you could move your sofa down to the bottom of your dining table. move your dining 90% and nearer your island & put a wee stove down in in the corner near the sofa (depending on the roof/outside wallat that part of the building). or leave everything where it is & put a freesatanding double sided stove between your dining table & island. again it depends on the roof.

I'd swap your dining area and sofa area, then have the woodburner on the back wall (is it an outside wall?) I guess you could place it here anyway if it is suitable, and leave your furniture where it is. Nothing wrong with a cosy dining room in winter!

Have you considered changing your radiators to some with higher BTU? Almost all the companies that sell radiators online let you calculate your room heat output requirement based on the room dimensions, ceiling heights, doors&windows position, insulation, etc. http://www.bestheating.com/btu-calculator

You can get some 'designer' radiators that will complement your space - your kitchen is quite modern, so those tall, slim, contemporary radiators would look right in your room. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=designer+high+BTU+radiator&gws_rd=cr&ei=aeIoWLzUEMfUgAbTs5SwCw#q=high+output+vertical+radiators

Also, think carefully about placing the wood-burner on the back wall - not sure it will help heating the kitchen, as it will be too far away to be truly efficient, unless you buy a high performance stove with a minimum of 10KW output. There are other alternatives to wood-burners, have a look at this article discussing fireplace efficiency: http://www.cvo.co.uk/guides/guide-to-fireplace-efficiency.htm

Good luck!

Hi, following on from what luciana suggested I would definitely suggest swapping out the small radiators with tall column ones like this:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/acova-classic-3-column-vertical-radiator-white-2000-x-490mm-6244btu/97166

You can get these in lots of different widths and heights but also 2,3 or 4 columns (4 column being the highest heat output but are also physically deeper - ie they protrude from the wall further). The BTU on these is much much higher due to the large surface area and should warm your space beautifully.

If you can match the width to what you already have it means you won't even need to change the plumbing!

On the wood burner front - I have one at home which I absolutely love - but would say it needs 'feeding' every 20-30 minutes or so (more often when you're getting it started and up to temp). Are you definitely going to be spending that much time in the space to warrant the work involved? Its not a cheap option either.

I can only see one radiator in the picture, but this does look particularly small for such a big space. So as per the comments above, I would definitely review the sizes of the radiators. Give us a call if you get stuck on 01274 567789 as we can help with sizing.

Hi, when you are considering retrospectively installing a wood burning stove, you need to keep in mind that it will need a hearth (not ideal for timber floors), the wall(s) behind/near the woodburner will also need to be fire rated and the flue will need a fire rated collar when exiting the roof (via the external wall or ceiling). This is why it is a lot easier to install a wood burner when it has been designed into an extension from the outset.

I hope you find this useful.

Hello Mairead,

Installation of a wood burning appliance in this room could create a couple of issues for you.

1. Flue location. In order to maintain the flue draught it is very important to keep the chimney as straight and as true as possible. In order to achieve this, it is best to run the flue through the ceiling of your room, through the room above and out through the roof. A lot of people don't like this idea as its obstructs the room above. The next option people then think of, is going out through the wall behind the stove. DO NOT DO THIS. Stoves need a good chimney in order to work properly and in order to maintain flue draught you need to maintain temperature in the flue pipe, running an external chimney cools down the flue pipe too much and stops the stoves drawing effectively. You will also find that you can't really shut the stove down as you will find it starting to smoke back into the room. We as a company refuse to install external chimneys for this exact reason.

2. The dreaded extractor fan. Now, this gets complicated. Extractor fans create a negative pressure in a room, especially buildings built or renovated after 2008 as they generally have higher insulation and as a result are more air tight. Stoves effectively do the same, by extracting air from the roof in order to supply the fire with oxygen, when you have two systems drawing from the roof, the stronger (generally the extractor) tends to draw through the other appliance, effectively using the chimney as an air vent.

You also need to work out the amount of air required in order to make the stove work properly, your installer should be able to help you with this. It should be stated in the manufacturers instructions, but some still don't provide this information.

Here is an extract from the HETAS Technical guide.

"Appliances fitted with dedicated external air supply and operating as intended have great benefits in reducing cold air entering the dwelling via a vent. However, installers must be aware that some appliances may spill excessively during routine refuelling and in some cases fumes may be drawn back into the room by mechanical ventilation (eg. extractor fans) in the dwelling. The possible effects of these events can for instance lead to a build-up of levels of unacceptable fumes in the room where the appliance is installed over a prolonged period if there is no effective air movement to dilute and refresh the living space with fresh air.

