Placement of stove

[Dusty]

We are building a new home and we are wanting to put in a wood-stove in a alcove style with brick around it so it somewhat looks like a fireplace. We will only be using occasionally and for emergency heat for power outages (ie Ice storms). The only problem is where to place it. If we do a corner install then it will be on the corner of the house so we will need to an chimney chase way I think? It's a steep pitched (12/12) roof so I understand it needs to be pretty tall? Anyway, I'm not sure that we will like this look, what has people done to make this look better. We will be bricking the house and putting a metal roof on it.

Next option would be on an interior wall but it would someone block walkways but would be near the center of the roof. So I think I would only need 3 ft of double wall pipe sticking out of the roof.

 

[Dusty]

Also, will need to have an outside air kit added because we are building a very tight house.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

 

[WellSeasoned]

I would put it into the living room. You have more of a straight shot drawing heat down the hall to the bedrooms. I'm sure when its installed you'll use this stove alot more than you think, as its an awesome heat. As for the chimney, I dont really know what to say.... I know I didn't like my ss chimney at first but I'm used to it now and dont mind it. Good luck, others will chime in. Be well

 

[Dusty]

I would put it into the living room. You have more of a straight shot drawing heat down the hall to the bedrooms. I'm sure when its installed you'll use this stove alot more than you think, as its an awesome heat. As for the chimney, I dont really know what to say.... I know I didn't like my ss chimney at first but I'm used to it now and dont mind it. Good luck, others will chime in. Be well

Thanks for the input...So many decisions in new construction. Just know it will be cheaper to do it now then down the road so we are trying to add it now.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Welcome to the Forum Dusty !
Personally putting it in a central location is what I would do. I agree with Backwoods ( Edit Sorry Well Seasoned I forgot again ) on this you will most likely use it more than you think ! Wood stoves put off a pure warmth that penetrates everything around. It makes your furnace feel like an air conditioner The stove will really warm the house up if it is using outside air in our experience because you are not sucking air through the cracks in the house. The corner alcove could work very well.

Pete

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

Living room . . . This is probably the spot where you will be most of the waking hours and by having it here it will direct the heat towards folks in that room . . . and to some degree down the hall to the bedrooms. Plus . . . even if you only use it occasionally, it will be nice to have a view of the fire in the living room instead of tucked around the corner with Option B.

If you're like many of us you may end up burning more often than you plan to . . . if things had gone as planned I would only be burning weekends and evenings and not going 24/7. Saving money is just one benefit for me . . . the ambiance of the fire, comfort and ease of use are why I switched within a week or so from being a sporadic burner to being a full time burner.

I understand why you are thinking the alcove . . . for the aesthetics . . . just be aware that there will be more of a cost and some stoves may have restrictions on clearances. In addition, I'm not sure how well this may work from an occasional use stand point as I am wondering if some of the radiated heat may get sucked up by the surrounding thermal mass of brick, stone, etc. . . . but honestly, it's just a passing thought in my head . . . perhaps smarter folks than me can speak on this concern and if it is valid or not.

 

[Dusty]

thanks for the input everyone. I go back and forth on it. I just don't know about the chase way with the corner living room install. It's going to have to be tall.

 

[firefighterjake]

thanks for the input everyone. I go back and forth on it. I just don't know about the chase way with the corner living room install. It's going to have to be tall.

Would that be on the back or front of the house from the street/road side . . . if it's on the back and out of view for the most part I might just live without the chase . . . if it is in the front . . . might want to gussy it up some with a chase.

 

[eclecticcottage]

I also vote for the living room. Even if it is only occasional use, I would think you'd like the ambiance of it there vs the dining room. Nothing better around the holidays than a fire in the stove or fireplace. Plus if it's set right it looks like it would be visable from the kitchen, dining room and living room.

 

[begreen]

I can understand the chimney concern with the corner location. The more central location would work ok with a convective stove. I don't think you'll need to add a wing wall with a jacketed stove. Our T6 stove sides are only warm, not skin burning hot. I'm also wondering if a stove could be placed in the living room outside wall, facing the hallway?

For good heat circulation it looks like you're going to need a floor fan at the far end of the hallway, facing the stove room.

