New build - what stove to put in and design review

[Boatswain2pa]

We are hoping to start building our dream house this winter (pray lumber prices come down!). We are at the point where our builder wants to know exactly what wood stove we want to put in the basement so we can lock down where the chimney/hearth will be.

Attached are the drawings. Wood stove will be on the north wall of basement. Full walk-out basement. Trying to center the chimney between the windows of the master bedroom, but if it isn't centered it would be fine with me. Could also go with a single picture window in the master and slide the stove to the west even further.

What we want out of a wood stove: We aren't full-on preppers, but conversely we want to be prepared for loooong stretches of no utilities and want to be able to heat the house with this stove for long periods of time through midwestern winters. The basement will be unfinished at first, and I'm not sure how much we will actually use the wood stove. It may turn into our favorite place to sit, or we might spend almost all of our time upstairs....who knows!

And a question about the tax rebate - I assume we can claim installation of the hearth/etc for the stove as well? Any other recommendations on what we could claim when doing a new build?

We have plentiful wood to burn with several acres of mature elm, ash, mulberry, and hedge. We've planted hundreds of oaks/persimmons/pecans/cherry/hickory trees, but those will be cut/burned by my grandkids.

Any recommendations on best wood stove? Was thinking the Lopi Cape Cod or the Blaze King 40. Any other recommendations for stoves (or in general)?

Huge thanks.

-Boats

 

[begreen]

The basement walls really should be insulated. Otherwise, fully a third of the heat in the area will get sucked outdoors. That will be expensive regardless of the heat source for the basement. Now is the time to do it.

The exact stove is not relevant as long as adequate space is provided. There are no elevations. What walls are above grade? The current location choice is not the best if the intent is to also supply heat to the upstairs. For that purpose, it would be better to locate it in the family room. Also, consider running the chimney up the middle of the house. It will stay warmer and cleaner. Aesthetically, it seems a shame to run a stainless chimney on an exterior wall when not necessary. I think I would run it up the chase for the living room fireplace.

As for stoves, there is a big difference between the two choices mentioned, both in style and capacity. While looking, also consider the Regency F3500, Kuma Ashwood or Cascade, Hearthstone Manchester, etc. Or.. another ZC fireplace in the basement like the Montecito Estate CAT which also qualifies for the credit, and the heat out can be ducted to better distribute warm air upstairs.

 

[Boatswain2pa]

Thank you!

The basement walls really should be insulated. Otherwise, fully a third of the heat in the area will get sucked outdoors. That will be expensive regardless of the heat source for the basement. Now is the time to do it.

We plan to.

There are no elevations. What walls are above grade?

Don't have them yet ,still working on a few tweaks and my quirky architect doesn't want to finish up the side/back elevations until we have everything locked down. However, the basement will have 8 foot ceilings, main floor has 10 ft. The West wall (front of house) will be about 7 feet in the ground, while the back (east) will be at ground level, with the N and S sides sloping down.

The current location choice is not the best if the intent is to also supply heat to the upstairs. For that purpose, it would be better to locate it in the family room. Also, consider running the chimney up the middle of the house. It will stay warmer and cleaner. Aesthetically, it seems a shame to run a stainless chimney on an exterior wall when not necessary. I think I would run it up the chase for the living room fireplace.

I always thought putting it on the north side would be better. Someone in Maine once told me "you can't drive heat to the North).

I'm working on trying to find a way to put it where the existing bar sink, or maybe a little south of that, but gotta find a place to run the chimney up.

Also, reading years worth of comments here it seems important to have good local support. Locally we don't have many options. I met with the Lopi dealer last week and they were supposed to get back with me...nothing. Just met with the Jotul dealer and she was saying much the same as you are saying with the chimney, heat loss, eetc. I think we are going to go with a Jotul 500.

 

[xman23]

I would suggest putting the wood stove on the main living floor. It will heat much better. Becomes the focal point in the room. And climbing stairs to monitor and load the stove, will discourage using it.

Better yet put in two stoves.

 

[weatherguy]

My house is similar to yours with a walkout basement. My stove is in the basement family room in the middle if the house and does a great job heating both floors, I did however insulate all the basement walls so I'm not losing heat to concrete.

