We are building a 2600 sf 2-story farmhouse. We plan to have a fireplace or wood stove in downstairs living area. I have a couple of things I want and I'm learning they don't all come in one product. I want a ledge for a cooking surface. I found a few wood stove insert models like the Regency I24000 that seemed to have a big enough cooking surface for emergencies & also to keep a pan of water on for a humidifier. Didn't realize how much additional cost was involved above a ZC fireplace. I can only find flush mount ZC units. For those of you who have installed in new construction, were you able to find the best of both worlds? We've also considered a freestanding wood stove in a firebox, so we have the hearth & mantle look we want. We have mild winters, will have an electric heat pump, & will just use the fireplace/wood stove for partial heat, emergency heat. We haven't installed a chimney before, so curious about savings in that area with the ZC vs the Regency type wood stove insert. Thanks for any help you can offer!
Researching for new construction
- Thread starter gillygirl
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Yes, most all ZC fireplaces are flush. If the goal is heating and cooking then a freestanding stove is going to work much better at achieving those objectives.
Unless you need a fireplace as a design feature, a freestanding wood stove is the way to go. Convective and radiant heat transfer is better.
brazilbl
Burning Hunk
You might want to try a hearth heater, such as a Regency H2100. With this unit, we have more than enough heat for the house without running the heat pump central heating system.
I thought I needed a humidifier, but the relative humidity in our home is between 30-40 percent. If you are looking for a surface to cook, the I2100 would work. I'm hoping to cook some chili on the unit soon.
I thought I needed a humidifier, but the relative humidity in our home is between 30-40 percent. If you are looking for a surface to cook, the I2100 would work. I'm hoping to cook some chili on the unit soon.
Building new? Seems that I would forget building/spending money on a fireplace. Mostly if planning on stuffing it full of wood burning insert! A freestander stove that pours out the heat, on a nice hearth with decorative walls/wall behind it might fit your bill. Certainly more cost effective. Worth researching.
A humidifier is a likely more effective than a pan of water on the stove. And your stove wont have unsightly water stains/rust marks from spilling. And you will spill
A humidifier is a likely more effective than a pan of water on the stove. And your stove wont have unsightly water stains/rust marks from spilling. And you will spill
For new construction you want a high efficency zero clearance unit or a freestanding stove. For an insert or hearth heater you would need to build a fully code compliant masonry fireplace then put the insert in it with a liner. It will easily cost double what a good zc unit will cost and triple what most freestanding setups cost.
shoot-straight
Minister of Fire
free standing all the way. i would try to put in the middle of the home if possible, or close. not sure of the style of house, but alot of the old farmhouses around here have a central chimney type setup.
i had a regency stove in a house we rented in maine, it was pretty nice.
i had a regency stove in a house we rented in maine, it was pretty nice.
Smoked
Feeling the Heat
I'd love to build a house around a big freestanding stove. Woodstock PH would be something I would want to see in action for sure. Hearthstone EQ also but would really like to try a cat stove one day. No way I would want to entirely give up the flame show of a tube stove so hopefully the hybrids are a best of both worlds solution.
Sconnie Burner
Feeling the Heat
I would definitely go with a free standing stove and go with a hybrid if you like flames and want a good amount of heat and longer burn times. You can dial it into a cat burn which creates even more heat than with flames after you are done with watching the flames. Try to locate the stove near the stairs if installing in the basement. Or at least across from the stairwell where the blower will be directed at the stairwell to get the heat to move up into the upper level.
And go bigger with the stove than you think. Because you will love the heat and want to be using it 24/7 once you fell the warmth! And will like being able to reload on coals rather than start a new fire every morning/evening. And don't cheap on insulation! It is key to heating with wood as retaining heat is crucial as you will not have a consistant temp. Think of more of a peak and glide type heat. Good luck and do lots of research!
And go bigger with the stove than you think. Because you will love the heat and want to be using it 24/7 once you fell the warmth! And will like being able to reload on coals rather than start a new fire every morning/evening. And don't cheap on insulation! It is key to heating with wood as retaining heat is crucial as you will not have a consistant temp. Think of more of a peak and glide type heat. Good luck and do lots of research!
Wilbursan
Member
I did the same thing 3 years ago that you are doing now and I live in the south too. I almost got a Napolean fireplace (flush mount) that you could vent to other rooms and upstairs. In the end it was just too expensive and I wasn't convinced the vents would work if the power went out so I went with a wood stove. Turns out I like it a lot better, partly because I'm paranoid and can see all the way around the stove but can't see behind the wall on a fireplace. Also easier to swap out if you find something you like better.
I'm in north AL so similar weather. I really can't use the thing as much as I wanted because it gets too hot. The temperature has to be in the 40's and falling before I'll light it, and even then I don't fill it up, just maybe half full. My house is 3,100 sq ft including the bonus room and it will raise the temperature from 70 to 75 in the living room in a couple of hours without burning hard. My bonus room has no trouble being heated even though the stairs are on the other side of the house, but it's just one room. If I were building a two story house and I've two sets of stairs on opposite ends of the house if possible for air circulation (might not be a bad idea for fires too). It doesn't really save me much money but when the temperature drops enough my heating bills go down, not up. Which is nice.
I'm in north AL so similar weather. I really can't use the thing as much as I wanted because it gets too hot. The temperature has to be in the 40's and falling before I'll light it, and even then I don't fill it up, just maybe half full. My house is 3,100 sq ft including the bonus room and it will raise the temperature from 70 to 75 in the living room in a couple of hours without burning hard. My bonus room has no trouble being heated even though the stairs are on the other side of the house, but it's just one room. If I were building a two story house and I've two sets of stairs on opposite ends of the house if possible for air circulation (might not be a bad idea for fires too). It doesn't really save me much money but when the temperature drops enough my heating bills go down, not up. Which is nice.
BlankBlankBlank
Minister of Fire
Free standing wood stove is worth looking at more closely. Do not skimp on insulation. Insulation and air sealing will pay for itself in short order, both on the heating and cooling days of the year.
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Thank you so much for all the input! I'm going to look seriously into a freestanding wood stove. It's what I grew up with so I love the look. I was hoping to have a nice mantle but we may just reconfigure to a nice hearth & tile wall. I've put more research into this than any other feature of the house!
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