Beginning stages of alcove build

[Bob.d]

1. Hi, new member here from Atlanta. Been reading up on removing an old zc fireplace and adding a free standing wood stove in a alcove. I have a Quadrafire,Napoleon,and lopi dealer near by, so I have been considering one of them. House is 2000 sq ft, 2 story. The room that the alcove will be in has a very tall ceiling. Prob. 15 feet.

An issue I see right off the bat is my chimney chase is suspended a few feet off the ground, so supporting the weight of a stove is something that will need to be dealt with. I am sure there will be more bumps along the road, but I thought I would start by asking if anyone has come across a "suspended" chase like mine. I have enclosed pictures. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Bob

 

[Grisu]

Hello Bob and welcome to the forum!

Looks like you have quite a project ahead of you. I don't want to discourage you but if your main goal is getting woodheat than changing the look of your house there may be an easier way. Did you consider putting a hearth-mounted, rear-vented stove in front of the fireplace? The install would kind of look like this: https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_0197-jpg.105252/
That could be done in less than a day and you would preserve the fireplace if you ever want to sell the house again. Critical for this kind of installation will be the height of the fireplace lintel to fit the pipe under and the depth of the hearth.

 

[Bob.d]

Thanks for the reply. For now, I want to try and do the alcove if it.s possible, but this could be a good secondary option. I appreciate the suggestion!

 

[begreen]

Welcome to hearth.com Bob. With some good planning this may be possible. The first thing to check will be the alcove installation requirements for the stove. Check the clearances for each stove that is on the "possible" list and don't forget the ceiling clearance. The chase's inside width will be critical. It looks a bit narrow, but that could just be the photo angle. How wide is the chase on the outside?

If all checks out with the stove choice and its requirements, you'll need to also plan on replacing the flue pipe with class A chimney. Depending on the stove, the weight may not be that big of an issue, but it won't hurt to investigate how the current ZC was supported.

 

[Bob.d]

I've got 54 inches across so, I think that will be enough. I was planning on having the stove and pipe installed by my stove dealer, with permits. No shortcuts here. I was hoping to save a few bucks by removing the old zc and brick work, and some finish stone work inside the alcove.

 

[begreen]

Sounds good. Ask whatever dealer you choose to provide some references. Some dealer installers are great and some... And get the installer in early on the planning stages for tips. Keep posting pictures and asking questions and you will have a good install.

 

[Grisu]

I've got 54 inches across so, I think that will be enough. I was planning on having the stove and pipe installed by my stove dealer, with permits. No shortcuts here. I was hoping to save a few bucks by removing the old zc and brick work, and some finish stone work inside the alcove.

Did you already settle on a stove? And were the 54" measured on the inside or outside? I was just checking on the Lopi Endeavor as it is a rather narrow stove and the manual gives the minimum width of an alcove made from combustible materials as 54". Thus, for that stove you may just be ok if the 54" were the inside dimensions. You could reduce those clearances by putting up a brick wall around the alcove that has an 1" ventilated air space behind it. One stove with tight clearances is the Quadrafire Explorer 2: 27" wide and 6.5" each side. Nevertheless, it may be good to check first which stoves would fit and whether you like any of them before starting the remodel.

 

[webby3650]

That's a big project ahead of you! It will look awesome once its all done.
I wouldn't worry too much about the cantilevered chase, its pretty common. The floor of it is usually tied into the floor joist system of the home.
Heres an idea:

 

[Bob.d]

Finally finished the project and lit my first fire today. So far so good....

 

[sumpnz]

Nice!

 

[Dieselhead]

looks great, nice work

 

[BrotherBart]

That is just flat gorgeous. I hate people with skills.

 

[fossil]

Beautiful job. Be proud. Enjoy. Rick

 

[tigger]

Sweeeeeet..... Now find a new place to store kindling.

 

[BurningBrutus]

Bob, i have a similar set up, i would check to see if your hot water tank exhaust goes up that chimney as well. That will mean a lot more work, including changing hot water tank to another type, see how many exhaust pipes are coming out of the top of chimney.

 

[NHcpa]

I already replied "like", I'm also going to add the word(s) "stunningly beautiful"!

 

[Bob.d]

Thanks everyone. It was a big project but we'll worth it.

 

[begreen]

You've done very well Bob.

 

[firefighterjake]

I already replied "like", I'm also going to add the word(s) "stunningly beautiful"!

I think NHcpa has said it best with those two words. "Stunningly beautiful."

 

[bens_igloo]

That is a beautiful setup. Well done! I'm jealous!

Were any modifications done to the exterior of the house?

 

[Bob.d]

No. No modifications to the chimney chase or the exterior. Got pretty lucky. Now I'm on a mission to get stocked up with firewood!