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Hi, my husband and I moved into a lovely house this January. The previous owners added a stunning kitchen, but did not insulate under it well enough, and they didn't extend the heating system at all. The floors are already chilly even though I usually don't notice that kind of thing, and soon I'll be putting insulating film over the French doors for the winter, because it feels like they aren't even there to keep the cold out. They really dropped the ball regarding insulation and heat, and I look forward to another winter of remembering to leave the faucets dripping or else getting out the heat gun and fearing a burst pipe again, ugh.
The sellers mentioned thinking about putting in a wood stove. There may be enough space for a small one, but it will have to be carefully selected and positioned. Hearth requirements, the sliding and French doors, outlets and data setup, walkways, and a window kind of make it tricky. (The floor is wood. Wide planks of pine, actually, and it would be nice to put in radiant heat then tile with nice stone if they weren't so pretty and a shame to tear out.)
We do not have a gas option here unless installing propane (one day I want to do so for a cook top.) I don't particularly like the look of gas "fireplaces" anyway. I'm not sold on pellets but am aware they may be more versatile for size and placement... And easier to fuel.
Over the years I've seen some really pretty types of wood stoves, like an antique art nouveau cast iron one which was very narrow, but I never saw any for sale at a shop to know what is available now. I've seen very interesting sorts on tv and such like soapstone. I googled and learnt that soapstone stoves are efficient and saw some really nice ones in Europe.
I read here often, and I decided to see if anyone can give recommendations based on experience? Do any of you have a soapstone stove or know of a company to check out? Obviously I can google, but I'd like to hear from actual people.
I'm kind of torn about cluttering things with a stove/fire, the expense of the sorts I seem to like, and feeling like it may be wiser to suck it up and redo the floor with radiant heat... I'd easily put it off forever except that each time it approaches freezing these days the problem is unavoidable. (Last winter temperatures were double digits below zero, Fahrenheit.)
From your description, the cost of a stove and the flue (figure the same cost as the stove or even more) would be far better spent in correcting the problem properly. You would still have to keep faucets dripping and have cold floors.
I would worry that relying on any such device for a space that had PERMANENT PLUMBING is a recipe for frozen pipes and all kinds of other headaches when cabinets and such are subjected to multiple heating / cooling cycles...
I have a soapstone woodstove and its wonderful, but that wont fix your problem. Sounds like you have leaking air under the floor coming from somewhere. Might be near the foundation, window in the basement, etc. That needs to be addresses first.
I have a soapstone woodstove and its wonderful, but that wont fix your problem. Sounds like you have leaking air under the floor coming from somewhere. Might be near the foundation, window in the basement, etc. That needs to be addresses first.
Do you mind telling me more about your stove?
It sounds like we are in a tough spot, which sucks. I hate to rip out good and attractive wide plank flooring, and I'm the diy sort, but I may have to see what can be done professionally. I am surprised at the lack of heat. They did a beautiful renovation aside from it, spent crazy amounts on faucets and stuff... Why not the most important feature? Mainly I just surprised, now that it is fall, at how noticeable it has been so quickly.
A stove really isn't the fix, it would seem, but I wouldn't mind hearing more about them.
If you are looking to make heat consider coal, no I'm not nuts. Coal is lot less work, much safer and usually cheaper. If you're looking for something fancy with huge amount of function the sky is the limit.
Its simply a wood stove like any other. Burns wood. Gets hot just like any other wood stove.
Difference? It stays hot longer after the fire has gone out. Load it at night and the morning the wood stove is still warm to the touch 8 hours later. But if you have air leaks, the wood stove will cool off faster. The wood stove weighs a lot more than a normal cast iron one. Mine weighs 900 lbs. So your floor may need to be reinforced.
Difference? It stays hot longer after the fire has gone out.
This is one of the benefits of coal, the fire doesn't go out. Some models can go for 40 hours plus but you won't be getting much heat from it. Typically people get on a schedule of loading them in the morning and the evening and set the air to get the desired amount of heat out of it.
If you had a large space you would set the air high so it produces the maximum amount of heat but still has enough fire in 12 hours to keep it going with the new coal. Of course if you wanted a real lot of heat you can turn it up and load it every 6 hours. For a smaller space you can set the air lower so it doesn't cook you out of the room.
We had a soapstone stove in Alaska. As long as the fire was burning, it gave off heat. Once the fire went out, the heat dwindled considerably. It really wasn't giving off any heat after about an hour or so.
Plus, you have the problems of carting wood in, and all the bark and bugs... What a mess.
I would recommend extending the heating system and getting someone under your kitchen to insulate and seal up things.
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They really dropped the ball regarding insulation and heat, and I look forward to another winter of remembering to leave the faucets dripping or else getting out the heat gun and fearing a burst pipe again, ugh.
Coal is lot less work, much safer and usually cheaper. If you're looking for something fancy with huge amount of function the sky is the limit. 
