Class A vs Masonary

For all of you knowledgeable people out there here is my case:

May wife and I are in the process of building a new home (We have the basement dug). We will be putting a wood stove in the basement of the home. One of the major features of the home, is a large chimney on the front of the house. Originally I was thinking that I would put up a prefab chimney and build a chase around it, covering it with faux stone. Now I am wondering if I should shell out the extra money and have a mason build the thing. Please send along any comments.

Also I have no Idea how to build the chase..does is get incorporated into the house structure? Should it be insulated? How will I case off the bottom so that I can still access the chimney clean-out?

Cheers