for the stove only.

Good luck and keep us posted....

If you are looking for suggestions I can't help but think you would have to tell us up front what exactly is your price range.
I went with black steel box for price alone - but if I could spend $2500-3000 I would consider a soapstone model.
The location you picked is great...I wish I had a layout like for the wood stove.