Wood Stove Installation Cost – Forbes Advisor

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The coldest winter day is no match for an energy efficient, expertly installed wood stove. Wood stoves create ambiance and keep your home independent of the energy grid by letting you burn wood that you source locally. Or wood stoves can be used to supplement other heating sources.

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The cost of an installed wood stove starts around $1,500 and can get as high as about $5,000. The average wood stove will cost from $3,000 to $3,500, installed.

What a Wood Burning Stove Is

A wood burning stove is a metal heating unit that burns firewood. A wood stove is installed independently of other heating systems, but can be used in conjunction with them.

Much like a traditional wood burning fireplace, a wood burning stove has a fireproof firebox with a vertical vent, much like a chimney, that exhausts particulates and partially combusted gases safely to the exterior.

How a Wood Burning Stove Is Installed

Wood burning stove installation touches on a number of different home trades: roofing work, drywall repair, flooring installation, HVAC venting, and of course, installing the wood stove itself. As a result, it’s best to hire a contractor with a proven track record for installing wood burning stoves.

The flooring underneath the wood stove must first be prepared for the weight of the unit. This may require strengthening joists, rebuilding the subfloor or pouring a small concrete-like slab.

Due to the immense amount of heat produced by the wood stove, a fire resistant hearth should be built below the stove. A heat shield must also be attached to the wall behind the stove, if the stove is near a wall.

Fresh air may be provided by an air intake cut into an exterior wall, with a metal vent running horizontally to the wood stove. The wood stove’s exhaust must be vented through a vertical metal chimney pipe that extends above the roof of the house.

Wood Stove Costs By Type

Basic Wood Burning Stove

Simple wood burning stoves with no blower fan, air intake or catalytic converter cost between $500 and $1,000. These stoves often have metal doors and an older style reminiscent of antique wood burning stoves.

Non-Catalytic Converter Wood Burning Stove

Wood burning stoves with blower fans but no catalytic converter begin around $1,000. With glass doors and clean lines, these stoves are usually more modernly styled than the basic models.

Catalytic Converter Wood Burning Stove

Catalytic converter wood stoves that burn cleaner and more efficiently than other types range from $1,500 to $2,500.

Wood Stove Installation Cost By Materials

Second to the cost of the wood stove, the most expensive material is double-wall chimney pipe. Venting a wood stove requires the use of this material, typically costing around $25 per linear foot.

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