Expert: James Ball - 3/28/2009

Question
Hello,
My husband and I are building a house and are going crazy looking into heating alternatives. Today we came upon Dovre woodburning stoves. The seller told us he uses one to heat his 280 sq. meter house. I was wondering if a wood burning stove can produce enough heat for an entire household? Could I use this method of heating instead of a furnace and floor heating? And what would be the best brand of wood stove for this? Thanks so much.

Answer
Hello Gabreila, lets start with wood stoves work great at heating but require a lot of work, you do not just load wood , light and go. if you can find some one who can build one a masonry heater is your best bet if heating is what you want with wood. I have included a few links,http://www.masonryheaterstore.com/,  http://www.mha-net.org/
James