Supply issues? Insanely high quotes

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A few or more beers and a bad day I guess. Im no master of anything, lol...or an expert by far. I just take things different than most, for the worse sometimes , lol....I like this site, and the info on here. Just to those haters out there...walk a mile in my shoes. Thanks tho, I am a nice guy!
 
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I paid $300 for my stove, ans about $300 on pipe. Its not the safest, but hey, its life. Its like a Vette owner telling me my car sucks, when itll get ya around, but way cheaper. Not here to get scolded, told Im wrong, ect. Im living my life on the down low. Cheap...semi safe...and cheap again. I spent about 200 on wood so far....2 pickup loads...and I get free scrap wood. I just dont have the cash for a "vette".
I have asked several times for pictures of this installation. The point is not to harrass, but to determine the safety. It's not about haters. Many of us have had to heat on a shoestring at one point in our lives. As a new woodburner you may be taking more risks than you know of. Interjecting comments that you know are unsafe is not really helpful. These comments may have the result of others thinking it is ok. Please don't do that.
 
A few or more beers and a bad day I guess. Im no master of anything, lol...or an expert by far. I just take things different than most, for the worse sometimes , lol....I like this site, and the info on here. Just to those haters out there...walk a mile in my shoes. Thanks tho, I am a nice guy!
We may come off as harsh sometimes but we really are trying to look out for people's safety. I have seen the results of unsafe installs too many times
 
I would want a itemized bid so I know what money was going where.

For materials your looking at what 800-1000 for the insulated liner. Say 100 bucks for the block off plate. What ever the stove costs 2-3k? Are they doing a deep clean on the existing chimney(another 200bucks?)? You will have the cap/top plate/collar/sealent/ect another 200-400 bucks. What is the existing chimney, are they breaking our the old teracotta? I would want to know what all my costs are to not only make a educated decision but also so expectations are met.
Here's what the preferred company ("company #2" in my post) stated as the work to be done, though it was not itemized by price. Again the total bid was $9634, then 5% off as an "end of year discount" (i.e. pressure to do it soon, fair enough business move I guess) so $9,153 before tax credit.

As noted a separate bidder, "company 3," told us around $6,200 for materials. I'm not sure whether these companies pay the same prices for that insert, as "company #2" is not a Lopi dealer and mentioned that raising their cost, but I'd say it's fair to estimate that Company 2 is taking about $3,500 for the labor described below.

"Installation of Lopi Evergreen wood burner insert. Removal of everything inside the firebox. Removal of the damper door, and the current chimney cap. Installation of a stainless steel UL listed manufacturer approved pre-insulated liner system going from the top of the chimney, down to where the top of the insert will be. Installation of a top plate to secure the liner into place at the top of the chimney. Installation of angle iron, to raise the insert up to the hearth level. Installation of the wood burning insert, this includes connecting the liner to it, and attaching the blower. Running of the chord for the blower neatly, across the hearth to a nearby outlet. Cutting of the shroud to fit inside the arched fireplace opening. Installation of the shroud to hide the pre-existing fireplace opening."
 
Only a $380 difference in the tax credit this year vs next (for this quote) I think I'd tend to want to cool my jets and make a well informed decision rather than a rushed/pressured one...
That sounds like good advice. I will say I've been researching stoves and communicating with local companies for months, so it's not so much an uninformed decision as it is grappling with current prices and deciding whether to wait on that account. But it's absolutely true that pulling the trigger when a few questions remain for the preferred company, over $380 tax credit difference, isn't reasonable. I think I'm just worn out with the research process and ready to haul in wood from our shed where we've been splitting and stacking for a couple years at this point! Ready to make a move and then the current prices are literally thousands more than anticipated... At any rate I had intended to make a down payment and sign a contract tomorrow and will wait in order to address the questions some of you have raised. Appreciate ya
 
I definitely agree with number three suggesting a chimney sweep and chimney inspection if you haven't had one already.
We had a professional inspection when purchasing the home three years ago. We have burned quite a few fires since then in the existing open fireplace. My husband recently cleaned the chimney, though he's not a professional. Two companies have done on-site bids recently and not flagged need for additional inspection/sweep. For that reason we were thinking we're fine to proceed but you have me wondering now.
 
You have my total sympathy. The current prices of stove installs are painful.

The chimney must be completely clean before a liner can be installed. This is not a step that can be skipped. Make sure that is included in the high-priced bids.
 
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This exactly why I cant swing a new stove. 9000 bucks, no way. Price gouging no doubt. Think about it, its a cast iron or steel box with fire in it. Just over my budget I guess. Just get what you can afford. Im no expert tho, so this is just my opinion.
 
This exactly why I cant swing a new stove. 9000 bucks, no way. Price gouging no doubt. Think about it, its a cast iron or steel box with fire in it. Just over my budget I guess. Just get what you can afford. Im no expert tho, so this is just my opinion.
Read the thread and see that this can be done for far less at the current stove and material costs.
 
This exactly why I cant swing a new stove. 9000 bucks, no way. Price gouging no doubt. Think about it, its a cast iron or steel box with fire in it. Just over my budget I guess. Just get what you can afford. Im no expert tho, so this is just my opinion.
You can also upgrade to a much safer and more efficient stove found on the used market for well under $1000. On the chimney side that needs done regardless. Honestly right now masonry chimneys are cheaper than class a
 
Would you have ever thought you would make this statement? I know I wouldnt have........ Kinda crazy.
A basic block chimney was always fairly close in cost. They are pretty cheap materials but lots of labor. Prefab chimneys are the opposite high material cost but not much labor. But the material cost of prefab chimneys has almost doubled