Newbies seeking recommendations for our list of goals

[rurallife]

Hi all, thanks in advance for this great resource. I've done my research on these forums and beyond, but every situation has such unique goals and limitations that I wanted to share our specs and see what product or approach seasoned pros recommend. I have loved reading about other people's lives and stories here so will share a bit of ours for those interested.
I grew up on a farm with a wood stove and now in my early 40s have returned to rural living. A few years ago my husband and I moved into a well built 1976 stone cottage on a wooded hill in the lower Midwest (northeast Kansas). While a modestly size home, it has fireplaces in the living room and adjacent kitchen. Those two (south facing) chimneys extend down to the unfinished basement for a whopping four total fireplaces. While this is aesthetically lovely, if we had built new, we would have designed the home around a central freestanding stove for complete home heating. Instead we will now settle for partial home heating by retrofitting an insert to the main-level living room fireplace, which is somewhat separate from the kitchen and bedrooms off adjoining hallway as was the customary design in the '70s.
We already use that fireplace 3-5 times per week for maybe four months of the year, huddling near it for the heat and ambiance. We are surrounded by oak, hickory and walnut overgrowth that we are slowly culling for the health of the forest and nearby prairie restoration project. Due to those efforts we already have log piles that could provide heat for several winters. My carpenter husband and I have built a wood shed from felled cedars and corrugated tin. We are ready for the wood stove lifestyle actually heating our home and reducing propane reliance! Now, what to purchase...
Fireplace dimensions:
41" wide, 22" high from bottom to start of the arch, 30" high from bottom to top of arch.
Firebox is 29" wide at the back, and 21" deep or 26" deep if you include the cement block border between the firebox and the cosmetic masonry (sorry I'm not sure what to call those and whether to account for them as insert space).
Room dimensions:
About 300 square feet, 8' ceilings

Goals:
-Heat as much of the home as possible with blowers and air direction. Primary bedroom and kitchen both share walls with the living room; maybe we somehow add vents to allow heat through?
-Design: Want to preserve the arch of the fireplace wall. I've seen some here suggest placing a freestanding stove inside the fireplace for that purpose but doubt ours is tall enough. I'll also add that as a hobbyist home designer I dream of vaulting our living room ceiling and adding operable skylights. I know the added height would be bad for heating efficiency, but perhaps the venting skylights will help with energy goals in warmer seasons.
-Values: Made in USA (or Europe to at least feel good about material standards)
Thank you for suggesting products, any insights into the supply chain and costs going up/down these days, and how to find a good installer. Happy fires to you

 

[begreen]

How large of an area in total will the stove be heating?

 

[rurallife]

The room with the fireplace is 600 sq ft, but the living area within that space is about 300 sq ft. As noted we hope to heat beyond the living room as much as possible with air redirection. The entire one-level home is about 1,800 sq ft.

 

[GrumpyDad]

The room with the fireplace is 600 sq ft, but the living area within that space is about 300 sq ft. As noted we hope to heat beyond the living room as much as possible with air redirection. The entire one-level home is about 1,800 sq ft.

My neighbor runs his central air/heating fan on low whenever he has his stove going. I wondered how long that fan would last for, he didnt seem to care because the alternative was to put fans in each room trying to create some sort of circulation engine. I will say that his ductwork is all within a finished basement drop ceiling, so it holds the heat rather nicely. This may not be an option for many people.

 

[begreen]

It sounds like something in the ~2cu ft range will do if the home is well insulated. The choices in low freestanding stove are greatly reduced since 2020. One to consider would be the Osburn Inspire with the minimalist base. It is 27 3/8" W x 23 1/2 H x 19 5/8" D.

Inspire | Wood stoves | Osburn

www.osburn-mfg.com

 

[EbS-P]

You can always make a custom surround for an insert that matches the arch.

 

[jalmondale]

I have a very similar setup, I opted to put a wood stove just in front of the fireplace (extending the hearth slightly). Two of the options I looked at that had sufficiently low rear venting were the Hearthstone Castleton and the Woodstock Fireview (ended up going with the Fireview). With the height of the top of the arch, you probably have a few more options if you don't mind putting a few more bricks down to extend the hearth.

 

[rurallife]

I have a very similar setup, I opted to put a wood stove just in front of the fireplace (extending the hearth slightly). Two of the options I looked at that had sufficiently low rear venting were the Hearthstone Castleton and the Woodstock Fireview (ended up going with the Fireview). With the height of the top of the arch, you probably have a few more options if you don't mind putting a few more bricks down to extend the hearth.

Thanks, would you mind sharing why you extended hearth to accommodate a stove as opposed to purchasing an insert? Unfortunately it looks like Woodstock doesn't make an insert which is the direction we were leaning.

 

[jalmondale]

Thanks, would you mind sharing why you extended hearth to accommodate a stove as opposed to purchasing an insert? Unfortunately it looks like Woodstock doesn't make an insert which is the direction we were leaning.

I didn't want an insert because of power outage concerns (the blower is easy to power with batteries, but I wanted to be able to heat food and water on the stove). Plus I like the look of the Woodstock (light grey fireview with grey blue soapstone), and don't really like how most inserts look (I'm not a fan of black cast iron/steel).

I also had plenty of space in the room to add a 3x5 pad in front of the fireplace (because of the layout of the doors, that was kind of wasted/always open space anyway), which I know isn't an option for everyone.