I wanted to show you all what I've been working on. I bought a Lopi Answer on Craigslist then built the hearth pad a few weekends ago. It didn't have any R-value requirements so I used plywood, Durarock, and tiles/slate. For the chimny I got the Dura-plus kit from Home Depot... only to learn that they didn't have any parts for it.. so I switched to Dura-tech. I cut holes last weekend and installed it! I believe the installation is a good one but I was worried and was constantly checking temperatures throughout the first few fires. It's great and I'm a happy camper. My two little kids love it, and they love helping! That's my Basset Hound's butt just to the left of the stove - yeah, she likes it too. Hearth.com has been a great help in this learning process!