No chimney - options for wood burning fireplace

[success1980]

We have no chimney in our house but really want a wood burner for ambiance. We are after a contemporary design with an inset corner fireplace.

 

I have beed quoted 8k for this and feel that's very expensive. My idea is to build a box out of breezeblocks (initial plans around 150cm wide, 50cm deep, as high as the room to hide flue) in the corner of the living room to house the fireplace. The flue will go up and out through the external timber frame wall, then up as high as required on the outside.

 

Has anyone done something like this? Am I being naive to think I can do most of this myself (except safety critical bits of course)?

 

Thanks

[PeterW]

Why not use twin wall which is designed for this..??

[success1980]

Thank you, happy with everything that makes it easier. Do you mean twin wall flue?

[Crofter]

Don't bother with blockwork. Use steel flue pipe.

You can use single wall vitreous enamel pipe for the first section, but you'll need sufficient clearance to any combustible material. Then switch to twin wall insulated where it passed through the ceiling.

[Bozza]

I declined putting in a log burner in my new build for two reasons (1) cost - £6k (2) several self builders with log burners had advised me they rarely use them as their houses didn’t need them for heat being new and well insulated.  But they do look good.

 

Have you considered a Bio Fuel fire.  It would give you some of the ambience at a fraction of the cost.  You can even get false flues. 

 

If unsure about committing to a real one it could be a cost effective way of seeing how much you’d use it.  If you rarely use it, then presumably you’d rarely use a real one. Then you’ve saved £thousands.  If you use it a lot but still want a real one you can sell it then look again at a real one.  
 

I’ve been considering one for my new build.   Maybes someone here has one and will tell us they’re rubbish.  I’ve been looking at than at imaginfires.co.uk

 

...just a suggestion. 
 

 

[PeterW]

Yes twin wall flue - will be cheaper than blockwork and liner etc. 

[Gav_P]

 

10 minutes ago, Bozza said:

Maybes someone here has one and will tell us they’re rubbish

I’ve got a stove and a bio fuel burner.
 

I use the stove all the time and love it (but don’t have a passiv house or anywhere near standard of build). I hardly ever use the bio fuel one. it looks a bit naff and weak, but can kick out a couple of kw of heat at full tilt - however it does go though fuel quite quickly when fully open. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gav_P

[Bozza]

49 minutes ago, Gav_P said:

 

I’ve got a stove and a bio fuel burner.
 

I use the stove all the time and love it (but don’t have a passiv house or anywhere near standard of build). I hardly ever use the bio fuel one. it looks a bit naff and weak, but can kick out a couple of kw of heat at full tilt - however it does go though fuel quite quickly when fully open. 

That’s interesting.  Sounds like your stove is a heat source, if it wasn’t would you still use it as much?

[MrSniff]

We ideally wanted a WBS, but had no flue and were concerned that the apartment block behind us would cop a lot of the smoke, so in the end went bio fuel. Most looked a little plasticky, but we found one that looked ok. It's not the same as a real WBS, but it does the job for ambience and a top up of heat...

 

[Crofter]

7 hours ago, Bozza said:

I declined putting in a log burner in my new build for two reasons (1) cost - £6k (2) several self builders with log burners had advised me they rarely use them as their houses didn’t need them for heat being new and well insulated.  But they do look good.

 

 

 

It cost me about £1000 to add a small stove to my new build- admittedly that was on a DIY basis. Includes hearth, flue, cement board to replace PB where necessary, etc etc. Stove itself was £600.

[success1980]

Thanks all. A Bioethanol burner is an option but we like the idea if a woodburner and want to see if that can be done first.

 

We want to hide the flue inside as we don't want to see it. Outside a black flue can go up on the side of the house. Should look something like the attached picture.

[recoveringbuilder]

We have an insert pellet stove however originally it was to be a double sided wood burning stove, we have no chimney so a false wall was built using the attached product , this went right up to the ceiling (cathedral) with the flue inside then the black flue out through the roof, we then tiled the false chimney breast

[Thedreamer]

We design our stove to be bang in the middle of the house.

 

I didn't want a flue pipe visible so we surrounded the stove in dense concrete blocks.

 

 

 

The plan was to go all the way up to the ceiling but we stop halfway and boxed in the remaining part with a stud.

 

The blocks hold the heat for the night and the next morning the house is still warm