Installing stove - ballpark to budget

NewShadow · 11 August 2018 at 6:31AM

Morning All,

If I were to want to install a wood burning stove into a house where there had been a chimney which had either been blocked up (and has a vent at floor level) or has had a gas fire installed...

What are the factors I should be thinking about with regards ease of install/budgeting?

ATM I'm assuming £1k for the stove and £1k for opening up and lining the chimney - sound about right?

It wouldn't be for the main heat source so wouldn't need to be a huge/hot thing as the house would have GCH - but I would want to be able to put a whistling kettle on top

Only asking as it could be a tie breaker when I'm looking at houses to buy...

dancing_star · 11 August 2018 at 7:35AM

I think that is a ballpark figure, possibly a little on the low side for opening/lining:

I got one done earlier this year.

My chimney had been blocked up, but I got it opened out by the builders who did a lot of other work for me.

I paid a separate installer to do the woodburner - I ordered it separately, and he provided the liner and did the installation, and stuck a thingy on top of the chimney to stop stuff falling in.

Woodburner cost £750 ish, got a discount as it was a friend of a friend. The installation including liner, cost £2k. . But it's only a 4.8k burner, which doesn't need the external venty thing. Similar to your requirements, it's not my main source of heat and it's in a small room.

The builder's invoice didn't split out how much the chimney knock out cost. So if you need that doing I'd factor that in too.

I'm in Yorkshire, and prices may differ in your area

NewShadow · 11 August 2018 at 10:16AM

Thanks

Do you think it would make a significant difference if they have to remove an electric/gas fire rather than open up something that had just been closed off? Thinking that would have to be a qualified gas safe person?

Also - any idea if you could have one on the ground and second story on the same wall?

Silly to be designing a house before I've even started viewings but I want to make sure I'm informed enough to see the possibilities and limitations of the space I'm looking at

dancing_star · 11 August 2018 at 10:54AM

NewShadow wrote: »

Thanks

Do you think it would make a significant difference if they have to remove an electric/gas fire rather than open up something that had just been closed off? Thinking that would have to be a qualified gas safe person?

Not sure, but don't think it would make too much of a difference. Mine had been completely blocked up so nothing in there to get rid of.

Also - any idea if you could have one on the ground and second story on the same wall?

Don't quote me on this but I don't see how that could work in the same chimney flue. My house has adjacent flues/chimneys, so the fireplace on the second floor is offset in the chimney breast if that makes any sense. I only had the burner installed downstairs. I had the hearth opened up upstairs, but just a blank space inside which I had grand ideas of artistically filling with objects, haven't got round to it yet.

Same on the other side of the house, two flues separately for upstairs and downstairs fireplaces.

I'm sorry I am not a builder so may have used wrong terminology above!

Davesnave · 11 August 2018 at 12:05PM

NewShadow wrote: »

Thanks

Also - any idea if you could have one on the ground and second story on the same wall?

It ought to be possible, as the flues shouldn't be linked, but unless it's an 'upside down' house on a slope, with an upper entrance at a higher ground level, you'd be carrying logs upstairs; hardly 21st century living!

NewShadow · 11 August 2018 at 1:29PM

Davesnave wrote: »

It ought to be possible, as the flues shouldn't be linked, but unless it's an 'upside down' house on a slope, with an upper entrance at a higher ground level, you'd be carrying logs upstairs; hardly 21st century living!

Saves on the gym

FreeBear · 11 August 2018 at 4:04PM

NewShadow wrote: »

ATM I'm assuming £1k for the stove and £1k for opening up and lining the chimney - sound about right?

Depends on the style of stove - If you go for a "designer" or contemporary model, £3K to £25K+. Fitting may well cost you £1500 depending on how much of the preparatory grunt work you're willing to do. If the arch needs replacing, add a bit more.

Avoid using gypsum plaster & ordinary plasterboard anywhere near the stove - The heat will cause it to crack like crazy and fall off. Plasterboard isn't rated as being non-combustable, so shouldn't be used anyway. Lime plaster and High Alumina Cement renders are suitable if you didn't want bare brick.

NewShadow wrote: »

Also - any idea if you could have one on the ground and second story on the same wall?

As long as the flues are separate, it is possible, but... Pretty sure you can not have a fire in a room used for sleeping, so you will need to check this before thinking about it.

Gloomendoom · 11 August 2018 at 6:05PM

We have a fireplace in our bedroom. It's not unusual in older houses.

OP, why would you want a solid fuel stove in a bedroom if you have gas central heating?

theonlywayisup · 11 August 2018 at 6:28PM

Gloomendoom wrote: »

We have a fireplace in our bedroom. It's not unusual in older houses.

OP, why would you want a solid fuel stove in a bedroom if you have gas central heating?

Unless I missed it I cannot see where the OP wants it in his/her bedroom...

.....but even if they did...

Ours was 6k, but we have an outside chimney (by that I mean the silver pipe thing that goes from ground to roof). The fire was 1500ish and the wall is 4ft thick, these were included in the 6k.

FreeBear · 11 August 2018 at 7:54PM

Gloomendoom wrote: »

We have a fireplace in our bedroom. It's not unusual in older houses.

True - I have the remains of a fireplace in two bedrooms. Under current regulations, I don't think fitting of stoves in a bedroom is allowed any more (although I'm open to being corrected).

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Unless I missed it I cannot see where the OP wants it in his/her bedroom...

In post #3, there was a question regarding a stove on the second floor - Bedrooms are normally at that level, hence the assumption. Although it could be a maisonette or flat, in which case the freeholder would probably need to be involved (another can of worms).

NewShadow · 11 August 2018 at 8:16PM

Gloomendoom wrote: »

We have a fireplace in our bedroom. It's not unusual in older houses.

OP, why would you want a solid fuel stove in a bedroom if you have gas central heating?

I don't own the house yet - haven't even started viewings on likely properties - so it's about knowing what I could potentially do with a space when I start viewings.

As for why - two reasons really:

1. I grew up in a converted cowshed that didn't have GCH so I'm used to the idea of solid fuel and find it comforting/homely. I just like the idea... I wouldn't want it instead of GCH, but I see no harm in as well as

2. I've rented with GCH for about 10 years now and for three of those years I've been without heat/hot water for at least 3/4 days while waiting on an engineer to fix/replace a part.

I'd really like to avoid having to use oil filled radiators again if possible so like the flexibility of being able to have one room downstairs and one upstairs where I can heat the space, make hotter bottles and food/water without having to rely on 'technology' working.

This year it was 10 days during the worst cold snap (typically) while he tested all of the sensors then waited for a new pcb...

It wouldn't have to be a bedroom - I'll be looking at 2/3 bed places as they're most common/affordable in my target area and I'm single without kids so it could be an upstairs office - but I would want the flexibility to sleep in there on an ad hoc basis.

I was mostly thinking about options given a ground floor flue would go through the second story anyway and I assume that if I'm lining the chimney then it wouldn't be a straight double the cost to do a second install at the same time.

My 'nice to have list' in no particular order includes:

- Somewhere to dry clothes that isn't the middle of the lounge
- Accessible storage for things like coats/hoover
- A 'real' solid/multi fuel fire or a chimney which can convert back
- Space for a full size fridge/freezer in the kitchen or undercounted and freezer in garage/wet room
- Wet room for washing machine/drying
- Space for a dishwasher
- Porch/sunroom and/or space to build an external cat run
- Space for one or two raised beds in the garden then the rest gravel or concrete

Most of that would be for me to put in/arrange after purchase but the property has to have the flexibility for me to make the changes in the first place so I need to consider which are most realistic/affordable.

Installing stove - ballpark to budget

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