What is the highest price you would pay for a wood stove?

[toddnic]

I paid 3k for my cape cod insert. It’s beautiful and works great. Now I would like to get a free standing stove for my rec room downstairs(raised ranch house). The contenders are bk 30 series stoves or princess. The other stove I really like is progress hybrid from WS but I am not sure if I am willing to pay over 4K for it so that is my cutoff point

Prezes13, you can get the PH for around $3,500 if you watch for Woodstock's specials. I would definitely recommend it. Truly an incredible stove if you need to heat a large space.

 

[prezes13]

It’s not really a big space it’s 1600sf house including the 400sf downstairs rec room. I am thinking that if the stove downstairs was able to keep the whole house warm I would retire my insert. I love the look of PH and it does sound like an amazing heater.

 

[toddnic]

It’s not really a big space it’s 1600sf house including the 400sf downstairs rec room. I am thinking that if the stove downstairs was able to keep the whole house warm I would retire my insert. I love the look of PH and it does sound like an amazing heater.

The look of the PH is like a fine piece of furniture. However, the PH in a 1600sf space would be overkill. It would run you out of the house. We have 2,400sf and sometimes it is too much for our house. During the cold months of December through March, it really is amazing. In the shoulder season, I have to burn pine, hemlock, or poplar, and have short fires that don't get the stove really hot. The soapstone retains so much heat and it radiates for hours. You might want to look at some of Woodstock's smaller stoves.

 

[SpaceBus]

Sure, a few thousand. Maybe a little more. The Oslo was $2800 10yrs ago. Would I do it again - heck yah. I would cough if it was much more though. The asthetic appeal, where it sits, how we orient our lives around it, it's practical aspect - all very much worth the starting price. When it comes down to nickle and diming payback and such, then it gets a whole lot more difficult. Monetarily, it's a hard sell to say - you'll stay warm, and by the way, it'll be several grand to do so plus a whole lot of labor to boot. How can you put a price on radiant heat. And how can one quantify depression on looking at a plain black box with no character. To each his own. To me, it's more of a holistic, pay you play kind of thing - what's it all worth.

Also consider that a central HVAC system will run thousands of dollars and then cost possibly thousands of dollars per year to operate. Even a $3,500 Woodstock PH is cheap when you look at cost of ownership.

 

[SpaceBus]

I’ve bought several high end stoves. 2 Oslo’s, a Lopi Cape Cod, BK King, BK Ashford to name a few. I enjoy the whole experience and don’t mind the expense. I don’t burn wood for survival, I really enjoy it, possibly too much! Ive sold them after a few years and got most of my money back. All the while I drag decent used stoves home like bholler, I use them for a while and then sell them when something better comes along. I also find the low end stoves to be less than desirable to use. Sure, I won’t freeze to death, but I’m looking for more than simply surviving. If I was seriously trying to be as cheap as possible I wouldn’t run out and buy a new stove off the showroom floor, but I sure wouldn't be looking for the cheapest thing that makes heat.

You make being a sweep sound awesome.

 

[KJamesJR]

Depends on the size of the house and how large a stove you need. If I just needed one stove, I like to buy reliability, so I'd budget about $2,800 for my needs. Most stoves in the $2,000+ price range are going to be good burners.

 

[bholler]

You make being a sweep sound awesome.

It is one of the benefits. For me atleast it doesn't happen very often most we pull out are scrap. But a good one cones along every few years if it's something I am interested in trying I take it home and run it for a couple years.

 

[Ludlow]

There are $800 stoves that will burn trouble free for a decade or two and there are $3500 stoves that will give nothing but heartache from day one. Research is key no matter what "price point".
I dont even look at the stove. I look at the fire in it and the feel the heat from it. Big glass and good draft are where its at for me.

 

[SpaceBus]

There are $800 stoves that will burn trouble free for a decade or two and there are $3500 stoves that will give nothing but heartache from day one. Research is key no matter what "price point".
I dont even look at the stove. I look at the fire in it and the feel the heat from it. Big glass and good draft are where its at for me.

Unfortunately the stove is in my living room all year, so it must look great even without a fire.

 

[Ludlow]

Unfortunately the stove is in my living room all year, so it must look great even without a fire.

Yes, they can serve as works of art in the off season. I always loved the look of a red enameled stove like a VC, etc. They are so pretty that I would almost hate to burn a fire in them. Although from what I read here that can be quite a challenge to begin with!

I LOVE the look!! But I know me....and after a few weeks I wouldnt even notice it anymore.

 

[begreen]

It really depends on the house, the need and one's pocketbook. The $6K Wittus Twin-Fire is a crazy cool heater and hugely radiant as well as a wild light show. If I had a more modern house and the budget I wouldn't mind having one. Another example is a kitchen cook stove. These can be pricey but in the right context, I would love to have one.

