Best Time of Year to Buy Wood Stoves?

[gtilflm]

Hi. We built our house a couple years ago, and the plan was to have a wood stove. But budget didn't end up allowing it at the time. So, we're back looking at things again now.

I went to a local place and was quoted about $4,000 for a Lopi Liberty NexGen-Fyre (that's with a "contractor's discount" of 15%). Then there's the venting and labor which, with tax, is bringing the whole thing to around $7,600!!

We do like the idea of getting a bigger one that has a nice area for viewing, but the pricing is killing me. Is there a preferred time of year, or place, or something (!) that can make this whole thing more affordable?

Also, this would be installed on the main level, and there is a basement underneath. The floor joists are 16"OC and are 2x10's. This would be a corner install, so the weight would be applied in a place that is very near foundation walls. Is subfloor/structural reinforcement generally required when installing in a situation like this?

 

[bholler]

Hi. We built our house a couple years ago, and the plan was to have a wood stove. But budget didn't end up allowing it at the time. So, we're back looking at things again now.

I went to a local place and was quoted about $4,000 for a Lopi Liberty NexGen-Fyre (that's with a "contractor's discount" of 15%). Then there's the venting and labor which, with tax, is bringing the whole thing to around $7,600!!

We do like the idea of getting a bigger one that has a nice area for viewing, but the pricing is killing me. Is there a preferred time of year, or place, or something (!) that can make this whole thing more affordable?

Also, this would be installed on the main level, and there is a basement underneath. The floor joists are 16"OC and are 2x10's. This would be a corner install, so the weight would be applied in a place that is very near foundation walls. Is subfloor/structural reinforcement generally required when installing in a situation like this?

This would be the time of year to get a deal if any. But honestly there usually aren't that many deals. And that price seems pretty good honestly

 

[GrumpyDad]

Hi. We built our house a couple years ago, and the plan was to have a wood stove. But budget didn't end up allowing it at the time. So, we're back looking at things again now.

I went to a local place and was quoted about $4,000 for a Lopi Liberty NexGen-Fyre (that's with a "contractor's discount" of 15%). Then there's the venting and labor which, with tax, is bringing the whole thing to around $7,600!!

We do like the idea of getting a bigger one that has a nice area for viewing, but the pricing is killing me. Is there a preferred time of year, or place, or something (!) that can make this whole thing more affordable?

Also, this would be installed on the main level, and there is a basement underneath. The floor joists are 16"OC and are 2x10's. This would be a corner install, so the weight would be applied in a place that is very near foundation walls. Is subfloor/structural reinforcement generally required when installing in a situation like this?

It's just like lawn equipment or anything else, they arent going to sell something they dont make a ton of money on for anything worth mentioning. They will just hold on until it sells off season or surely it will sell during peak buying season for wood stoves. Right now is the best time probably to find availability and maybe a decent price if you shop around. But you're talking saving a few hundred, not a few thousand.
Parts are usually hard to find a sale on. You might find a coupon. Best you could do is find out what they are quoting you and look what it would cost you to get online so you know what they are marking up the pipe for, and then figure out how much they are charging you for install.
I saved ...maybe 2k on buying the parts myself and doing my own install.

$7600 is alot of money! Make sure you read up on all the pros/cons of what you are getting and have the right expectations going in. I had the impression I was just going to toss wood in and adjust one level for more/less heat, and then wood got low just toss in more and repeat. For me, it's simply not like that. There's alot that needs to be watched, considered, and a good bit of experimentation that will keep you tethered to your stove for 3 months while you learn it and YOUR setup. Each stove will operate slightly different from install to install based on many variables.

Also if you plan to use this as a primary source of heat, you should have bought wood 1-2 years ago and had it stacked and ready to go. Multiple cords. Wood stoves today need low moisture content wood to work well, and to work safely. If you are serious about getting a wood stove then you have to start investing in piles of wood now, so that maybe by next winter you may be able to burn some of it. (pine,ash,cherry). Oak takes 2 years to season.

