New construction--newbie questions

[Stockwell3]

Hi!

My husband and I are in the midst of developing our specifications for a new house build. He grew up in a home with a woodstove and wants to have one, not as the primary heating source, but as backup and just for atmospheric warmth in the downstairs of our small (1800 sq foot) home. I'm with him, except I desire the "look" of a fireplace, with a mantel and built in cabinetry surrounding the unit.

We've been discussing a compromise in the form of building a fireplace area with a mantel, etc into the wall where we will place a freestanding stove. We've been going on the assumption that an insert won't be as efficient as a freestanding stove, and that we can't afford to put in a masonry fireplace, which we've heard is not efficient either. Still, I'm not entirely happy with this proposed compromise so I'm looking into our options.

In my research I have been running across the term woodburning fireplace (for instance see http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/ where they differentiate between a fireplace, a stove, and an insert). I'm interested in knowing what a "woodburning fireplace" is. Is it different than a masonry fireplace?

Anyways, this post is getting lengthy! Can anyone chime in on this? What is a woodburning fireplace, what are the relative merits of these different things--what would you do?

 

[cmonSTART]

An insert is basically a wood stove designed to fit inside an already built masonry fireplace.

A wood stove is a freestanding stove, of course.

A factory built fireplace (what I think you are after) is an appliance which is assembled and built into the construction, so that it appears to be a fireplace, but there is no pre-existing masonry fireplace needed. It's a stand alone system.

I'm sure I just did a terrible job of explaining that last one.

 

[Stockwell3]

That's very helpful, thanks! Any opinions on how a wood burning fireplace would heat relative to a freestanding stove built in like we are considering? Cost considerations--are these two options comparable if we are going to spend to make it look like a traditional fireplace regardless of whether we get a freestanding or built in?

 

[cmonSTART]

Well, the cost to build a good masonry fireplace is pretty high. That's a huge project. It's waaaay cheaper to install a factory built fireplace.

This can be a bit debatable, but I think a free standing stove is going to heat better than a built in, though I'm sure you'll be happy with a good EPA approved built in fireplace. Just make sure it's EPA approved, otherwise it's a waste of money.

As for a freestanding stove vs. a built in, I would guess the free standing stove would be cheaper. I don't do too much with built in fireplaces though, so I could be wrong.

 

[webby3650]

We just finished this install in a new home. This one is called a Fireplace Extraordinaire. They are catalytic and will put out serious heat.

 

[cmonSTART]

What does something like that cost, webby?

 

[webby3650]

What does something like that cost, webby?

Can't remember for sure, I think it is in the $5,500-$6,000 installed. This is the FPX 36, if you wanted the 44 the price jumps by several hundred. The price also depends on how tall the home is, you can also save some coin by choosing a black face.

 

[andybaker]

I think I know what your looking for. It's called a "Zero Clearance Insert." I have one from Cozy Heat, the Z-42. This thing heats my whole house, 2200sq. ft. They look like a regular fireplace but really it's just a stove built into the wall with a fireplace surround of your choise, within tollerances, built around it. If I remember correctly, mine was around $3000 for the whole thing.

 

[DickRussell]

Newbie, you don't say where you are located. Climate may affect recommendations. My suggestions will assume you are in a cold climate (zone 6 or higher).

First, on your home design, put your first money into a very tight and well-insulated exterior shell, for the sake of human comfort inside as well as reduced heating and cooling costs. Drafty with cold spots equals discomfort. For that reason, don't go for the fireplace. Typically they are leaky when not in use and inefficient when in use. Further, a tight house, which you ought to have, may not leak enough for a fireplace to draft properly, since it needs more air than a woodstove. As far as "atmosphere" goes, a good woodstove with glass front provides the visual effect of a fireplace as well as probably more warmth. If you opt for a fireplace, stop reading this post now.

Your best location for stove of course is in the lower level, as you plan to do. The chimney will draw best if it is within the structure, which means that you'll have stovepipe up to the ceiling, then insulated rated chimney from there on up. You'll have to coordinate location of the stove downstairs with location of the chase through the floor above, such as in the corner of a bedroom or closet. You'll want to allow room for proper insulating of the walls of that chase, as that chimney will be full of cold air when the stove is not in use.

In our new house, nearing completion, we have a Quadrafire Millenium 2100, which of course has a glass door. I picked that one for a few reasons. First, it will have occasional use, as is your plan, and the heat output is limited (11-28K BTU/hr). The house is in the "superinsulated" class and is very tight. Design heat load at five below zero is 21,000 BTU/hr, for 4,000 sq.ft. of conditioned space. I didn't want the stove to be a heat leak when not in use. Since the house is exceedingly tight, I didn't want the stove to backdraft if someone turned on the range hood fan or clothes dryer. Thus I have a combustion air inlet duct, with a small hood outside the house, and a U-shaped loop buried inside the wall to serve as a cold air trap when the stove is not in use. The duct connects directly to the stove, via an adapter. Some stoves don't have such an option, and an inlet duct just dumps cold air into the room "near" the stove. Further, the stove has a welded steel firebox, rather than an assembly of pieces with gaskets between them. The stove is mounted in a corner, and needs something like 17" clearance from the flue connection to walls of the room. The 6" stovepipe is double wall up to the ceiling, then the insulated chimney takes over from there. The total pipe run from stove to cap outside is about 26 feet, I think, a straight shot. It draws very well.

The heating system hasn't been installed yet, so I've been using the woodstove to heat the place, and it doesn't have any trouble doing so. I just let it burn out overnight, then start over some time the next day. The house just doesn't heat up or cool down fast at all. The mass of the house absorbs the heat from the stove easily. I was concerned at first that unless the weather outside was bitter cold the stove would cook us out of the house easily, but that doesn't happen. For your planned 1800 sq.ft, less than half of ours, you might have to limit the size of the fire and burn rate, and not burn it all day. Finding a stove with lower heat output might be difficult unless you get one that looks like a toy in the corner. Just my thoughts.