Wood burning stove advice.
Jenny Atkinson
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Hi, Moved house a couple of months ago and thinking of getting rid of the ugly 90's style electric fire for a wood burning stove with a plain distressed looking beam on top. Not sure what is even behind the fire but the house does have a proper chimney (see picture), we could rip out the fire to find its all bricked up! Any advice appreciated on how to go about this? Also cost for all works, I did get a quote for £1500 including everything, they have not been out to see the house yet but they did ask me for a picture of the fireplace, chimney from the outside and my postcode so they could look it up on goole street.
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Angie
5 years agoAngie
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Wood Burning Stoves
Comments (19)Hi there.. Yes they are bought by the size of the area you need to heat... We lived in the Shetland isles.for 5 years, and was an old craft house. And mostly to heat the hole house.. When it was hot,, it was hit and such a warm and welcoming feature on our most chilly and windy days... But the things is it can also be hard work.. Maybe not as much if you are in a warmer area. We could freely get pallets which helped immensely... And we tried to remove as many nails as we could see.. Otherwise these got caught in the grate at the bottom... But I would still say hard work . We got coal about £10 a bag, peat was the best for heat, but that started to get a little dearer to. All in all we paid about £2500 with the fire and fitting. About 3 years ago now. Didn't regret it at all. But would think twice about having one now.. I ain't getting any younger.....See MorePlaster or Tile behind Wood Burning Stove?
Comments (3)Ah, a dilemma indeed! As Daisy indicates, if the woodburner is properly installed and door seals are good, you shouldn't really have too much soot. That said, several years of feeding the stove and clearing ash will see a build up of related dust etc, so a tiled surface may be preferable if you wish to have a pristine surface. Personally, though, I like a bit of build up from burners & open fires - I think it adds to the character and emphasizes the "natural" aspects of the burning process, so I like plastered, whitewashed (but sooty!) stone and brick surfaces. Guess it is down to the look/feel you want to achieve! Caldicot Kitchens...See MoreWould a wood burning stove be right for me?
Comments (1)Wood burning stove ownership is as much a hobby as a heat source.......See MoreI live in a 1960s bungalow would a wood-burning stove look okay in my
Comments (22)The fireplace is Yorkshire stone - the patterned wallpaper on chimney breast is grey/white, remaining walls white with a hint of grey. I agree re a plain sofa Jonathan but just a bit stumped re colour. I suppose a cream or beige would match curtains but thats the colour of the sofa I’m dumping after 16 years....See More
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5 years agotamp75
5 years agoJesmondDene
5 years agoEmily
5 years agoJesmondDene
5 years agoJenny Atkinson
5 years ago
PROJosefina
5 years ago
N J
5 years agoWere looking into getting one fitted at the moment I to our new (to us) cottage, salesman said about either getting bricks acid washed (?) and left exposed or rendered inside or the other thing was a metal liner, is it just personal choice? What do you all have? We’re keeping the big slate mantelpiece. it’s all sealed up at the moment with a tiled gas fire, so no idea what it’s like inside but we’re definitely going for a company who do everything. I’m having enough trouble getting tradesfolk in for the rest of the cottage!
Jenny Atkinson
5 years agoHi all, thanks for the advice, decided to go for gas real flame in the end, wood burner sounded like a nice idea but my husband who grew up with these reminded me of the hard work and mess involved in maintaining it - wood chopping, going out in the cold to get it, dealing with wind back flow of dust and dirt into the room, taking ages to light, disposal of ash etc! Decided the novelty would soon wear off. See photo below of results.
Sam Potter
5 years agoI've gone for an open fire. I also replaced a gas fire. The original fireplace had been ripped out but rather than replace it, I went for a raw look which I like. With an open fire lining the chimney isn't mandatory, so I saved money by not doing that. However I did have to get the chimney uncapped and loose brickwork around the top of the chimney removed ( they just made the chimney stack shorter). Unfortunately once they opened it up, it revealed a lot of collapse down inside the chimney, so the work ended up costing £1500 with scaffolding. I don't regret it though, especially because recent high winds brought down another chimney stack in the street, and mine was easily as ramshackle before the work.
As for the work involved in looking after a fire, I have central heating, so I only have to chop wood when I feel like a cosy night by the fire. It doesn't throw out as much heat as a wood burner but it doesn't have to.
Ellie
5 years agoJenny Atkinson
5 years ago
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