Before installing an appliance with dedicated air supply the installer must satisfy themselves that the chosen arrangement results in safe installation and use. This is achieved by reference to the manufacturers installation instruction, guidance, standards and paying particular attention to effective commissioning and testing.

If commissioning and testing reveals unsatisfactory flue performance there may be a need to install additional ventilation in accordance with Approved Document J. "

There is an entire list of things that your installer/you have to comply with in order for the direct air kit to be installed in accordance with HETAS and building regulations. It is a lot of work but it is the only way I can see of getting around this without drilling loads of holes in your lovely new building :).

Sorry for the long post but things need to be clear when installing direct air kits.

If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Rich @ Beacon

p.s Thank you Karen for making me aware of this :).

the 'electric' wood-burning stove is by -

http://www.chesneys.co.uk/products/olympus-electric-fires-and-stoves/electric-stoves/the-salisbury-electric-stove

Mairead Moloney, I have to say I must respectfully disagree with the professionals on this one...! We have fitted a small wood burning stove in the corner of our living room with an external flue/ chimney. AND, it draws perfectly. Never had any problems with this (and we use it a LOT!) It isn't very effective at heating the room though, it's an L-shaped room and only heats one end of the L.

Just my 2 cents, if you have the space for it and only need it to heat the dining room end I'd say go for it, get a stove... nothing beats the feel of a cosy fire :)

PS. Love the open-plan kitchen-diner concept!

Hi Gina,

In response to your comment,every situation is different, In some instances they will work perfectly, but this could be very much dependant on your location and on what appliance you have connected to the base of the chimney. For instance, if you have a low efficiency stove, then you are sending more hot air up the chimney and less into the room, creating more draw, if you have a high efficiency stove, sending less hot air up the chimney but putting out more into the room you won't have as much draw.

Seeing as stoves will soon all need to be 80% efficient to comply with new emissions laws, creating a flue draught in a cold chimney is going to get harder and harder for us installers, so insuring that the flue can stay warm is key to us.

Some installers will still install external chimney systems, and some may even recommend them, but as stoves are getting more and more efficient, its becoming harder to make external chimneys work.

Rich @ Beacon.

I'm wondering, do you have a gas supply? Gas is more economical than electricity and you can have the look of real flame, without actually using logs. We had a Dru Diablo https://www.drufire.com/en-gb/product-range/dru/diablo-next in our previous house and everyone remarked on how gorgeous it was. You do need an outside wall, but don't be put off by the 'flue pipe'. It's just for appearance to make the fire look suspended. It vents directly behind the fire, which is bolted to the wall.

We changed a 'normal' convection radiator for a tall column one with much higher BTU's, and it is useless. As the plumber fitted it he said so and was right. These rads radiate heat rather than by convection so you have to sit on top of it to feel any warmth and the rest of the room stays cold. Worse decision I've made and I thought I was getting more heat and a designer look. Hey ho.

On the wood burner front, if you can stretch to a Clearview stove, they are the best. No feeding every 20 mins! Clearview Stoves, Whitchurch, Shropshire, operate as advised and you'll be toasty.

An idea for the hearth of a retrofit wood burner - Toughened glass slab on the floor, so you can still see your lovely floor, plus it doesn't visually take up floor space and is easy to clean. Saw this idea at a B&B we stayed at.

With all the space you have now, I hope you sort out the heating so you can enjoy it.

I second Annie Parr's comment on Clearview. They are wonderful - and so clean burning you can even use them in smoke-controlled areas. Nice idea about the toughened glass slab.

For extra heat you can use a
freestanding bio ethanol fireplace. They are very versatile and easy to fit without the need for a chimney or flue. They
come in all different styles and shapes, so you can find log burner styles,
like the one in the photo below.

Wood Burner Style Traditional Bioethanol Stove With Logs · More Info

Contemporary fireplaces in living spaces · More Info

Good luck!

I'm a fan of pellet stoves. Very little work and plenty of warmth.

https://www.robeys.co.uk/product/p958d-wood-pellet-burning-stove-in-bianco-antico

Hi Mairead Moloney, what did you end up going for?

We went for adding another radiator in the end as we have a burner in the living room. Thanks for asking 👍