House came with unused hearth - looking for input

[UpstateNYnewbie]

Hello everyone, we recently bought a 2 year old home that came with a hearth which has never been used. The house is a ~1500 sq ft ranch with a basement below. I've attached a picture of the house layout and the hearth itself. The top surface of the hearth is 9" off the floor.

Any issues with stove placement relative to the house layout? I know that the high ceilings trap heat. We at least have a big ceiling fan in the room. I also know a basement stove would make more sense, but i've already got this hearth (almost?) ready to go. I did consider putting the stove directly below this hearth, but there's plumbing under there unfortunately.

Assuming I go ahead with the first floor placement, anyone see any issues with the hearth itself? I do know that even a tight clearance stove like the lopi endeavor would require another inch minimum on the front. I was under the assumption something like the endeavor was the right size for this house, but I could look at smaller stoves too. Would it make sense to tile the floor around the existing hearth to get more protection? Any other ideas? I know even with an additional 1" in the front I would be tight for room for tools.

Thanks for the help.

 

[begreen]

Should be ok for a medium sized stove that needs ember-protection only hearth and has a small rear clearance requirement. The Endeavor could be a good choice with a double-wall stove pipe. What is the hearth dimension?

The central location is excellent, though the master br is less likely to benefit. Running the ceiling fan will be a necessity.

 

[UpstateNYnewbie]

Thanks for the input. Hearth is 43" deep, 40" wide. Per Lopi's manual I believe I would still need another inch in front of the stove

 

[begreen]

Is the top stone mortared in place or could it be moved forward an inch or two? If it can be moved then a filler could be put in behind it. Otherwise, with the raised hearth I wouldn't worry too much about 1", but if you want to be skookum then a tile or even a metal border would suffice. You could use a 4" strip of brass or copper to be more decorative.