That said there are a lot of happy Drolet and Englander owners with stoves costing <$1K.

 

[Ludlow]

It really depends on the house, the need and one's pocketbook.

So true. If I had mucho dinero I would have a very different outlook. That's the great thing about America. You can make the money and spend it on whatever turns your crank.

 

[Dataman]

So true, Spend it on what makes HER happy. I wanted Cab 50, got Harmon XXV.

 

[Ashful]

That's the great thing about America. You can make the money and spend it on whatever turns your crank.

You must be single.

 

[branchburner]

Unless I won the lottery, I personally would never spend over about $2500. My first "good" EPA stove was a $2500 stove that I bought used for about half that. I have bought several "lesser" and older stoves for $100-$500 and a few new stoves, all under $2k.

But if I had bucks, sure, I might spend $4k. Why not?

 

[Ludlow]

You must be single.

Wrong. I come close to it quite a bit though.

 

[Mech e]

Looked at several EPA 2020 stoves at the beginning of the year. Ended up spending $1,050 on a great heater that I am confident will last several decades. The aesthetics are just fine and I am using the money I saved on other home projects.

 

[byQ]

I wanted a masonry heater but I didn't want to spend a fortune on it. How to do this? I studied, obtained plans, and did a free "3-day apprenticeship" with masons (which means I did most of the dirty physical work they didn't want to do).

Once I felt confident with my knowledge, I gathered materials from here and there being flexible on certain materials if they were acceptable (i.e. slanted fire brick, discard wall stone, and a big door that needed a small weld). Next, I assembled all of the pieces together - it was fun. I made a few small mistakes but the heater is mechanically sound, and should outlive me. Total cost = $1700.

 

[EbS-P]

I wanted an ivory or white stove. It had to physically fit. I spent more than I wanted too. If I just wanted to heat with wood I could have spent much less. I’m thinking of adding second insert stove and trying to decide on a budget. Cheap all inclusive kit— stove, connector, liner for 1400$ or a BK Princess.

Looking at the cost upfront vs annual cost for the life of the product spending 2000$ more upfront for something that say lasts say 20 year is less than 10$ a month. But that 2000$ could buy a lot of firewood.

I didn’t want to spend over 4000$ for a complete install with liner but spent significantly more. It wasn’t a poor financial decision and I’m happy with the purchase. My two cents.

 

[SpaceBus]

I wanted a masonry heater but I didn't want to spend a fortune on it. How to do this? I studied, obtained plans, and did a free "3-day apprenticeship" with masons (which means I did most of the dirty physical work they didn't want to do).

Once I felt confident with my knowledge, I gathered materials from here and there being flexible on certain materials if they were acceptable (i.e. slanted fire brick, discard wall stone, and a big door that needed a small weld). Next, I assembled all of the pieces together - it was fun. I made a few small mistakes but the heater is mechanically sound, and should outlive me. Total cost = $1700.

Do you have a thread with photos?

 

[byQ]

Ya it is on here somewhere. I'm not sure how to link. If I build another masonry heater it will have a bench and one of those eco fireboxes (a door and firebrick with air channels to allow air 360 degrees around fire which raises efficiency a few percent).

 

[bholler]

I wanted an ivory or white stove. It had to physically fit. I spent more than I wanted too. If I just wanted to heat with wood I could have spent much less. I’m thinking of adding second insert stove and trying to decide on a budget. Cheap all inclusive kit— stove, connector, liner for 1400$ or a BK Princess.

Looking at the cost upfront vs annual cost for the life of the product spending 2000$ more upfront for something that say lasts say 20 year is less than 10$ a month. But that 2000$ could buy a lot of firewood.

I didn’t want to spend over 4000$ for a complete install with liner but spent significantly more. It wasn’t a poor financial decision and I’m happy with the purchase. My two cents.

At 1400 for the whole thing I really have to question the quality of all of it. I mean a good insulated liner wouldn't cost much less than that so what are they selling you?

 

[Ludlow]

Do you have a thread with photos?

I believe this is what he referred to?
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/900-small-masonry-heater-proposal.158395/

 

[EbS-P]

At 1400 for the whole thing I really have to question the quality of all of it. I mean a good insulated liner wouldn't cost much less than that so what are they selling you?

It wasn’t insulated. In the end, to some extent, you get what you pay for. There is a reason I didn’t pull the trigger and still want someone else to install the BK but haven’t done it yet.

 

[bholler]

It wasn’t insulated. In the end, to some extent, you get what you pay for. There is a reason I didn’t pull the trigger and still want someone else to install the BK but haven’t done it yet.

Yeah there absolutely are some good cheaper stoves I would certainly try out if need be. That just sounds to cheap for a whole setup.