Putting in a wood stove this summer...what to expect?

[Rangerbait]

Howdy! I moved to West Virginia from Northern California about 9 months ago, and after the first couple of cold months, planning to put in a wood stove for next winter. I grew up in the mountains of Northern CA with a wood stove as our only heat source, so I'm fairly well acquainted with the woodcutting/stove lifestyle, and very much looking forward to getting back into it.

I plan to put the stove where I currently have a direct vent gas fireplace that is installed in a 2' bump out between 2 windows.

I realize that I will have to do a bit of reframing of the existing bump out to raise the ceiling in order to get the required clearances, as well as have a bit of masonry work done to create a heat resistant alcove. I will also be framing a chimney chase to enclose the stove pipe.

The stove I'm looking at is the Quadra Fire Adventure 3, which will run me in the neighborhood of $3500. I figure the stove pipe + installation will run me in the neighborhood of $2500.

The framing work I will be doing myself, so the only real wild card I see is the masonry work. I'm thinking about some sort of stacked stone solution, or something similar. The floor will probably be tile.

Questions: what am I looking at cost wise for a typical hearth that I'm describing?

What other potential pitfalls have I overlooked?

Thanks in advance!

Current setup:

 

[Espartaco]

Make sure the stove you are looking at can be installed in an alcove setting. Some stoves the clearances won't allow an alcove install

 

[kennyp2339]

Yes, pay attention to clearances, just because there's masonry on a wall doesn't mean its safe, all it does is conduct heat to the combustible behind it, so premeasuring is a must.
Burning wood on the e coast is different than w coast, start cutting and splitting now, get 4 -5 cords of maple, birch, ash, dead standing oak for your first year squared away now, then work on oak wood for your second year (oak takes between 2-3 years to dry properly in the mid atlantic and northeast.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I'm not sure what contractors are charging in WV but you can probably use $50.00 a square foot for your masonry work. Standard ceramic tile will probably come in cheaper than that. However if it is just a small area it might end up being around that number.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

And what Kenny said. CSS as much fire wood as you can....starting now.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

What will your alcove demensions be? The andventure 3 is a pedistal stove which makes it tall. The picture is page 8 of the installation manual.

 

[Rangerbait]

Thanks all...yes, I'm pulling permits to do this work, so everything will be to code.

I'm actually heading out to cut today to get my first load...a friend has a 200 acre ranch nearby, and there are a lot of oaks that were felled last spring.

I grew up burning a moisture of pine, for, manzanita, and black oak...of course, my folks got a splitter AFTER I moved out

 

[begreen]

The hearth requirement for this stove is type 1 ember protection only. The cost could be under $100 for a simple hearth pad made of a sheet of 1/2" Durock and tile on top or it could be a lot more if the desire is to make it fancier with stone and have a stone back drop.

 

[Rangerbait]

The hearth requirement for this stove is type 1 ember protection only. The cost could be under $100 for a simple hearth pad made of a sheet of 1/2" Durock and tile on top or it could be a lot more if the desire is to make it fancier with stone and have a stone back drop.

I don't know anything about those ratings, and what materials meet the requirements...is there a good reference you can point me to? Thanks for the help!

 

[mcdougy]

I don't know anything about those ratings, and what materials meet the requirements...is there a good reference you can point me to? Thanks for the help!

When searching for a stove, some models need actual r value underneath them. This is due to the heat transferred to the floor. Sounds as if the model you are looking at is a little easier...it does not require extra r value, it only requires something on the floor that is non combustible for protection from hot embers. With more reading you will understand this better.

 

[edyit]

if you're wondering about materials and their values (broken link removed) is a big help.
Type 1 ember protection only means that is just needs to sit on a nonflammable surface like metal / glass / tile that meets or exceeds the dimensions required in your manual.

 

[Rangerbait]

if you're wondering about materials and their values (broken link removed) is a big help.
Type 1 ember protection only means that is just needs to sit on a nonflammable surface like metal / glass / tile that meets or exceeds the dimensions required in your manual.

Excellent resource...thanks!!

 

[iron]

i think we paid $2400 for masonry to be done in our place. stacked fake stone with grout. i think it's 60" wide by 8ft tall with an arch for the fireplace. see my avatar and this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...t-n-glo-northstar-fireplace-with-pics.149631/

in hindsight, i would've been okay doing the masonry myself. i'm sure they did it faster and with less stress to me, but if i were to do it again, i would DIY it.

 

[Rangerbait]

i think we paid $2400 for masonry to be done in our place. stacked fake stone with grout. i think it's 60" wide by 8ft tall with an arch for the fireplace. see my avatar and this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...t-n-glo-northstar-fireplace-with-pics.149631/

in hindsight, i would've been okay doing the masonry myself. i'm sure they did it faster and with less stress to me, but if i were to do it again, i would DIY it.

That came out awesome! I'm going to DIMyself, but am having the pipe installed by a pro.

 

[Sodbuster]

Take a look at using an 1" air gap between two pieces of durarock to reduce your distance to combustibles, 1" black steel pipe with your fasteners passing through forms the gap. Also take a look at the Englander NC-30. Seems to be a popular stove on the site that is a very good value, sold through Home Depot.

 

[Rangerbait]

Take a look at using an 1" air gap between two pieces of durarock to reduce your distance to combustibles, 1" black steel pipe with your fasteners passing through forms the gap. Also take a look at the Englander NC-30. Seems to be a popular stove on the site that is a very good value, sold through Home Depot.

Great tip, thanks! I'm looking at the Adventure 3 due to its output capability...my main floor and second floor are both around 1,800 sq ft with a 2-story entryway that really draws the heat upstairs well. In addition, I have a 1,500+ sq ft finished basement that is ducted from the basement air handler. The main return for that unit is on the far end of the living room where the stove's going, so my hope is that the blower will do a good job of helping to distribute the heat to the basement.

My primary heat source at the moment is an electric heat pump, which is costing me a fortune when the temps dip below freezing. I'm looking at a $600 bill for December, and it wasn't even that cold

 

[edyit]

just remember to keep the R requirement for the hearth and clearance to combustibles with any stove that you end up getting. for the quad you're looking at it's Type 1 (ember) floor protector or 1/2” non-combustible material. they also include this little note about clearance reductions "NOTE: Clearances may only be reduced by means approved by the regulatory authority having jurisdiction" that might sound like CYA on their part but these stoves are tested to a certain clearance.

 

[Niko]

Do some research on the stove you want. Put the name of the stove in the search bar in this forum and see what people are saying and what others compare it with. Also whatever stove you want to find more about spec wise just go to the manufacturers website and download their manual.

Their are a lot of stoves out their so please do some research and compare.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I wouldn't put a whole lot of faith in your hvac system pumping heat in your basement. I turn the fan on my furnace when it gets to hot in the stove room. In theory yes it circulates the hot air gathering up around the ceiling, however, not enough to claim that it "heats" my basment.