New construction, 2 yrs out. Insert help

Hello all! My wife and I are in the beginning stages of a home build in NH, sometime around the spring of 21’. Of course a big part of the project for me is to have a wood stove and continue what I love to do.
However, like with any project, there are sacrifices and finding middle ground to appease both homeowners.

This is a single floor home plan to accommodate us getting older (someday).
The main living area has a design for a gas insert, which I plan to change to wood burning. My wife enjoys the aesthetic appeal of a fireplace, which does nothing for the reasons why I burn wood. So as of now I’m looking for a wood burning insert that will get me some decent burn times and heat about 2200 sq ft. Kind of like I do now.

On days she would like to enjoy the crackling fire and everything she enjoys it for I’ll just leave the door open. All the other times it will be business as usual for me.

Can you folks give me some tips on stoves that will do everything We need. I’m really going to miss my WS IS.

Thanks in advance!

 

Wood burning insert or like a zero clearance wood burning fireplace? I expect that you won’t be able to use an insert without an existing masonry fireplace so zc fireplace is what you want.

 

I’m really not well versed with fireplaces and inserts not to mention new construction and still wanting a woodstove.

 

Yeah, a zero clearance will be great for a new construction. Inserts, like I have in my existing former open fireplace, work great, but if you are building new, then you can add a zero clearance.


If I were you, I'd put in a Napoleon NZ 3000. I think that's the one Scotty Overkill has. That is the best of both worlds. If your wife is like mine, and it sounds like she is, she'd love the look, and you'd love the efficiency.

 

If you want the fireplace look, I'd go with an interior (central) masonry fireplace with a large opening, then you can put any old stove in it...insert style or not...really opens up your options.
You will not "lose" heat to the masonry being interior...and once that stone is warm, it will continue to heat the house for hours

 

I just can’t get behind building a traditional masonry fireplace anymore. Especially with the intent of shoving an insert into it. The zc fireplaces are dang good and so are the freestanding stoves.

 

Yeah, me personally, I think I would have a hard time getting past the simplicity and cost savings of going with a free stander...

 

I have nothing to add, but congrats on your escape from the peoples republic of Massachusetts!

Enjoy NH, and dont Mass it up!

 

Congrats on the new home build in NH!!

Just adding onto what was already mentioned. Being its new construction it's really hard to pass up altering the layout for a free standing wood burning stove for the overall efficiency and generally longer burn times like you are use to now. Me personally I just love that look.

But I understand both need to be pleased so a happy medium would be to modify for a zero clearance, very nice look. If that still just not an option there are plenty of inserts out there with large viewing windows and longer burn times.

 

Were I in your shoes I'd check out a used Jotul F500 or F600. They seem to come up for sale fairly often in the NorthEast. You can open the doors and have a fireplace when you want. I have a double-door F400 that I sometimes use with the doors open. But it won't heat 2,200 sq. ft. It does OK in my (new construction/heavily insulated) 1,500 sq. ft. house.

 

An insert is a solution for the problem of a masonry fireplace. Building a fireplace just to add an insert makes no sense. That would be paying for something that doesn't work so that you can spend more money to fix it.

 

Things stove related went on the back burner for awhile. The construction details and land purchase are in the mix right now.

I’m heading north this weekend and I’m stopping at 2 stove shops. Woodmans and a place in Intervale. Napoleon does make a nice stove, but it’s nearly 2x the cost of an WS IS, which is a much better stove with respect to performance numbers.

 

Hey Scotty, all is good. It’s amazing how life just takes over sometimes. I’m bouncing back and forth on FHC. This place has the best resources, it’s hard not to come here for the right answers. I hope all is well with you and your family

 

To my future northern NH neighbors. Does anyone have any good experiences with Woodmans or the Intervale Stove Shop? I’ll be visiting both this Friday.