 

[clancey]

I cannot open the pdf attachment but other than that I have been following your thread--interesting...clancey

 

[Boatswain2pa]

suggest putting the wood stove on the main living floor

Better yet put in two stoves

We may or may not use the wood stove very much, just don't know. Major reason I want it is as a reliable back-up whole-house heat source. In my experience this is best done in the basement and on the north side of the house. Heat rises, and during the coldest nights it's hard to push warmth to the north.

We will have a gas fireplace on main living floor, with future plans of gas fireplace on the deck and one on the back porch. Eventually want to have a wood burning pizza oven are just off the back porch. I feel gas fireplaces are "easier" with quicker turn on/turn off, so I expect we will use the upstairs one much more.

If as we retire, and we finish out the basement, we find that we like using the wood stove better....great!

I cannot open the pdf attachment

Try clicking on the title instead of the image.

Update: Emailed architect today asking to move the wood stove to the west wall, could put flu up through the wall of the master closet, through the corner in the kitchen where the stove is drawn, or through the pantry. Architect sent back drawing with the wood stove just underneath the gas fireplace on the south wall. Uhhhh......no! Emailed back more specific instructions that we wanted it further on the north side, and he sent back drawing with it recessed into the storage area, with the flu going up through the pantry. I emailed back again saying we wanted it freestanding out in the room, not recessed.....and he said he has to check with builder to see if we can do that.

So additional question for all: Which is better- freestanding wood stove in the room? Or putting it in a recessed area along the wall?

-Boats

 

[clancey]

That worked and the pdf came up on the bottom and I click those two and got the diagrams--great--now I have to read the whole thread and see what you all have been up to and i will come back with something in the way of a suggestion...lol thanks..clancey

 

[clancey]

Why not insulate the basement one added expense and it would save your heating bill each month. So that is solved..Now as far as a wood heater is concerned I would wait and live in your new home for awhile and decide about this project later. In my opinion it is just too early to make this type of decision because you need to make it without architects telling you to "hurry up"----you want to enjoy this wood stove and not be harassed by architects wanting to put it "anywhere"... I put in my stove with the same thoughts that you have "just for an emergency to heat the house", and I might not never use it but its there for my peace of mind just in case things go the wrong way. If your worried about "piping" being "frozen" in a emergency --plumbers can fix those things by putting antifreeze or something in the pipes. If your worried about food--heck eat can goods for awhile. Look I am a worry wort and I have thought about the very same thoughts you have now "for a emergency" . My first defense is my generator a stand by which I have but just in case everything goes crazy I got a wood stove for emergencies because i hate to freeze in the winter and don't wish to go to a warming station if I do not have to for I am just too old to travel like that so I will stay home with my wood stove and heat soup and coffee on my two burners if I have to use it I will house myself in the warmest rooms with my blankee just to survive until this emergency session is over--hoping it never comes and in the meanwhile you will figure out what to do for your family. You seem to have a lot of gas in your home so I would run a generator off of that and they are wonderful to have--when the lights go out it turns on and when the lights come back on it turns on off--automatic...I would make that decision about the wood stove when you lived in the house for awhile--make it later--there is no decision that has to be made now except "insulating that basement"..Leave it ride---enjoy your beautiful new home...clancey

 

[Boatswain2pa]

Buying asap because prices are going up in just a few days. Gotta figure out where to put the stove so we can put the flu in with construction.

Attached is the basement drawings. Planning on the flu for the furnace and wood stove to run up through the corner of the pantry next to the fridge.

Anyone see any issues/problems/improvements?

 

[clancey]

I am confused if it runs up through the corner of the pantry where would you have the wood stove in the basement situated and are you going to insulate the basement walls and stuff? This would make a difference because it made a difference on my concrete flooring with insulation under it.. Its not so very very cold...clancey

 

[Mutineer]

Pet peeve here- Heat does not rise, hot air rises. Heat isn't a thing, it's a condition.
That said, you need to weigh radiant heaters vs convective heaters.

 

[begreen]

That location will definitely heat the space better and it stands a much better chance for the hot air to rise up the stairwell.

Regardless of stove choice, you will need to provide 2 things for a good burning experience. One is dry, fully-seasoned firewood. Modern stoves need dry wood to burn properly. The second is combustion air. The furnace and most likely the wood stove, will need an outside air supply in a tight, newly constructed house. Has the architect or mechanical contractor discussed this?

Why would the furnace need a flue? High-efficiency gas furnaces vent out of a side wall via PVC pipe.