Building home, love open fireplace, may use insert, need advice

[daleeper]

Your logic leaves me speechless. Its ass clear ass mud to me now. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Not sure if you are talking to me, but most likely, and I apologize for the sharpness of my post.

This forum has really helped people out over the years in heating their home with wood, but we need a more clear picture of what your true goals and constraints are.

The whole thread is as clear as mud, because the original post leads us there.

You are planning to build a house that the square footage is over twice the size of your current home. You are telling us "Im concernd with the ability to keep the large room (an downstairs for that matter) warm to my liking withut huge heatpump bills (total elect)." These costs will not go away, so I am confused as to why you would build a house that would concern you in this manner.

Now it makes sense to supplement the heat source with wood if you are committed to it, but to do so will take a little bit of money up front in the way of a wood burning appliance. Yet again you state that "Cost is a big concern but looks and large viewing out cooks cost."

This would lead us to the fact that you are more concerned about looks than money, yet your post clearly states that money is an issue. All "ass clear ass mud to me now"

My rant is that I don't understand why a person would build a home in this current economic setting that is over twice the size, and be concerned about whether you can afford the heating bill before it is built. If that is a true concern, then there are several ways to deal with it, and the ideas came from all over the board here.

The second part of my rant is the part about looks and large view being more important than cost, and the fact you don't like the looks of a wood stove. If the goal is to heat with wood, the best way to heat a large home like you have planned is to install a wood furnace or wood fired boiler, but that was not really what you were asking about. Next best would be a wood stove, but you have already eliminated that option, and in my opinion would be the best option for heating the space you were asking about. You asked about an insert, which would normally be used in an existing fireplace. Because you are building a home, then a high efficiency zero clearance fireplace in the place of the spec fireplace proposed by the builder would be in order, but those things are pricey too, but the time to install one is when it is built, and in my opinion they are just a compromise between a fireplace and a wood stove. The extra money you spend now, if tacked on to the mortgage is going to cost a lot over the term of the note. Thus my confusion about why you are headed the direction you are if budget is truly a concern.

Your logic leaves me speechless as well. But hang in there, give us your true goals and constraints, if budget is truly an issue, then get it sorted out prior to building the home, if it is not, then keep it out of the conversation as this is a source of my confusion.

 

[Billy123]

New Home? If you are going to stay there for many years, why not do things right and go with an add on wood burner for the HVAC with humidity control, closed cell insulation, and a fresh air exchanger? This would heat/cool that large space for a lot less money. Then get a nice ZC burner with its own air supply for looks. The closed cell will pay for itself in a few years savings.

 

[pyper]

That about says it. I have used open fireplaces for the last 19 years in the two places I have lived in in the south east US.

A few winters ago we visited my brother in-law in California. So he, and we, and you, all live in a mild climate. He has a fireplace. He burnt about as much wood in a week as we burn in a season. And the house never really got warm. It was a manufactured fireplace.

In a wood stove you can still hear a little. You'll definitely get some smoke.

If you get a Jotul stove they have an optional screen. You take off the door and put on the screen. Then it's open, just like a FP. I'm guessing you won't do it more than once or twice though, after you get used to being warm.

This winter it was colder than usual. When we had that ice storm we burnt 24/7. Our stove kept half the house very warm. The rooms furthest away were cool, but tolerable. This was with no heat but from the stove for about a week. The house is only 1800 SF, but you have to walk about 80 feet from the stove to the room furthest from it. Kind of a spiral of rooms.

 

[williemon]

Thanks for the suggestions. If you noticed another post you will see that I ordered the heat n glo northstar. I liked the looks, function and the price installed was good. It does cost twice what the builder had speced but the way it works out, I pay up front and get a credit for what the builder was to charge.

My concern with cost of the unit is that I was paying out of pocket up front. Some units cost 2500.00 while other units cost up to 7000. That was a concern.

My concern with heating this structure was just that. We build not to suit an effeciency standard but to suit a vision that may not always cost the least to heat and cool. We take the drawbacks as needed. Its kind of like building a house on a lake. One wall would most likely be all windows to take advantage of the lake view, however, no window will match an R19 wall insulation. Its just a drawback. The idea is that we have drawbacks due to the design of the house. That is a given. We also have a desire to have a wood burner. Why not make the wood burner work for us to help ease the drawbacks due to house design. If cost were not an issue with anything, I would not worry about my selections, but Id also end up with a house note that was 200.00 or more per month. I have to set the budget and then stay within.

To all, thanks for the advice. Daleeper, your thoughts are good thoughts. Apology accepted. You bring about good points that make sense.

Thanks all.