Liner size and stove options..... unfixable?

Plus one on that from me. You don't have have one inch of insulation around the liner. It is a nice thing to have but not essential.

Drop in a stainless steel liner and leave the flue tile alone. Dump in some vermiculite later when you repair the chimney exterior and replace the cap. Caulk up the cap good enough till springtime... And let's be honest the way this winter is going that could be next week.

 

Plus another one on that SS liner from my viewpoint.

 

We were in pretty much the exact same situation. We broke out the clay tile half way down and Insulated liner all the way up.

 

Not sure where you are located but if you hit the local menards you could possibly have your liner in time for the weekend. Problem solved.

 

I did mine myself. I had a similar sized clay liner and didn’t think a 6” liner and 1/2” insulation would fit. I didn’t want to break out the tile and I wanted insulation on the liner(which is not really necessary but nice to have). I don’t know if it was mentioned but I went with a 5.5” liner and 1/4” insulation, so there’s always the option of going a bit undersized on the liner. I guess it’ll depend on how you think it will draft though. I have 20’ of liner, no obstructions around the top and live in a fairly cold climate so I felt comfortable undersizing the liner by that .5”. Good luck on your project, it’s really not a hard DIY project. Also, IMO that price you were quoted is insane! Hell, I’d drive from NY to do it for that.