New Deer hunting Cabin - Need Advise

I'm completely new to wood stoves but would like to install one as the heating source in a small cabin on which we've just begun construction. The cabin will be 840 sq. ft. (30'X28') with 2 bedrooms, bath, kitchen and dining/living room. I have a good supply of trees on the property so a wood supply is not an issue. The cabin is located in northern Michigan and will be used primarily in spring and fall.

Here are my questions:

1. Can I heat this with a wood stove alone? Or would it be best to add some electric baseboard heat in the rooms as well?

2. What manufacturers/models/sizes should I be considering?

3. Is location of the stove in a cabin of this size a big deal? I'd like it in a corner of the living room but can locate it closer to the center of the floor plan if necessary.

4. Steel vs. cast iron...is there a performance difference?

Any advise you folks can offer to a brand new wood burner would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I think you can heat the whole place with the right stove in the right location. I'll let the experts make those recommendations.

The only reason I can think of for having backup heat would be if you don't plan to drain your plumbing when you're not there. Given the cost of electricity these days, I'd say that draining the plumbing would be preferable. Also, be sure to build a nice woodshed so that you always have dry wood handy. Nothing worse than trying to warm up a cold building with wet wood.

Thanks for the wood shed idea. Never even thought about that.

You'll have no problem heating an area that size with a woodstove. Keep the floor plan as open as possible and try to get the stove located as centrally as possible. But in a space like that which is on the small side, wherever you stick the stove will probably heat the whol place.


We heat the cabin in tioga county about (800 sq ft plus a loft area) with a pretty tiny, old fisher steel stove and it still doesn't have a hard time roasting you out of the cabin on all but the COLDEST nights.

A little off topic, but if it's primary use is a hunting cabin, and depending on the water situation, the best location for the wood shed is half-way between the camp and the out house, so if someone has to use the facilities in the middle of the night, they can bring in an armload of wood. ;-)

Thanks folks. Can anyone suggest manufacturers/models I should be looking at for this size place?

You didn't mention decor or aesthetic considerations. Most of the time when I hear "hunting cabin" I think the decor doesn't matter as much as the utility of the appliance. In that situation I would look at Dutchwest Plate Steel (Century) or a Drolet, or something similar. They are inexpesive and well built. But they lack some of the nicer features and options of some of the other manufacturers models. I think steel will give you a little bit of an advantage over cast iron, especially if you do drain the pipes and leave the place cold. Steel heats up fast and is a little less likley to break from thermal shock than cast iron. But if you're careful a cast iron model will do fine. The Dutchwest Non-Cat Cast iron is good stove at a lower price.

Choose a model rated at about 40,000 btu/hr if you will have good, modern insulation.

Sean