Hi All (in the Hearth Room)
We are looking for advice which wood insert - Hearthstone Clydesdale or Hampton HI300 and with which finish would you put in our fireplace? Or maybe you have other suggestions.
In summary:
We have two-story house (2000 sq feet) with electric heat.
Masonry fireplace is in the living room (352 sq feet) on the outside wall.
The firebox dimensions are 32? (h) x 48? (w) x 24?.
We would like to have a wood insert with the biggest view as possible.
We would like to have surround that fits the firebox opening without any alterations.
We like the Vermont Casting inserts (Montpelier and Merrimack), but after reading all negative reviews and replays to "daveydog" (post: "Vermont Casting Merrimack") on this forum we gave up on these inserts. From my research Hampton HI300 with 32" x 48" surround should be sufficient and should fit firebox opening. This is a great looking insert, but my husband is concerned that it does not belong to our cottage style living room. He prefers look of Hearthstone Clydesdale. So, I have researched on Clydesdale. We will have an issue with the Clydesdale surround. It is only 47" wide. If we buy the Clydesdale surround extension (36" x 59"), it will cover too much of fireplace stones and will make already wide surround wider. Also, Clydesdale has some negative reviews - noisy fan, air wash not entirely successful, issues with blower. Do you know if these issues have been resolved?
FYI. I looked at the flash inserts by Joful and Hampton but they have surrounds too small for our firebox.
I am attaching pictures of our fireplace with glass door and living room (currently under remodeling). Please help us to make right decision. Thank you.
Grace
Comments:
'BlakesDesk Porter' (post: "The beauty of a Fireplace in an Inserts") wrote:
"I do not like the look of the surrounds. After a long time looking at different inserts, I've concluded that inserts can?t come close to matching the beauty of a fireplace-System. What I like doesn't seem to exist, a product not made yet."
I agree with 'BlakesDesk Porter' 100%. There is a big gap, not only in "the beauty" of inserts but also in supporting different firebox openings. You are buying an expensive surround and you still need a custom made additional surround, just because one inch is missing. But we have to go with what is on market to stay warm this winter.
I hope that this forum is reviewed by wood insert makers for benefits of future customers.
We are looking for advice which wood insert - Hearthstone Clydesdale or Hampton HI300 and with which finish would you put in our fireplace? Or maybe you have other suggestions.
In summary:
We have two-story house (2000 sq feet) with electric heat.
Masonry fireplace is in the living room (352 sq feet) on the outside wall.
The firebox dimensions are 32? (h) x 48? (w) x 24?.
We would like to have a wood insert with the biggest view as possible.
We would like to have surround that fits the firebox opening without any alterations.
We like the Vermont Casting inserts (Montpelier and Merrimack), but after reading all negative reviews and replays to "daveydog" (post: "Vermont Casting Merrimack") on this forum we gave up on these inserts. From my research Hampton HI300 with 32" x 48" surround should be sufficient and should fit firebox opening. This is a great looking insert, but my husband is concerned that it does not belong to our cottage style living room. He prefers look of Hearthstone Clydesdale. So, I have researched on Clydesdale. We will have an issue with the Clydesdale surround. It is only 47" wide. If we buy the Clydesdale surround extension (36" x 59"), it will cover too much of fireplace stones and will make already wide surround wider. Also, Clydesdale has some negative reviews - noisy fan, air wash not entirely successful, issues with blower. Do you know if these issues have been resolved?
FYI. I looked at the flash inserts by Joful and Hampton but they have surrounds too small for our firebox.
I am attaching pictures of our fireplace with glass door and living room (currently under remodeling). Please help us to make right decision. Thank you.
Grace
Comments:
'BlakesDesk Porter' (post: "The beauty of a Fireplace in an Inserts") wrote:
"I do not like the look of the surrounds. After a long time looking at different inserts, I've concluded that inserts can?t come close to matching the beauty of a fireplace-System. What I like doesn't seem to exist, a product not made yet."
I agree with 'BlakesDesk Porter' 100%. There is a big gap, not only in "the beauty" of inserts but also in supporting different firebox openings. You are buying an expensive surround and you still need a custom made additional surround, just because one inch is missing. But we have to go with what is on market to stay warm this winter.
I hope that this forum is reviewed by wood insert makers for benefits of future customers.