I've lived with a Castine, and it didn't cut it in a cold climate, but that was in a house with some major heat-loss and layout problems. I have a Hearthstone Heritage now, bought it when I was able to take advantage of the tax credit, and got the stove, install, and enough Excel chimney for a two-story house for about $3500. A chunk of change, but it's done a super job heating this house (the house is almost twice the size of the Castine house, but with more efficient insulation and circulation pattern). Bought it for supplemental and just-in-case heating (which engendered knowing snickers when I posted that here on the board), transitioned over to about 20/7 heating shortly after I started to use it, and then 24/7 in January when the boiler blew. I don't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but I think I saved about $2400 in fuel oil last year. I'd initially calculated about a five-year payoff, but I now reckon I'll have hit broke-even by the end of this next heating season--and that includes having bought enough birch to make it through the next four years, and a chainsaw so I can supplement my birch with some dry poplar I have.
I have a recommendation to consider: even if you don't plan on heating with it 24/7, do it for a few weeks anyway as a shakedown cruise. That way, if/when the emergency hits for which this is the backup, you've worked out all the little glitches and have all the tools that will make that work. If I hadn't transitioned over to mostly-burning wood before I had to full-time burn it, I would have had a much harder time. By the time the Great January Blow-Out rolled around, other than running around here posting that the sky was falling, it was pretty anti-climatic. My vision for a just-in-case emergency backup was a power failure for a day or two, or fuel oil going through the roof, and this was all real theoretical, down-the-road-a-few-years. I didn't think it would happen so soon, or so dramatically. Now I counsel people that if you're going to use it in an emergency, then act as-if for long enough to work out the kinks (how are you going to haul the wood in the house, where are you going to stack it, how are you going to chop it, start it, clean the glass, dispose of a lot of ash, yadda. This will make more sense as you go along.)
Pretty is as pretty does when it comes to chimneys, and a straight-shot, no-offset chimney on the lee side of a house is a thing of beauty.
Kudos on the decision to put the stove upstairs. I've used this comparision here before, but what the heck: a stove in the basement is like getting a really good dog, and then tying it up to a chain link fence next to a highway in the rain with a bowl of soggy dog food. Even if it's a really ugly stove which will go unnamed, because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and even really ugly dogs named BK can have good hearts, leaving a stove to burn in the basement is just sad. They're like musical instruments, they have a soul, and become part of the family. I believe you'll be really happy with that decision.
One other thing I'll comment on because no-one else did, and that's the decision to buy a hearth pad instead of making your own. I suggest you go cruising for pix on this site before you make that call. That's what I did, and looked at enough to realize I loved the high-gloss, deep-veined look of granite, but not the high-price of the high end granite hearths. I am not a handyguy, but made an insulated 2" high granite hearth (using panels of countertop HD granite, marked-down seconds with the chips turned so they were under the stove) with oak trim for about the same price as the pads they had at the stove store. (Ask me for details if you're interested.) It works much better than those pads would because it is a marvelous heat sink--a great place to warm toes while toasting buns. It also helps, along with the soapstone, to smooth out the temperature fluctuations in the house. And I think it looks great. Other people here have made knock-your-socks-off hearths that do a beautiful job complimenting their stoves. I will say this much: I've read a lot of compliments on here for hand-made hearths, but I've never seen anyone write, "Wow! Great looking store-bought hearth pad!"
The extra couple of inches of height makes a surprisingly large difference in convenience in loading the stove, cleaning the ashes, and enjoying the light show. I can do all my loading and cleaning sitting in a chair in front of the stove if I want. Other people here prefer them several inches higher, up to a foot or more. I'd just encourage you to give this a little more thought. Buying a pad may be the right choice, but do your thinking-through now while it's all theoretical, and learn from other people's mistakes and serendipities and wisdom. Much cheaper and easier on the back.
Welcome to the forum--this place can really help smooth out the learning curve.
