Advice needed switching prefab to inset or wood stove :( frustrated

[oscillate.wildly]

Hi everyone,

Sooooo we bought a house and the fireplace was a big selling point. We were smitten with the house and overwhelmed with the amount of money it costs to purchase with closing etc. so we didn't look as closely at the fireplace as we should have. I now know a reasonable amount but unfortunately it's a little late! It has turned out that the fireplace is a factory/pre-fab fireplace that is drafty and doesn't put out much heat at all, so we need to change it. I had a chimney sweep/inspector come out yesterday and I'm really bummed out by what he found and I need some advice.

I was looking at inserts HOWEVER it turns out that our factory is pretty small in terms of height. The max stove height would be 20 in. and it would have to be rear vented apparently. We have an 8' chimney also. I was looking at the Regency H2100 or something similar but it won't fit.

I know that there are smaller inserts out there like the Regency I1150 Wood Insert and I looked into them last night, however I would then have another problem - the prefab says to not install doors and the inspector said that I would need to leave all the surround exposed. So while an insert would fix the open damper issue, we would still have airflow around the fireplace and I suspect it would still make the house cold when the fire is not burning. He said that we could not add the backing that usually comes with the inserts.

Some info about the current fireplace:
The insert is from Super Fireplaces, fireplace no. E801317, zero clearance fireplace model 38. The back appears to be firebrick and the sides are metal. Behind the fireplace is the garage so I've also shown a picture of that. The back box does not get overly hot when the fire is burning.

It looks like these are our options:
- replace the whole shebang with a new fireplace. While I know that this is the best option I'm being quoted up to $8500 and our budget is about $3000 MAX
- install a smaller insert like the regency and deal with the drafts
- get rid of the whole thing, rebuild the wall, start from scratch and install a free-standing woodstove

Sorry for such a long post. I'm super frustrated and mad at my fireplace right now. To summarize, aside from general advice about what our options are, I have some specific questions:
- would using an insert in the pre-fab be a big improvement even if the airflow couldn't be stopped (e.g. leave those sides with the vertical holes exposed)?
- can we just adapt our existing chimney for the woodstove? Getting mixed answers
- am I missing something - install a new basic pre-fab without doors and then put in an insert? I don't know!

Our budget is about $3000 max, ideally less. We can do a lot of the labor ourselves. Father-in-law has built houses and installed fireplaces so has some experience there. Absolutely fine with getting second-hand as long as it's safe.

Last but not least, Husband's house burnt down as a kind so has to be done properly (while I'm the type to use a butter knife instead of a screwdriver ha). Seeing fire is important. I had my heart set on an open fire with a door that can be shut but I think I am going to have to compromise.

Photos attached

TIA, I appreciate it!

 

[bholler]

You cannot install an insert in that fireplace. Right on the tag it says Only for use with superior fireplace parts.

 

[Zack R]

How attached are you to the existing rock and hearth? I'd recommend scrapping the whole existing setup and going with a freestanding stove sitting on a hearth, you can DIY pretty much everything but I'd hire out the stove installation and chimney work, it will need to be inspected by the county. I personally can't say enough good things about the Jotul F45 for a smaller size house, but there are many other options in that size.

In your climate a wood stove will be as asset not only to you, but also to the value of the house. The overall price tag will be more than $3k even if you do most of the work yourself. Espicially since you will need a new chimney that is compatible with the wood stove.

You have a major advantage in that the existing stove is in the garage and will be easy to remove. Please send more photos of the living area, chimney, etc... and you'll get some good feedback on the forum. You've come to the right place.

 

[moresnow]

get rid of the whole thing, rebuild the wall, start from scratch and install a free-standing woodstove

Sounds like the most attractive option. And safest.

 

[oscillate.wildly]

How attached are you to the existing rock and hearth? I'd recommend scrapping the whole existing setup and going with a freestanding stove sitting on a hearth, you can DIY pretty much everything but I'd hire out the stove installation and chimney work, it will need to be inspected by the county. I personally can't say enough good things about the Jotul F45 for a smaller size house, but there are many other options in that size.

In your climate a wood stove will be as asset not only to you, but also to the value of the house. The overall price tag will be more than $3k even if you do most of the work yourself. Especially since you will need a new chimney that is compatible with the wood stove.

You have a major advantage in that the existing stove is in the garage and will be easy to remove. Please send more photos of the living area, chimney, etc... and you'll get some good feedback on the forum. You've come to the right place.

Thanks Zack. I'm not too attached to it... honestly it's not done as nicely as it could have been. I've attached some more photos of the room (from the listing when we bought it but it's not too different now, just more chairs and sofas.

One thing to mention is that the living room is below ground level. The hearth sits at ground level in the garage and then the rest if sunken. You can kind of see with the outside door. Perhaps that means something in terms of air flow, I dunno

I'm confused about the chimney. FIL is saying we can get an adapter: "There are adapters that reduce 8” down to 6” for a woodstove. You can go from 6 inches on woodstove into an 8” flue, not the other way. I would prefer to look at it before I say too much. But, maybe the woodstove that exhausts in the rear with a 90degree fitting would work. You would still need to fabricate and paint a sheet metal cover over the opening."

Any thoughts on that would be great.

There is a Loki Evergreen for sale locally for $1000.... I suspect it comes with some hardware because they're selling it to put in a masonry fireplace. Wondering whether that would work.

Prices that are getting thrown around are about $1,500 for the stove and the same for the chimney, does that sound in the right ballpark?

You cannot install an insert in that fireplace. Right on the tag it says Only for use with superior fireplace parts.

So the fireplace inspector said that although this insert hasn't been tested with insert, that some woodstove inserts are tested with factory inserts, as a long as were were to get one of those models then he was happy with that.

Thanks for the help!

 

[bholler]

Thanks Zack. I'm not too attached to it... honestly it's not done as nicely as it could have been. I've attached some more photos of the room (from the listing when we bought it but it's not too different now, just more chairs and sofas.

One thing to mention is that the living room is below ground level. The hearth sits at ground level in the garage and then the rest if sunken. You can kind of see with the outside door. Perhaps that means something in terms of air flow, I dunno

I'm confused about the chimney. FIL is saying we can get an adapter: "There are adapters that reduce 8” down to 6” for a woodstove. You can go from 6 inches on woodstove into an 8” flue, not the other way. I would prefer to look at it before I say too much. But, maybe the woodstove that exhausts in the rear with a 90degree fitting would work. You would still need to fabricate and paint a sheet metal cover over the opening."

Any thoughts on that would be great.

There is a Loki Evergreen for sale locally for $1000.... I suspect it comes with some hardware because they're selling it to put in a masonry fireplace. Wondering whether that would work.

Prices that are getting thrown around are about $1,500 for the stove and the same for the chimney, does that sound in the right ballpark?



So the fireplace inspector said that although this insert hasn't been tested with insert, that some woodstove inserts are tested with factory inserts, as a long as were were to get one of those models then he was happy with that.

Thanks for the help!

If your "fireplace inspector" told you that he knows nothing about codes and I'll listings. You cannot disregard the instructions for one ul listed product just because the manufacturer of another one says so.