Need help with logistics of heating my house

[nathan125]

I am purchasing a house built in 1920. 3 stories and 2500 sq ft.
inspection has not happened yet but the chimney was blocked off and was ran off oil heat in the past.
Ideally the main floor would be best for putting the stove but I feel the downstairs will be very cold.
I am not sure about the insulation value of the home but I plan on updating the windows when funds and time become more available.
My choices for stove at this point is are this based on my meager budget:
Napoleon 1450
Jotul 118
VC Vilgilant . I believe it to be the newer one.

All of these stove are for sale between $500-700 .

I Can make the hearth myself since I have help from a friend. I just need to be able to maximize the effectiveness of the stove since the sq ft of the house is so high.

Any assistance would be great.

 

[kennyp2339]

Welcome to the site, The Jotul seems a little to small for your heating needs, the VC isn't a favorite here, to many people had nightmares with this stove brand in the past, the Napoleon seems like the best bang for your $$, but also may come up short with your heating needs, I hear Idaho can be very, very brutal compared to us northeast guys.
I would carefully and creatively look at your new house and try to figure out how to place the stove in a more central area, as far as building a hearth, each stove requires different protection, from a simple ember shield to a full blown insulated non combustible guts build, your stove really determines your hearth.

 

[Hogwildz]

None of those are going to meet your needs. Look into an Englander 30 series for a couple hundred dollars more. That will give you the most btus for your buck hands down.

 

[begreen]

Vigilants have not been made since the 1980s. I'm with the go bigger suggestions. A 3 cu ft Englander or Drolet is what I would be looking for on a tight budget. Be sure not to skimp on a safe and proper chimney. It's as important as the stove.

 

[Poindexter]

Upgraded windows or insulation?

I lived in a c1910 house in upstate new york in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The windows were beautiful aniline dyed oak that we just couldnt part with, but behind the plaster and lath exterior walls we found shredded cellulose- mostly cotton with some sawdust- that had settled more than halfway down the stud cavities from ceiling to floor.

Upgrading to fiberglass batt will be huge if it hasnt been done.

 

[nathan125]

I appreciate all the replies. I have no idea about insulation yet or anything like that but I will soon enough.
I realized all the options I gave were a bit shy on the sq ft needed but Craiglist is what i had to go with.

I could always get a giant Fisher stove.....

 

[begreen]

There are much better options
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Englander-2-400-sq-ft-Wood-Burning-Stove-30-NCH/100291302
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Summers-Heat-2-400-sq-ft-Wood-Stove/999918850
https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...pa-extra-large-wood-stove/p-1444444141476.htm
(broken link removed to http://www.woodstovepro.com/store/Drolet-Legend-II-Wood-Stove-with-Blower-DB03071-p15186.html)

 

[nathan125]

Ha ha I was not actually going to use a fisher.