Fireplace to free standing conversion idea

[Seth22]

I've been shopping like crazy looking for the fireplace insert with the best output of heat (and that will fit in my fireplace). I'd really prefer a freestanding as I hate the idea of lose much/any heat up the exterior wall chimney and after reading the website like an addict, everyone seems to agree freestanding stove put out quite a bit more heat than inserts.

So I go to thinking... what if I (or a mason) reconstructed my fireplace to make it allow for a freestanding setup, without extending the hearth much/any. My wife doesn't want to lost any room in the living room, so I thought what if we removed the the mantle area and made the brick slant from the back of the fireplace box towards the ceiling.

I can't imagine it will cost "too" much to do the masonry work, and seeing as though inserts do cost a bit more than freestanding, I might almost make up the savings there. Thoughts?

Image key:
Red = new brick line/path
Blue = area that would be removed
Black = stove and black stove pipe
Gray = line

 

[tickbitty]

Wow, looks like a lot of work! That's almost like an alcove install, I have seen alcove conversions on here that look really nice, but yeah, a lot of work.
You couldn't do a hearth install on a freestanding? Or else, there are several inserts that extend out onto the hearth and operate more like a freestanding stove would. That is what I was after, didn't want to remove the mantel (for clearances) and didn't want to lose a bunch of square footage, but didn't want a flush type install or to lose the heat up the chimney so I bought a Lopi insert that is almost exactly the same as their Endeavor stove. (Republic/Revere) It sits half on the hearth and half in the firebox, has a nice stovetop for cooking and radiant heat, and has a blower on the front. It does not seem to be losing any heat up the chimney. When it is cranking at 650 I can reach into the fireplace or above it to the old damper and it's still cool to the touch, all the heat goes out front like it's supposed to.

 

[agartner]

I have a hearth-mounted setup along with an insulated airtight "blocking" plate installed in the fireplace flue. The stove sits pretty much within the hearth. If you have a choice between hearth-mount and insert, I'd say go hearth-mount. You don't need a blower for the hearth mount, and all that masonry mass around the hearth-mounted stove ends up absorbing a whole bunch of radiant energy and bleeds it off into your room over time. I run one of those "eco-fans" that's self-powered from the heat on top of the stove and that gets some good convection running through the hearth to extract that stored energy. Very little, if any heat goes up the chimney, other than what goes up the stovepipe. If you need to "extend" your hearth some due to a combustible floor in front of the hearth, your local fireplace/woodstove shop should be able to set you up with an appropriate hearth pad that you may be able to just plunk down in front.