Double sided fireplace: what are my options?

[legrandice]

We have a double sided fireplace in our 1959 ranch. I put a wood insert on one side and some glass doors from a neighbor on the other (he installed a pellet stove and we all have the same size opening) I wish the fireplace was deep enough to have the wood insert on one side and a pellet on the other! That would be perfect.

 

[Dos Gringos]

Have You checked out Don-bar?
They do some interesting stuff and custom builds.
(broken link removed to http://www.don-bar.com/index-en.html)

A caveat here, I bought a Don-Bar Insert series in a double-sided version and it is far from efficient. There is no firebrick and it is EPA exempt (not a good thing in terms of efficiency). Apart from not giving off enough heat, the windows soot up quickly as the air wash system is bogus. It also lets in smoke inside the house from the air intake vents on the opposite side of the opened door. The doors are also too big which means you need a big diameter flue. Avoid.

Wish I head read this write-up before even considering the idea: (broken link removed).

Since I have a huge hearth, I plan on eventually replacing it with two back-to-back inserts. For now, I clean my windows every three days and fill the oversized firebox to the hilt to give off enough heat.