The Striker is definitely too small, and honesty, I can't see spending cash on a stove, knowing you going to be pulling it next year and spending more cash on another stove.
You may get some of your money back posting it on Craig's list or such, but why go through all that?
The Ashford, while a very nice stove, is rated 1,100 to 2,400 SF, the later being a hard stretch, needing optimal house layout (very open floor plan), which I don't see you having.
To get the most from any stove, your going to have to centrally locate it. Otherwise one side of the house will be warm, the other will be cold.
Hey, I could be wrong, just offering my input.
I have a very open floor plan, upstairs, half the house it open, of that half, half of that is open cathedral ceiling about 3 stories high, with a ceiling fan that is always running to hep move air.
The other half of the open space is a loft also open to the cathedral ceiling. One big cathedral ceiling on the upper floor. The other side of the upstairs is 2 bedrooms with a bath between them.
They heat fine if the bedroom doors are left open, and at least one of the bathroom doors between the bedrooms is open.
In my opinion, this is almost as optimal an open floor plan as I can ask for.
I do have one room on the first floor back in the corner that has a door sized opening(no door), that is cold. It also need some insulation and closing up of some air gaps, but there is just no circulation in this one room.
I say cold it is prolly 10 degrees maybe then the rest of the lower level. Upstairs is obviously the warmest area.
Now with all this going in my favor, when we hit teens single digits(wind chill etc), My 3cf Summit while it can heat the place, does not keep it at 75 degrees. It may peak at 70-72, and prior to next load is may be anywhere from 62 to 68 depending on the temp and wind outside.
Now you have a horseshoe shaped home with a staircase and no real convection loop going to be happening. You will most likely need box fans to push cold air from one side of the house to the other id you set the stove in one end of the home. Centrally surely will heat more evenly, and even if you need to use fans, you don't have to push air as far. You may even consider a ceiling fan in the room you install the stove, if feasible, and passable through the wife.
I realize you may have milder temps, but the shear square footage and layout of your place is the hurdle, and yest the stove room may be hot.
A BK stove or maybe other cat maybe be much more beneficial in this scenario, but if you get temps below freezing or 20's, your going to be pushing any stove to put out more heat. This is where the advantage of the cat stove diminishes and is more equal to a secondary burn stove. You will find those long burns times shortening up, and I think also that either of those stoves will not keep up it you need the added heat output.
Like I said, I could be wrong, just hate to see ya find out the stove ain't enough after purchase and install.
You can always sell it, but you won't recoup what you put into it.
Since you are so close to Tom at Chimneysweep, I would be visiting him if I was you, and maybe even see if he can come look at tyour place and plans of layout, and get his input.
He may agree on the sizing, or may feel your okay with what your shooting for.
Some photos and a diagram of your place would really help a lot, and get you more input.
Keep in mind I am going by what you have told us, and have a certain picture in my mind of what your home layout may be. That may be close, or way off.
I just feel trying to heat a large home like that, with that layout is going to be a stretch for almost any stove you get.
What are your lowest outside temps in the winter? If your mainly in the 40's, then maybe the Ashford will do ya.
I find at around 20 and below, I can feel the difference, and even seems that is around where the fiberglass insulation in this place starts losing its insulating value.