We recently made the decision to remove our gas fireplace and replace it with a wood cookstove. While it may seem like an old fashioned choice, it is actually very practical and quite surprising to us that it is so rare today. I wanted to share a little about why we made this decision, what options we looked into, and why we decided on the model we installed.
Our gas fireplace did not have a fan and could not produce much heat, it didn’t fit the style of our home (although it was beautiful at Christmas), and it would randomly stop working. It also needed electric to be turned on, so it didn’t help in power outage situations. We have a lot of firewood available on our property and ultimately decided we would like to convert to a wood burning fireplace. We called a few builders to get quotes on a classic fireplace and stone chimney, but because of covid-19 they were booking 12-18 months out and materials were expensive. It was at that point that we decided to look into free-standing wood stoves with the plan to have a fireplace company install a chimney while we did the rest of the work ourselves.
Somewhere along our search I stumbled upon a wood cookstove and mentioned it to my husband. He was sold on the idea from the very beginning. We started researching cookstoves and discovered a few things.
- Cookstoves generally have large clearance requirements and need a lot of space.
- Antique cookstoves are available but quality is a big gamble if you don’t know if it has been cared for over the years.
- Most cookstoves have small fireboxes and aren’t necessarily designed as a primary heat source.
- Insurance companies are particular about stoves and clearances, so choosing a model and getting approval from your homeowners insurance is important.
After many weeks of searching used and new cookstoves we settled on the Lincar Regina model with sandstone side panels. We chose this particular stove because it has a large firebox, clearance requirements that fit our space, it was affordable, and it is UL certified, a safety and sustainability certification that our insurance prefers. This stove met all of our requirements and is beautiful too! We purchased from Grills N’ Ovens and delivery was free and without issue. We would absolutely recommend them.
We chose to put fire-resistant stone on the wall and a beautiful textured tile on the floor. We purchased the stone from Menards and while the installation took some time due to the steps involved and drying times, we think it was the perfect choice and exactly the look we were going for. The floor tile was purchased from Wayfair and is great quality as well. We used a dark grout on the floor, which admittedly was difficult to clean off of the textured tile, but ended up the perfect choice for a messy fireplace. (I have seen this floor tile for sale at Overstock.com as well, but it was much more expensive there at the time we purchased.)
We had the chimney installed by a local company (I’ll post a link here if you are local to the Northwoods). They did a fantastic job. They were on time, professional, and affordable, another company I would highly recommend.
I will post a cookstove review separately and hope to make a YouTube video as well, but overall we are thrilled with the quality and practicality. We use it to cook every day, much more than planned. It is convenient to have a nice warm oven ready at any moment. It has become the heart of the home and we use it to heat, cook, and even dry laundry. Our propane and electric bills have seen a significant difference. We couldn’t be happier with our decision and hope it inspires more people to return to their roots, become more self-sufficient, and enjoy things the old fashioned way.
