I don't know what I want - New construction

[bikeman911]

I'm in the planning stage of my new house, almost ready to break ground. The house is a one story with only 1500sf. I want to use wood as the primary heat. The house is fairly open design w/cathedral ceiling in the great room. It is designed for a fireplace, center of endwall in the gr. I was originally thinking of scrapping the fp for a regency s2400 in the corner vs center of the wall. That was based on mfg taunting low clearances, and I can keep it out of the way and use the center wall for TV. Need to save as much floor space as possible since the rooms are a bit on the small side. Then I read about someone installing a high efficiency fp, and started thinking I could still get the look and heat too. BTW, cost is a major consideration.

All this to ask, is there a place to help you choose the best fit?

My previous experience w/wood burners was an old kodiak insert.

Thanks - Rick

 

[Gooserider]

I'm in the planning stage of my new house, almost ready to break ground. The house is a one story with only 1500sf. I want to use wood as the primary heat. The house is fairly open design w/cathedral ceiling in the great room. It is designed for a fireplace, center of endwall in the gr. I was originally thinking of scrapping the fp for a regency s2400 in the corner vs center of the wall. That was based on mfg taunting low clearances, and I can keep it out of the way and use the center wall for TV. Need to save as much floor space as possible since the rooms are a bit on the small side. Then I read about someone installing a high efficiency fp, and started thinking I could still get the look and heat too. BTW, cost is a major consideration.

All this to ask, is there a place to help you choose the best fit?

My previous experience w/wood burners was an old kodiak insert.

Thanks - Rick

Well, you should probably try to put your chimney in the center of the house, not on an outside wall - that will help your efficiency considerably. The central location will also make your heat distribution better.

It might be worth looking into a Masonry Heater (something I suggest for most new construction)

Another option might be to build a hearth for a woodstove and set up for a freestanding stove rather than a fireplace - this can be a less expensive option, and one that offers more flexibility for future upgrades.

It might also help us make better suggestions if you could post a rough sketch floor plan.

Gooserider

 

[ansehnlich1]

I'd find a spot to sit a nice wood stove, plan a hearth there, make sure clearances are to code, and run a pipe straight up through the roof. That'd be the best IMHO.

 

[chad3]

If you don't have any constraints yet, I'd go with a center chimney with a very large opening (think old hearths for cooking etc.) to put the wood stove in. This way and stove that you may get will fit, it will save outside walls for the TV, and if you ever wanted to switch, you could put the gas fp in it. Also is there a basement? If so, I'd put a second flue in just so you have it in case you ever decide to put a small stove in the basement. Cost between a one flue and two flue is just about nil. When I put mine it I was going to be charged about 1000 for the one flue and then went 2 flue for 1200. Mine second is in the garage (I know what some will say, but I don't have a car in there and no gas more like a workshop right now) and will down the line be getting a furnace for it so the flue was a good idea.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Chad

 

[begreen]

Putting the stove in the center of the house will provide the most even heat and cleanest chimney. But even if you do a corner install (that's what we have), plan on keeping the entire flue inside. It makes a big difference and will keep down costs. I'd let go of the fireplace idea, save some money and put it into a great stove that will be a beauty year round and a center of warmth and nice fire view in the winter. It may take reversing furniture arrangements from what was planned, but very often that can work out well too.

 

[tradergordo]

In my experience, most builders will greatly overcharge you, and deliver something totally inappropriate for serious wood heat. See this article if you aren't already familiar with the issue:
http://www.woodheat.org/chimneys/evilchim.htm

What I recommend is, save your money on the initial construction, don't order ANY fireplace or chimney. Then go to the most reputable stove shop in your region, get a woodstove, and either install it yourself or have them do it. You will get it done right, and end up saving money as well. There is no reason why this has to be done with the initial construction, you have a single story home with what sounds like a big great room with tall ceiling - this is perfect - just stick the stove in the corner of the greatroom with a flue that goes straight up inside the room. You will get maximum heat this way. Cutting the roof later for the class-A chimney is not a big deal.

 

[JimWalshin845]

Welcome aboard,

Congrats on the new home. The nicest design I saw was solar designed salt box (about 1500sf). Center chase 2 flue chimney, 1/2 basment and 1/2 masonry solar mass. Next to the flue was a air chase with a reversable fan to move the air either from or to the solar mass. The home was always roasty with only a medium sized stove.

Good luck with the project!

 

[yukiginger]

Something else to add for consideration (that might be better done in your building design stage) is to think about how you are going to get wood to the heat source. I don't really know your climate there, so perhaps you won't be moving too much wood per season (I burn 6+ full cords) but having a way to get wood in the house near your stove/fp from the woodpile is no small factor. A stove near an exterior wall (near a door) might be better than a central setup, although this might hurt your heating potential. Where in the room do you store your wood, or will you have a nice stack right outside the door?

Lots to consider here.

MarkG

 

[tradergordo]

Those are good points, I bet most people when installing their first stove, don't even think about how they will get the wood to the stove. I ended up building a wood crane after my first season...

 

[bikeman911]

sorry for the long delay, I'm doing this puppy as an owner/builder with a FT job too, so I get distracted easy.

here is a link to my plan:
http://www.eplans.com/country_house-plans/HWEPL06897.hwx

Thanks for the great suggestions. Yes I will have a basement. I think I'll use a double wall pipe for the chimney tho. I'm the GC so that was basically my plan, was to eliminate the FP in the plan, choose where I want the stove (the corner at the rear of the FR) and put it in.

Now I have to decide what type of stove. I like the idea of long burn times. That was my main complaint with the old insert, I'd load 'er up before bed and be freezing before morning.

Keep 'em coming!

Thanks Rick

 

[begreen]

Just to be sure I've put an X where I think you want to put the stove, is this correct?

I think this is a good plan. You have plenty of time to choose a stove, though you may need to reconsider the window in that corner.

Right now concentrate on building a nice tight envelope. Insulate it well, - including the basement walls- and you won't need much stove to heat it. That's the best possible investment you can make at this point. Then the stove can be enjoyed for ambiance more than heat.

PS: What will be the primary heating system, a heat pump?

 

[bikeman911]

yes ... that the correct location and yes .. heat pump. ... thanks again.

 

[begreen]

Way to go! Throw some sheet insulation around that basement. You will be so glad you did. Then the stove issue is easy. I'm thinking a Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 will fit right in with close corner clearances, nice fire view and long burn times.

 

[JimWalshin845]

Great layout and good location for the stove, especially with the porch right there for winter storage of your wood.

Good luck and keep us posted on the progress!

 

[Sandor]

Very nice plan.

The only thing I would do is put an electric heated floor in your master bath. Thats the only spot I can see that may be an issue.

 

[tradergordo]

Looks good. Since you are doing everything from scratch and you are GC, I wonder if it would make sense to build some sort of small fan based air circulation right into some of the walls? I've never seen it personally but I know some people cut holes in walls after the fact to help move heat around the house. I guess it would be something like this (obviously placed up as high as possible):
http://www.atrendyhome.com/wallfan.html


As for the long burn times - it should not be an issue with any of the popular EPA Phase II stoves you see discussed on this site, but obviously after you've narrowed down your choices, make sure you read up on the reviews from actual customers to see if it will meet your needs. I get pretty easy 8-9 hour burn times now on my stove, but I must admit it took a whole season before I learned how to do this. My friends with burn tube design stoves also tell me they can get similar good overnight burns based on the way they load their stoves. Once you know what stove you want, I'm sure you can find someone that can give you tips for operating it successfully.