We have a prefab fireplace which, naturally enough, barely sends any heat into the room at all. Worse, it's in a split level room, so there's two storeys of air above it. It's also pretty anemic in burning wood. Photos attached.
I've looked into replacing it with a wood burning stove, and I understand why it's not a simple / straightforward install.
I've had one local fireplace company bid $14k to rebuild the surround from the mantel down, replace the flue, and install a Jotul. I'm not sure whether they considered doing the work from the back -- the fireplace backs onto an internal wall, so it would theoretically be possible to get at it from another room without touching the (faux) stonework.
I also got a bid from a cowboy installer who sees nothing wrong with just slapping a stove in there and doing some sheet metal work to tie it into the existing flue for $600 labor ("you've had some roaring fires in there, right?")
My question - is there a middle option? I've read about "prefab fireplace compatible inserts" but I haven't found much on them. We'd want to keep or improve the aesthetics, and dramatically improve the efficiency.
I've looked into replacing it with a wood burning stove, and I understand why it's not a simple / straightforward install.
I've had one local fireplace company bid $14k to rebuild the surround from the mantel down, replace the flue, and install a Jotul. I'm not sure whether they considered doing the work from the back -- the fireplace backs onto an internal wall, so it would theoretically be possible to get at it from another room without touching the (faux) stonework.
I also got a bid from a cowboy installer who sees nothing wrong with just slapping a stove in there and doing some sheet metal work to tie it into the existing flue for $600 labor ("you've had some roaring fires in there, right?")
My question - is there a middle option? I've read about "prefab fireplace compatible inserts" but I haven't found much on them. We'd want to keep or improve the aesthetics, and dramatically improve the efficiency.