macv - Thanks, so much for the reply. Well, with the 42" x 30" opening, our ratio is 1.4. If we had gone with the 36" opening, we would have hit 1.2 on the head. I know I should have paid more attention to previous discussions on fireplace proportion. darn. All of the imitative stone chimney enclosure is above the roof surface on the rear of the house. I think only one neighbor will have any kind of view of it during the winter when the leaves are down. Due to the slope of the lot from the road to the house, only the very top is visible from the road which is why we want this to have a nice treatment like the one you showed in the picture. I just talked to DH and he & the fireplace guy have come to a mutually agreeable to solution to trade some aesthetics for avoiding potential water issues. He said that he would write that up for me so I can post it. The corners won't be visible at ground level. However, we are using the same real stone thin veneer which will be at "foundation" level below the Nichiha shakes. DH says that there are corners for it. I know you were upset when you had to have your stamp removed from that project, so I'm sorry if I stirred up unpleasant memories. However, thank you so much for the insight. It really helps. Jo Ann

Hi, I googled, found this forum/article and want to add my two bits. I was also contemplating a fireplace with wood-stove features - back in 1991 when I was planning on the building of my new house. I decided the way to go then was to use the Vermont Casting Winterwarm system. It consisted of a 250 lb sheet metal cabinet that had a standard stick frame/plywood exterior built around it and the accompanying insert unit which added another 400lbs - it was then state of the art. The framing created a chase where 8" double walled steel flue was set with firestops (code concerns), insulation and a complete stainless steel sheet capping off the chase, with the vent pipe popping thru, of course. The framing could have been covered with vinyl siding, keeping costs lower, but we chose to brick it all the way up. So the costs amounted to (in 1991 and 1992) for the foundation- a couple $hundred, framing- a couple $hundred, brickwork - less than $3k not including the stove /fireplace/flues which ran under $5k parts and labor. A fresh air vent with shut off was installed at minimal cost - I did it myself. BTW, the fresh air vent is the key to health and happiness here. It minimizes pressure differences between the house and outside resulting in less backpuffing and a moister atmosphere in the house during the cold seasons. The results were that this baby heats my 3700 sqft house down to 10 degree F. everywhere except the room over the garage. When I have it lit, that is. Now the concerns: Vermont Castings ain't like it use to be. the company got bought out by a publicly traded one and the corporate mindset set in. The product is no longer on my recommendation list. My unit, built in 1991 needed a catalytic replacement after 10 years, the second one lasted only 3! Otherwise, I have sunk in less than a thousand dollars in 15 years on replacement parts. As for you concerns on costs: A conventional masonry fireplace cannot be used in conjuction with an insert. New codes stipulate that the stove has to have heat rated pipes going all the way from stove to the top. You can not use clay liners. My suggestion is to find a high quality insert out there made by a company with a wide distibution base, build a zero-clearance or minimal clearance base/chase according to the manufacturers specs, use double walled or better stainless pipe. You decide what to use on the exterior of the frame and the interior walls. But remember, if you think of adding brick/stone to the looks in the future, overhang at least 4 inches of foundation on the sides for weight handling. Good luck! Andy S.

If you aim for a serious amount of heat, you need to get a direct vent insert. These cost at least $2K. They are energy efficient in that most of the heat does not go up the chimney like the typical gas logs that look nice but do not give out real heat. And stay away from unvented systems which are a safey hazard and outlawed in many places. Do a search of direct vent on this forum to find out more.

We had an gas insert put into our main fireplace in the living room and we all LOVE it. It has a remote control with a timer and you can set the temperature as well. For example, set the temp for 68 and it will automatically come on and the house will be toasty warm when we get up. It has a blower to circulate the heat through the house but it so quiet, I really don't hear it. The blower can be turned off as well if we really don't want the heat but want the fire on just for "show." We loved it so much that we added another gas freestanding stove to our sunroom off the kitchen. That one has a thermostate on the wall to set the temp. Both have real "fire"-to me it doesn't look one bit different than our old "fire" but oh boy, what a world of difference. No work-nothing-push a button! we use them all the time and never even use the whole house heat anymore. Please go look at the stores before you decide because this was one of the best improvements we ever made! The things I hated about the "real" wood fireplace, getting the wood and having it in a buggy stack outside, hauling in pieces and the mess it made inside, "tending" the fire, sparks flying, cleaning the mess, worry of having it still burning if we had to leave the house and trying to put it out, and most of all, our pediatrician told us it was really bad for the babies. She said even the best of fireplaces contributed to indoor air pollution. Things I love about the new insert and freestanding stove-pushing the button! Being able to set the temp to come on automatically, being able to raise and lower the flame to change the look, the realistic looking embersm NO cleaning other than once a year the company comes in and cleans the glass and checks it out for a minimal cost. Just for your info, they really can get HOT, you don't want to underestimate the power just because it is an insert. Ours seems to be much more efficient than the real wood fire and I would not put it too close to my kitchen table!