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.

That is a really nice set Rebbecamom. I think your concern was wixe because, from the photos, it looks like the cabinets projecting at the side of the fireplace may cross the zone where you shouldn't have combustibles with a wood fire. At least for our wood burning fireplace, the installation instructions say there should be no combustibles in front of a line that goes out from the side of the firebox at 45 degrees for 24" on each side of the fireplace up to some height above the fireplace. I don't know how universal that requirement is, so perhaps your set up would have been okay with your fireplace. We put in a wood burning fireplace for the family room that is sealed so there is no issue with embers or sparks. It heats the family room really well and provides the look of real flames, but one can't hear the crackling of the fire. Also, we don't feel comfortable running it when our little grandchildren are visiting because the glass gets really hot - if we were going to run it with small children around, we would probably want to put a protective fence of some sort around it which would not help ambiance. It uses external air intake which can be adjusted to control how hot the fire burns and to damp down the rate of burn. It is nice to not have to worry about leaving the fire going when we go to bed. For the living room fireplace, we are considering putting in a gas log set - we have never used that fireplace and have no need of running it for heat, but it would be nice to turn it on occasionally for looks when using the room. We don't need two heating fireplaces and I don't want to deal with wood in the living room.

It appears that the existing door is a hodgepodge...cobbled together by either you or a previous owner. In other words, someone took a plain slab door, cut an oval hole in it, placed a “fancy” glass insert into the oval hole and added a giant kick plate, all in an attempt to create a grand entrance. Frankly, I think you should replace the entire door.

Amarr garage doors offer a glass insert called "Prairie", that you may wish to consider, given that your front door glass appears as Mission/Craftsman period. Dependent upon your climate, adding hammered (dark) metal accents to the garage door may be attractive to you.