Hello, I'm new to this forum and to wood stoves. I have a new construction in central VA that is nearing its final phases (for the most part, the big things remaining to be done in the interior are finishing up the HVAC installation, and installing wood floors and ceiling fans). I had planned to add a wood stove after moving in at some point, but after doing research, I decided to bite the bullet and get one put in beforehand, to simplify the installation and so we can start using it this winter.
So I just placed an order for a charcoal-grey-colored Woodstock Absolute wood stove (https://www.woodstove.com/absolute-steel-hybrid-wood-stove), which is rated to heat up to 1,800 sq ft. The one that was available has a door on the right, which may not be ideal in our configuration, but I figured I can make it work, and it would be better than waiting and being put on a production schedule for next year.
The house is about 1,500 sq feet, on one level, with unfinished basement. The stove will go in the great room, and I intend for it to be the main/only source of heat, to run all winter (no shortage of wood). I've attached the floorplan, which also shows where the ceiling fans will be installed. My dilemma is where to place the stove. The floor plans were drawn up with the idea that a wood stove would eventually go against the exterior back wall (to the right of the double windows), between the dining area and the living area. It was also assumed at that time that an L-shaped sectional couch (to be purchased) would be against the exterior wall and stairwell wall, in the corner of the living room, with a coffee table in front of it. (We don't own a TV, so there's no screen to make a focal point of room. I have a nice-sized computer monitor I can place on the coffee table and hook up to my laptop computer, if/when we feel like watch something online.)
When the floorplans were drawn up, though, I didn't realize that some wood stoves come with windows, through which you can watch the fire. Having the stove facing perpendicular to the couch's L corner, which is where I anticipated sitting most of the time I'm in there, so I can put my legs up on the couch too, seems like such a wasted opportunity to enjoy looking at the fire. Also, there would be about six feet between edge of couch and dining room window. Given stove width of 33" and log-loading door on right, the stove would have to be placed pretty close to the dining room window in order to have the necessary open space on the right of it. So I'm wondering how to rethink the placement, and am wondering if anyone on here might be able to offer any suggestions based on experience, taking into account both practicalities and aesthetics.
Option 1A that occurred to me is to move the stove further to the right along the back wall, and rotate the couch 90 degrees to the right. The downside is that that feels like it could be bad "feng shui," with people's backs to the front door if they're sitting on the couch section that's facing the fire. So then Option 1B could be scrapping the sectional couch idea, and instead putting a single couch against the stairwell wall, and maybe a couple of armchairs opposite the couch. All the seating would be at an angle to the fire then, so you would have to turn to look at it.
Option 2, which seems like maybe the better one, would be to move the stove away from the back wall, between the ceiling fan and the back wall, and orient the stove so it faces toward the couch on the right, with its back to the dining table. I could add heat shields to the back and sides, in the same color as the stove, which would make the back and sides look a little more attractive. One possible issue in that scenario might be that the people in the dining chairs closest to the stove might get too warm (but that may not be a big deal at all, because of the heat shield, and because we could leave those seats empty unless there's company over, and then just not have the fire on high ... also I read that stoves with soapstone don't get as uncomfortably hot to be near). Another possible issue is that it might end up having to be put quite close to the ceiling fan in order to allow enough room between the stove and the couch; not sure if this would look odd or create any issues. The ceiling fan hasn't been installed yet, so in theory it could be moved over, though the current location for it is nicely centered in that area, so would prefer not to move it. The ceiling fan is 60" across and looks roughly like this one: https://quoruminternational.com/cat...quotes_-satin-nickel-transitional-ceiling-fan (with reversible rosewood and walnut blades).
We will also need to use an outside air kit. If the stove is not against the exterior wall, I think it can be run under the floor, because the basement ceiling is unfinished, though it might require some extra work that way.
So basically what I'm wondering is:
-- Do any of the options I've outlined above strike people as better than the others? Aesthetically and/or practically. Or maybe there is another better option that hadn't occurred to me?
-- Would a stove close to a ceiling fan look odd/crowded? How close to the blades would seem "too" close?
-- If we go with Option 2, I think we might end up having to load the logs from the back of the stove, because depending on exactly where the ceiling joists are, and where the stove and chimney could be placed, there might not be enough space to stand in front and to the right of the stove to load logs, because of the couch edge. Would this be in any way impractical?
-- I don't see a minimum recommended clearance listed in the installation manual for the front of the stove, except for how far the non-combustible floor must extend. How close do people feel comfortable sitting to a stove window? And how close can furniture be without the furniture drying out too much and/or deteriorating in some other way (aiming to get a leather couch).