 

[bholler]

It's just like lawn equipment or anything else, they arent going to sell something they dont make a ton of money on for anything worth mentioning. They will just hold on until it sells off season or surely it will sell during peak buying season for wood stoves. Right now is the best time probably to find availability and maybe a decent price if you shop around. But you're talking saving a few hundred, not a few thousand.
Parts are usually hard to find a sale on. You might find a coupon. Best you could do is find out what they are quoting you and look what it would cost you to get online so you know what they are marking up the pipe for, and then figure out how much they are charging you for install.
I saved ...maybe 2k on buying the parts myself and doing my own install.

$7600 is alot of money! Make sure you read up on all the pros/cons of what you are getting and have the right expectations going in. I had the impression I was just going to toss wood in and adjust one level for more/less heat, and then wood got low just toss in more and repeat. For me, it's simply not like that. There's alot that needs to be watched, considered, and a good bit of experimentation that will keep you tethered to your stove for 3 months while you learn it and YOUR setup. Each stove will operate slightly different from install to install based on many variables.

Also if you plan to use this as a primary source of heat, you should have bought wood 1-2 years ago and had it stacked and ready to go. Multiple cords. Wood stoves today need low moisture content wood to work well, and to work safely. If you are serious about getting a wood stove then you have to start investing in piles of wood now, so that maybe by next winter you may be able to burn some of it. (pine,ash,cherry). Oak takes 2 years to season.

They are looking at a Lopi. They won't have nearly the learning curve you did. They are simple reliable stoves

 

[GrumpyDad]

They are looking at a Lopi. They won't have nearly the learning curve you did. They are simple reliable stoves

Oh how I wish my dealer would have steered me away from my VC early in knowing I was new to wood stoves.
Maybe it was worth it in the end though. I will be sad when my first burning season is over and all I have is a piece of furniture for the next five months. I may burn in may and Sept too though to for those chilly nights.

I do wish I could set parameters that would allow me to teach family all of the things that can happen and what to do. There is fear there that exists with messing with fire.

If the lopi is easy to operate, then ops decision would need to be based on finances and expected results only I guess

 

[bholler]

Oh how I wish my dealer would have steered me away from my VC early in knowing I was new to wood stoves.
Maybe it was worth it in the end though. I will be sad when my first burning season is over and all I have is a piece of furniture for the next five months. I may burn in may and Sept too though to for those chilly nights.

I do wish I could set parameters that would allow me to teach family all of the things that can happen and what to do. There is fear there that exists with messing with fire.

If the lopi is easy to operate, then ops decision would need to be based on finances and expected results only I guess

Most stoves on the market really are pretty simple to run. Yes they will all take a bit of learning but it's pretty easy in most cases

 

[TomMcDonald]

In my neck of the woods there are usually stoves on sale in summer to clear the way for new stock. Some less desirable stoves are usually more heavily discounted than the premium stoves. But like mentioned, you will likely only save a few hundred.

Also it's worth mentioning that stoves seem to be increasing in price rapidly at the moment, so my advice would be to buy now rather than later as the stove's price may go up fairly significantly between now and next northern hemisphere winter.

 

[GrumpyDad]

In my neck of the woods there are usually stoves on sale in summer to clear the way for new stock. Some less desirable stoves are usually more heavily discounted than the premium stoves. But like mentioned, you will likely only save a few hundred.

Also it's worth mentioning that stoves seem to be increasing in price rapidly at the moment, so my advice would be to buy now rather than later as the stove's price may go up fairly significantly between now and next northern hemisphere winter.

My observation as well I forgot to mention everyone is taking advantage of this vicious circle of price hiking. During the pandemic or right before I was looking at stoves and was shocked two years later at the price increase which gets worse today

 

[bholler]

My observation as well I forgot to mention everyone is taking advantage of this vicious circle of price hiking. During the pandemic or right before I was looking at stoves and was shocked two years later at the price increase which gets worse today

The big price jumps in our industry started a couple years before the pandemic with the steel price jump due to tariffs. Then got worse during the pandemic and shipping rate spikes.

 

[njk4o5]

Right now is the best time to buy a stove, some places that sell summer items are trying to get rid of the stoves they have as floor models and offer good discounts.

I just got a Blazeking Ashford floor model for $1100 less than anywhere else i called in the Northeast from a shop that is clearing their showroom floor to make room for summer outdoor furniture.

 

[begreen]

I have always bought late in the season, after March, or on a very hot August day when the only sound at the stove store is crickets.

 

[sneefy]

@gtilflm

I built a home last year and had a Lopi Evergreen installed. All told from the vendor (I did the hearth myself) including venting and OAK, came to a bit under $7200 after discount. So, your price is about on.

 

[Woody Stover]

I have always bought late in the season, after March, or on a very hot August day when the only sound at the stove store is crickets.

If a price falls but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

 

[Wildflush]

Hi. We built our house a couple years ago, and the plan was to have a wood stove. But budget didn't end up allowing it at the time. So, we're back looking at things again now.

I went to a local place and was quoted about $4,000 for a Lopi Liberty NexGen-Fyre (that's with a "contractor's discount" of 15%). Then there's the venting and labor which, with tax, is bringing the whole thing to around $7,600!!

We do like the idea of getting a bigger one that has a nice area for viewing, but the pricing is killing me. Is there a preferred time of year, or place, or something (!) that can make this whole thing more affordable?

Also, this would be installed on the main level, and there is a basement underneath. The floor joists are 16"OC and are 2x10's. This would be a corner install, so the weight would be applied in a place that is very near foundation walls. Is subfloor/structural reinforcement generally required when installing in a situation like this?

Sounds about right. We paid $7,700 plus ($800 for a steel corner pad) for our Vista with legs, Excel double wall interior and exterior class A pipe & tax ,labor. Had at least 23’ of pipe and upgraded to the excel stainless roof brace. Ordered last year 2022 1st week of April. Piping was backordered until mid June. Only one local dealer had a Vista and was told that PE stoves were in great demand and could take 6 months to be back in stock. Install done last June. IMO best addition to our house.

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

FYI: Got an email this morning from myfireplaceproducts. They have a sale going on for Englander stoves. perhaps other manufacturers will start having sales.

Search results for: 'englander' | My Fireplace Products

myfireplaceproducts.com

 

[gtilflm]

My local place just started a sale, so it looks like this is as good a time as any to get in.

Thanks to all that weighed in!

 

[xman23]

You can buy anytime. But you'll have problems scheduling an install as it gets cold.

 

[mpaul]

Not sure if anyone had any thoughts about the OPs second question regarding structural integrity. I was concerned about this same issue when I installed my ZC unit. My unit weighed over 700lbs installed in the center of the room plus I was adding veneer bricks up a cathedral ceiling.
OP is near an outside wall which adds strength, but I calculated the load strength of my floor joists over the length of span and compared to how much weight I was adding. The weight was close so out of precaution I shored up the floor joist adding another 2x10.

 

[gtilflm]

Not sure if anyone had any thoughts about the OPs second question regarding structural integrity. I was concerned about this same issue when I installed my ZC unit. My unit weighed over 700lbs installed in the center of the room plus I was adding veneer bricks up a cathedral ceiling.
OP is near an outside wall which adds strength, but I calculated the load strength of my floor joists over the length of span and compared to how much weight I was adding. The weight was close so out of precaution I shored up the floor joist adding another 2x10.

Good to know @mpaul . I have doubled up 2x10's over where it will be installed. That, along with being near a foundation corner gives me confidence that we're ok. (hopefully)

BTW, how do you "calculate load strength" for floor joists? We'll be building a raised hearth, adding stone veneer, etc. So there will be a lot of weight in that area.

 

[mpaul]

Good to know @mpaul . I have doubled up 2x10's over where it will be installed. That, along with being near a foundation corner gives me confidence that we're ok. (hopefully)

BTW, how do you "calculate load strength" for floor joists? We'll be building a raised hearth, adding stone veneer, etc. So there will be a lot of weight in that area.

I am not an expert and am certain there are a lot of people on this forum a lot smarter about this than me. But I did rely heavily upon the internet. If you search “load strength floor joist” you’ll find a lot of information.