Start from scratch... wood stove or fireplace/insert?

If it's one or the other, go with a free standing stove. You'll get more heat out. I have both an insert as well as a free standing stove. I like both a lot, but you certainly get more heat out of the free standing stove. Without the blower, the insert is of marginal value. While you are at it, consider one of the newer wood cook stoves. I have a Napolean that has a cast iron top with two burners. Same size as a regular free standing stove (ie-not a huge, dedicated wood cook stove). Check these out:

http://www.woodstoves.net/bakersoven2.htm

http://www.woodstoves.net/napoleon/1150.htm

http://www.woodstoves.net/esse/woodcooker.htm

We used the "lick-n-stick" fake bricks. Z-brick is the name of what we used. Put cement board behind.





We put 2" thick cement pavers under the stove. They are set with thinset and grouted.



Back in winter of 2005 we had an ice storm and it knocked out power for 10 days, and then temps got down to about -20 at night. This stove was our only heat source - though we had to feed it round the clock.

A few months ago we finally got the plate rail made that "finishes off" the top edge of the bricks.



Edited to add - when we were without power, the stove was also our main heat souce for cooking food - can't do that with a fireplace insert.

Cathy

I've owned all three and my pick is for a woodstove. Since you are in PA where coal should be readly available, I'd consider getting a stove that will burn coal.

We really like our wood stove.

A two-barrel drum stove. They are rated at 200kBtu.

We are on our third winter with ours now. Everyone here on HT said that it would burn out fast. I do have spare drums waiting to replace a drum that burns out. but so far it has not happened.

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http://www.mofga.org/Programs/FarmAp...2/Default.aspx

Lots of good information in this link about Russian style Masonry Heaters.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3Den%26sa%3DN

For me it would be a high quality wood stove with a metal chimney. Simple and efficient and also easy to install and maintain. I don't understand what a basement has to do with covering a wall with brick. I did something similar to what Macybaby did. Installed a frame of metal lumber for airspace, shouldn't install non combustible protection directly to combustible wall. Then installed cement board, covered with lathe and rocked the whole hearth with local stone I scavenged. I built a platform for the stove to sit on which raises it up about 8".

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

I always add this plug to threads that discuss stoves - ALWAYS follow manufacturers guidelines for installation as well as NFPA code. DO NOT shortcut on materials and installation. Not worth risking your family's safety. You WILL spend a bunch of money on high-quality materials, but they'll last you the lifetime of the stove and are worth it. Class A, double-walled stove pipe is required for a stove chimney, and while you can use single wall stove pipe for the section of the chimney that goes from the stove whatever type of pass through you use, I'd recommend double-wall stove pipe. It will outlast the single wall stuff, is safer, and creates a better draft and more efficient stove operation.

I'd suggest you take a look at www.hearth.com

Another excellent site (like this one) where there are many great people who will give lots of great advice on various stove models and installation scenerios. Take a look! Also, keep us informed on what you decide.

I have been around the block a number of times. I have built several houses and lived in many. I have had massive masonry free standing fireplaces, inserts in brick fireplaces, two outdoor waterstoves and more than several woodstoves. For the romantic, the old conventional fireplace with a low burning hardwood split log and a slow release of embers with a few glowing going up the chimney creates the mood. On the other hand, if it is cold outside and you want to have the nice toasty and secure feeling nothing beats a woodstove. Here are some of the short comings. The fireplace is terribly inefficient and gives off little heat. When not being used there always seems to be some heat lost through the doors and damper. Inserts are better than fire places for heat but in time the metal in the insert will burn out and you will have a major expense. Wood fired outside water circulated stoves keep the trash outside and provided inefficient burning but give clean heat inside. Maintenance is a problem along with excessive smoke at ground level and a fire has to be keep during the cold season to prevent the piping from freezing. Finally we get to the device that creates rather efficient heat and provides warmth with minimal expense, maintenance and no power requirement while being able to burn it safely plus access it 24/7 regardless of the weather plus you can make a pot of coffee or cook on it in an emergency. Buy and install a quality wood stove. You will have no regrets and it will last for years. All of these methods require someone to attend to sourcing and feeding wood. You do need a backup of a standalone heat source. My first choice would be a geothermal heatpump and the second would be package terminal air conditioner/heat pump. The geothermal is expensive and the PTAC/HP is cheap.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

We've had ours 30 yrs. Have replaced the fire brick once. We can cook on the top...I would not get the kind that only gets warm on the top. We are getting ready to put an old cookstove in the oposite end of the house...can't wait!

I'd put in a woodstove. You can cook on it if the power goes out.

I've had both and prefer a wood stove. The blowers on the inserts can be a little noisy, and you need electricity to make them work. That being said, an insert with the blowers on high can run you out of a room pretty quickly.

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"Luck is the residue of design" - Branch Rickey

When we bought our woodstove, I saw an adorable small one in the showroom. It was so tiny, it would be totally impractical for heating a home, but would be good for keeping a sunporch warm so you could use it year round. Or maybe a small workshop. I don't remember the name, but I still think of that adorable little stove and how cute it was, I wish I had a use for it. The thing probably only held ten inch splits.

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-Laura