Thank you in advance for any guidance anyone can provide.
So I just placed an order for a charcoal-grey-colored Woodstock Absolute wood stove (https://www.woodstove.com/absolute-steel-hybrid-wood-stove), which is rated to heat up to 1,800 sq ft. The one that was available has a door on the right, which may not be ideal in our configuration, but I figured I can make it work, and it would be better than waiting and being put on a production schedule for next year.
The house is about 1,500 sq feet, on one level, with unfinished basement. The stove will go in the great room, and I intend for it to be the main/only source of heat, to run all winter (no shortage of wood). I've attached the floorplan, which also shows where the ceiling fans will be installed. My dilemma is where to place the stove. The floor plans were drawn up with the idea that a wood stove would eventually go against the exterior back wall (to the right of the double windows), between the dining area and the living area. It was also assumed at that time that an L-shaped sectional couch (to be purchased) would be against the exterior wall and stairwell wall, in the corner of the living room, with a coffee table in front of it. (We don't own a TV, so there's no screen to make a focal point of room. I have a nice-sized computer monitor I can place on the coffee table and hook up to my laptop computer, if/when we feel like watch something online.)
When the floorplans were drawn up, though, I didn't realize that some wood stoves come with windows, through which you can watch the fire. Having the stove facing perpendicular to the couch's L corner, which is where I anticipated sitting most of the time I'm in there, so I can put my legs up on the couch too, seems like such a wasted opportunity to enjoy looking at the fire. Also, there would be about six feet between edge of couch and dining room window. Given stove width of 33" and log-loading door on right, the stove would have to be placed pretty close to the dining room window in order to have the necessary open space on the right of it. So I'm wondering how to rethink the placement, and am wondering if anyone on here might be able to offer any suggestions based on experience, taking into account both practicalities and aesthetics.
Option 1A that occurred to me is to move the stove further to the right along the back wall, and rotate the couch 90 degrees to the right. The downside is that that feels like it could be bad "feng shui," with people's backs to the front door if they're sitting on the couch section that's facing the fire. So then Option 1B could be scrapping the sectional couch idea, and instead putting a single couch against the stairwell wall, and maybe a couple of armchairs opposite the couch. All the seating would be at an angle to the fire then, so you would have to turn to look at it.
Option 2, which seems like maybe the better one, would be to move the stove away from the back wall, between the ceiling fan and the back wall, and orient the stove so it faces toward the couch on the right, with its back to the dining table. I could add heat shields to the back and sides, in the same color as the stove, which would make the back and sides look a little more attractive. One possible issue in that scenario might be that the people in the dining chairs closest to the stove might get too warm (but that may not be a big deal at all, because of the heat shield, and because we could leave those seats empty unless there's company over, and then just not have the fire on high ... also I read that stoves with soapstone don't get as uncomfortably hot to be near). Another possible issue is that it might end up having to be put quite close to the ceiling fan in order to allow enough room between the stove and the couch; not sure if this would look odd or create any issues. The ceiling fan hasn't been installed yet, so in theory it could be moved over, though the current location for it is nicely centered in that area, so would prefer not to move it. The ceiling fan is 60" across and looks roughly like this one: https://quoruminternational.com/cat...quotes_-satin-nickel-transitional-ceiling-fan (with reversible rosewood and walnut blades).
We will also need to use an outside air kit. If the stove is not against the exterior wall, I think it can be run under the floor, because the basement ceiling is unfinished, though it might require some extra work that way.
So basically what I'm wondering is:
-- Do any of the options I've outlined above strike people as better than the others? Aesthetically and/or practically. Or maybe there is another better option that hadn't occurred to me?
-- Would a stove close to a ceiling fan look odd/crowded? How close to the blades would seem "too" close?
-- If we go with Option 2, I think we might end up having to load the logs from the back of the stove, because depending on exactly where the ceiling joists are, and where the stove and chimney could be placed, there might not be enough space to stand in front and to the right of the stove to load logs, because of the couch edge. Would this be in any way impractical?
-- I don't see a minimum recommended clearance listed in the installation manual for the front of the stove, except for how far the non-combustible floor must extend. How close do people feel comfortable sitting to a stove window? And how close can furniture be without the furniture drying out too much and/or deteriorating in some other way (aiming to get a leather couch).
Thank you in advance for any guidance anyone can provide.
Last edited:
