Wood burner DIY cost

candyj_2

Hello!
I've been trying to find out the cost etc of fitting a wood burner in my little house.. I have no chimney so the pipe would have to go straight through the wall & up, I'm aware that I need heat protection board at the back of the burner, but unsure of the pipe angles & height. There is no overhang on my roof, just the guttering, and my roof is about 15ft lower than average. As my landlord is a builder he would fit it. I was told yesterday by my local fire shop the pipe alone would cost £1500, this doesn't sound right!
Any help or advice appreciated

paddy's_mum

You and your landlord would be breaking the law! For several years now, it has been a legal requirement that a stove be fitted by a qualified Hetas person. I would be astounded if a Building Regulations inspector would pass an installation backed up by protection board, no chimney and no protection for adjacent structural timbers.

Quite apart from the legal aspect, neither you, your landlord nor any future tenant wants to wake up dead in bed one day so I suggest you either do your homework and save up the money to do the job properly and safely or shelve the idea completely.

If your landlord is a builder, he should be well aware of the legal requirements and in your shoes, I would be worried about letting what sounds like an unscrupulous person in to do anything. He might, of course, be playing a game where he actually does do the job to a reasonably safe level but at your expense. How do you get your money back if in six months he issues you with notice to leave?

candyj_2

Wow! I feel like my mum's just told me off!!

Firstly my landlord is also a very good friend, and would never, ever break the law with building regulations. Obviously he isn't aware of exactly what materials to use, hence I am asking - but as I live 15 metres from the back of his house I don't think he's going to want to have a fire risk there, nor put his property in jeopardy in any other way.

I spoke to the fire people yesterday, there is no requirement for a chimney and the board they recommended is the proper safety boarding, and they told me the measurements required for safety too. As far as I can see it only has to be passed by a HETAS person, not fitted.

paddy's_mum

No "telling off" intended, just concern for anyone who may suffer the risk of serious injury or death if an installation is deadly - sorry!

I suspect that if your fire shop can't give you accurate pricings for the job, it might be wise for your builder landlord to ask whichever Hetas guy he proposes to use to pass the installation to give him some idea of the figures, since he would have contacts that you don't.

The Building Regs people are also usually very helpful and a call to them might get you a printed copy of the regulations that apply to the proposed installation.

However good a friend your landlord is, my question still applies. How are you going to recover the considerable costs of this installation (assuming it goes ahead) if for whatever reason you have to leave long before getting your money's worth out of the new woodburner?

Don't take me wrong - I mean no offence - but it just seems to me that if anything is being done to better the property, it should be the landlord paying for it. Good luck.

candyj_2

I've said we'd split the cost fairly, as he already installed electric heaters last year when I moved in, and tbh they're pretty useless if we're talking 'economy'! Nevertheless he has provided me with adequate heat so I think it's only fair to help out with additional costs if it goes ahead

I just wanted a materials cost, lol!!

debbie42

candyj wrote: »

As far as I can see it only has to be passed by a HETAS person, not fitted.

If the fire isn't fitted by a HETAS person, then my understanding is that it needs to be checked by the council to ensure that it meets with building regulations. Using a HETAS person for installation means that they effectively self-certify the installation.

candyj_2

Thanks Debbie....

Anyway, I hope somebody knows the cost of pipes, lol!! Because if the cost is too high, I stay bloody cold all winter, or fill my house with paraffin heaters..

debbie42

There was a thread a while back about the cost of flue liners, and I seem to recall someone asking about pipes outside of the house, i.e. not in the chimney. I'll have a look see if I can find it. I paid around £2.5K for one stove, incl. fitting, but that was inside a chimney, and the stove was wround £700 (from memory).

edit: couple of threads of possible interest:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1152985
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=474318

angelavdavis

candyj wrote: »

Thanks Debbie....

Anyway, I hope somebody knows the cost of pipes, lol!! Because if the cost is too high, I stay bloody cold all winter, or fill my house with paraffin heaters..

I had someone quote me for lining my existing chimney with a replacement flexi pipe flu. He reckoned it would cost £160 per metre - as a rough guide for the materials alone.

In my case, this is a worst case scenario, I have now had the gas fire properly disconnected so I can get the chimney tested to see if its viable without having to be relined.

mikey72

The price sounds about right for a double skinned stainless steel flue, about £100 a metre is the best I've seen, plus joints etc. It can be fitted by anyone, but has to comply to building regs, and building control will have to approve it. Ask the council how much it will cost for the pleasure of their visits. HETAS self certificate, so the process is easier.
Part J of the building regs covers it.
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2002.pdf

JPM_2

I used this company about 18 months ago to buy double skinned flu for my oil boiler, by far the cheapest at the time. http://fluestore.com/