 

[Waulie]

I vote living room. And, +1 to what Begreen said. Why not put it between the windows on right side of the living room? Scrap the surround idea and just go with a beautiful wall/hearth setup behind a beautiful stove. This also solves the problem of the really tall chimney sticking out of the roof. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[eclecticcottage]

I don't think you'll need to add a wing wall with a jacketed stove. Our T6 stove sides are only warm, not skin burning hot.

+1 to this, same for our Republic. The only really hot spots are the top and front, the sides and back (and bottom) aren't terribly hot even when the top temp is reading 650.

 

[eclecticcottage]

I vote living room. And, +1 to what Begreen said. Why not put it between the windows on right side of the living room? Scrap the surround idea and just go with a beautiful wall/hearth setup behind a beautiful stove. This also solves the problem of the really tall chimney sticking out of the roof. Just my opinion, of course.

This is basically how ours is set up, only it's between two sliding doors. We have a hearth pad that extends between the two (it's about 6' long by 4' deep) and the wall behind is just the same paneling as the rest of the room. The wood box sits on one side with the stove on the other, and the tv above the wood box. It does make it a focal point for sure, but I like it that way :D

Have you decided on a stove yet? The stove you choose might help you with the design choice as well, with the various clearances, hearth pad requirements and such.

 

[Dusty]

The corner will be on the back of the house.

Was considering a hearthstone tribute or the homestead. Was also considering a lopi endeavor.

 

[Sprinter]

My 2c.
1. The more central the location the better.
2. I don't know how much exterior chimney you would have to have for that corner, but it will certainly be highly visible and may need some kind of structural support.
3. I'm with the others; you'll likely use it a lot more than you think now.
4. Personally, I wouldn't want to hide a nice stove in an alcove. I'd try to make it a nice, working feature of the room on a nice looking hearth. It won't be necessary to have a heat shield, if that's part of the concern. The sides of my stove and many others are touchable at working temps. If you do, though, masonry walls would radiate heat for a long time and might be rather pleasant.

Regarding stove selection: I'd research the Hearthstones here before deciding. Experiences are mixed. Lopi's are well regarded here.

 

[Dusty]

Any suggestions on a stove? I only need about 36000 btu to heat my whole house per the manual j calc. So I don't want to overdo it on sizing the stove. Plus I'm in oklahoma so we don't have that bad of winters here. Just a few ice storms that can wipe out power for 2 weeks.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Endeavor is the sister stove to mine-the Republic 1750 is the "plain jane" version. We are happy with ours. Clearances are awesome, and you don't need some crazy R-Value for the hearth pad.

 

[Dusty]

Ok one more question. I'm new to wood burning. I've only ever had propane infared heater as a backup.

Anyway, My question is about floor protection. This stove will be put in new construction. What do I need to do for a hearth pad if I don't put a surround on it. I'm thinking i'm going to have the wall bricked behind it.

If I put tile in all of the entry and dining area is that good enough? Do I have to have a hearth pad? Any ideas please! Thank you!

 

[Sprinter]

Ok one more question. I'm new to wood burning. I've only ever had propane infared heater as a backup.

Anyway, My question is about floor protection. This stove will be put in new construction. What do I need to do for a hearth pad if I don't put a surround on it. I'm thinking i'm going to have the wall bricked behind it.

If I put tile in all of the entry and dining area is that good enough? Do I have to have a hearth pad? Any ideas please! Thank you!

Each model stove has it's own requirements for "clearances to combustibles" and hearth pads as a result of testing. Hearth pad requirements typically will require 16-18" in front and sides. Usually 16" in front in the U.S. Some models require some R value in the hearth pad like 2.0, some (maybe most) don't and only require ember protection which can be satisfied with ceramic tile or even metal.

Some stoves have as little as 4.5" rear clearance requirements (like eclecticcottage's Lopi), some as much as 36" (not too common). Most seem to be in the 6-12" range for rear. Each will have a side clearance. Mine is 18" for example. Some will have a vertical clearance from the top as well that could be important if you want the stove to be raised, but is usually not an issue.

But, they're all a bit different and specs usually are published right on a manufacturer's website. It's advisable to also read the installation manual for any stove you are interested in because sometimes there are complicating factors.

 

[begreen]

The corner will be on the back of the house.

Was considering a hearthstone tribute or the homestead. Was also considering a lopi endeavor.

Of these 3 the Endeavor is best sized. It also has easy hearth requirements. if considering other stoves, Look for a 2 cu ft stove. In milder weathe just burn partial loads of wood and let the stove go out if the house is getting too warm.