We are back from our fireplace shopping...we had some informative help this time. Looks like it is between these two. Kozy Heat Minnetonka 40,000 BTU/hr Input -NG & LP High Efficiency: Natural Gas - 80% LP Gas - 81% Canada P-4 Top Vent AFE - 62.06% LP Gas - 66.12% High Quality Borofloat Glass (35" x 26") Quick-Latch Glass Refractory Brick Lining Accepts DuraVent or Selkirk Metalbestos Or Kozy Heat Flexible Vent Kit (Part #TRF-WPT required for ALL horizontal terminations) High-Low Regulator Minnesota Energy Code Compliant to 50 pascals Limited Lifetime Warranty __________________________ or Heat and Glo 6000GLX Suggested Retail Price: $2565 - $3564 US* Our exceptional luxury model, comes standard with all the Series' features: 3-burner system with dual Flame-Out-of-Log burners and the fully concealed Mystifire® burner, our patented accent lighting system and our most advanced wall control, the IntelliSwitch300. 3-burner system (Mystifire burner plus dual Flame-Out-of-Log burners) Independent control of main burner and Flame-Out-of-Log burners provides best-in-class heat management capabilities 4-piece brick refractory in choice of Stratford or School House Red IntelliSwitch300 wall control with thermostat Adjustable accent lighting Fan (thermostatically controlled and manually adjusted) Most mature fire with lots of flames and glow Have you ever heard of Kozy Heat brand before? Any input or suggestions? Thanks! Just starting our remodeling project and already over budget!

Ummm. The bottom line is that you need to install the stove according to the manufacturer's installation instructions. You ought to have a copy of those instructions, and you need to read and follow them carefully. I notice that "someone told you" that you could install a regular woodstove in your fireplace. Unfortunately, that may or may not be true, and it's more of an open question as to whether you have the skills, ecperience and judgement to do that if it can be done. Nhyankee's comment about your oversized flue illustrates the fact that you don't have the experience and judgement to do this job. There are plenty of other pitfalls as well that can trip you up. By contrast, a good installer will have his wily ways of doing the job properly and leaving you with a safe and secure installation. So I would add an additional vote to spending your time shopping around for am honest and competent installer. They are probably going to want to install 6" all fuel chimney up to the top of your chimney and install a new cap and seal the oversized existing flue. That would be well worth paying for based on my understanding of the facts you have posted.

"What is the back of a slide in range like? Is it designed to fit flat against a wall, with some kind of recess lower down for the gas fittings?" All of them have a recess of some kind, but the positioniing will vary between models and brands. Some will work fine with your existing set-up, some will need a different location. Warming drawers and lower baking ovens can complicate things. Only way to find out which is where to download the installation instructions for each stove you consider. It is good that you have the non-flammable backsplash that you do. Flat against the wall? Some do, some have oven bump-outs in the back. A good clue is if vendor sites like AJ Madison, Lowes's etc. list rear trim pieces as accessories. Again, you will have to view them in person or read specs and installation instructions to to know for sure which do and which do not. Also, some slide-ins have cooktop extensions to the sides to cover the gaps between stove and countertops. Some do not. Gotta read the specs. Basically, if the width is listed as over 31" then the stove is one with the cooktop lips on the sides. If the specs say 30" or 29 7/8" then that slide-in is one that does not have the lip that overhangs the gaps. Hope this helps.

Do you want to do something like this? Personally, I hated the woodstove that my husband insisted on. The living room was blazing hot and the rest of the house wasn't. The natural direction of the air flow in my house went the opposite way of the main part of the house and the heat never reached the other rooms. Not to mention the mess from the ashes and having to haul wood. We kept a little fan on top that was activated by the heat and it never did a thing. Keeping it at the right temperature by constantly playing with the air intake was a hassle as well. You can get fireplace inserts that blow the heat back out into the room. Can you tell I don't like wood stoves??