❖ F.A.Q's ❖

Yes, we do. Why not check our products tab to view our selection of stoves and fireplaces. We are HETAS approved installers and therefore qualified to undertake the safe installation of all types of stoves and fireplaces. We also offer, complete stove & fireplace supply and installation package deals, as well as budget package deals. 

Yes, we do. We offer a FREE home consultation to all potential clients who live within a 20 mile radius of our base, in Milton Keynes and we offer a FREE estimate to anyone outside the 20 mile radius. We can travel via special request; please contact us for full details in this regard. Since it's difficult to give an accurate cost for a stove and or a fireplace installation without a personal, home consultation: 3 photos will thus be required in order to obtain a FREE estimate! 

1. A photo of the existing fireplace or fireplace area. 

2. One of the entire chimney stack, top to bottom (if at all possible). 

3. One of the chimney stack outside, at the base. 

We specialize in designing and installing factory made - insulated - twin-walled flue systems and we can install one of these for you and then construct a false, chimney breast (in block or with steel framing) around it, in order to manifest the appearance of a traditional brick chimney stack, where one isn't present. This false breast can then be plastered. 

In order to know if a chimney is in the proper condition to accept a stove or fireplace, a full smoke test (pressure test) has to be performed. A smoke test, ensures the integrity of the chimney and for this to be done correctly it is normally performed by two people. One on the ground and one on the roof of the property. The fireplace opening is first sealed and a smoke pellet is lit - and then placed inside the builders opening.  As the smoke builds up and begins to exit the chimney pot, the pot is then sealed - trapping the smoke inside the chimney stack. With the smoke now sealed inside the chimney *for about 5 minutes* a full inspection of the chimney stack is to take place. Inside the chimney. Outside the chimney and within the attic space. If the property is a semi-detached, the neighbours property is also checked. If smoke is found escaping the chimney stack during the course of this process, then this is classed as a fail and a liner MUST then be installed!! Since stoves are designed to operate with a flue (diameter) matched as closely as possible, to the stoves output - either top or rear exit - a masonry chimney's inbuilt, clay, lining system can be much larger than a stoves output and therefore as a result the stove may not work correctly. If the chimney happens to pass the smoke test, it may eventually fail due to wear and tear and the chimney will then need to be lined at a much greater cost, as to when the stove was initially installed (presumably without one). Since everything will therefore need to be removed and re-installed, it is much safer and more cost effective to line the chimney in the long run. 

The only general difference between a wood-burning stove and a multi-fuel stove is the base on, which the fuel burns Both stoves, as units and the way they are constructed, are pretty much identical. Wood-burning stoves have flat fuel beds due to the fact that wood naturally burns better, on a flat bed of ash -with the air for combustion- coming into the stove from above. Multi-fuel stoves have what is called a riddling grate as the fuel bed because - coal and smokeless fuels are required to burn on a grate, with air entering the stove from beneath the fire. Multi-fuel stoves, can also burn wood since they're designed to also allow you to build up a bed of ash, which can be used to burn logs and kindling.

To understand what stove Kilowatt size is required for your property, the following equation can be used to calculate it in regards to what room the stove is to be situated in. Height x width x depth (in meters) divided by 14. This equation, is an approximate however, so please do give us a call or contact us to arrange a home visit.

SIA, (Stove Industry Alliance) recognise stoves, which meet the Ecodesign ready regulations, which are to come into force in 2022. These regulations have been designed to ensure that stoves are cleaner and less polluting. A stove(s) without the SIA recognition can be installed up to this date (2022) without the legal need to meet these requirements. If you live in a smoke controlled, designated area, you will be legally required to choose a stove (to burn wood) which has been approved by DEFRA.

Local authorities - under the Clean Air Act - can declare all of or part of specific designations, smoke controlled areas and if you live in a smoke controlled zone, it is an offence to emit smoke from the chimney of a building, either from a furnace or any fixed boiler. By ignoring this law, you run the risk of receiving a fine of up to £1,000 for each offence. It is also illegal to acquire unauthorised fuel for use within a smoke control area unless that fuel is used in an appliance exempt from the controls, which generally apply in the smoke controlled zone!!  To view the list of exempt appliances, visit DEFRA here: www.defra.gov.uk.

Not usually. However in sensitive areas particularly there can be exceptions. A quick call to the planning office should clarify this for you.

This depends on what stove you have chosen, where and how it will be installed in your home, as well as, what other materials you may have chosen to have installed along with it. When you give us the necessary, required information, we can give you an estimate of what might be involved in the installation. A home consultation would determine a full fixed cost. We have fixed supply and installation package costs for both stoves and fireplaces, which can be found in our 'products' tab. 

Installation times vary due to the amount of work involved. Installing a stove and a flue liner into an existing - 'already prepared' opening, will typically be completed within a full working day. The removal of an existing fireplace, followed by the reconstruction of the chimney breast, full installation of a stove, a hearth and a solid oak wooden beam, would normally take 2 working days and 3 working days, if installed with a fireplace. A false chimney breast with a twin-wall flue system, stove, hearth and tiled chamber would take 3-4 days depending on the size.

On installation day, we will take care of everything. The only thing we ask of you is, that you remove small furnishings you may have and clear the fireplace area for us to work in. If so required we can help with moving furniture that may be in the way and then help you move it back again once the work has been completed. As to be expected, there will be some dust, however, we will protect your room by bagging your curtains, covering all of your furniture and TV with waterproof sheets (soft ones for the TV). Your floor will be protected, first, with carpet/floor tape protector and then by rubber matts and finally, waterproof dust sheets. We will treat your home with the upmost respect and leave it exactly as it was upon entering it.

After a stove has been installed, an annual chimney sweep and stove service is required in order to keep the stove & liner warranty as well as your house insurance valid. When booking the installation, we will talk to you with regards to options for sweeping & servicing. Besides the sweeping, the following items within the stove itself are all consumable parts and may require changing over the lifetime of a stove. Ropes and bricks, are the most common parts of a stove that need replacing. Consumable parts include: Door rope seals. Glass. Vermiculite bricks. Baffle plates. Grates. Fire cement. Consumables require changing based on a lot of factors such as, use and quality of fuel, etc.  Most parts are easy enough to change by yourself, however, during your yearly sweep/service, our engineer can offer to change any parts, which may be required. Contact us should you require any parts for your stoves purchased from us and we will be more than happy to assist.

NO. Wood naturally retains up to 90% moisture and so therefore most stove manufacturers recommend that logs are seasoned (air dried to remove the moisture) until the moisture level is down to around 20%. This is the level that logs burn most efficiently at, in order to give the maximum heat output. Burning wet logs, will give you tarred stove glass & will potentially clog up/damage your flue. We can supply you with Kiln dried kindling and logs and we can also supply in bulk if more preferable. For full details please see our 'products' tab for all our wood and for our delivery service.

In October 2010, the new Building Regulations were introduced, requiring a carbon monoxide alarm to be installed in every room where a solid fuel appliance is installed. All new solid fuel installations must be provided with a CO alarm which needs to be fixed at a high level and in the same room as the fire.

In order to comply with building regulations & to demonstrate that your stove or fireplace installation has been carried out by a fully trained competent installer, a copy of the HETAS certificate of compliance is to be sent to HETAS whom will then notify your local authority building control department of the work thats been carried out. This saves you time and money (of up to £300) from seeking a building notice from an inspector from your LABC who would typically sign off the installation. A copy of a HETAS certificate of compliance is required to be sent to you also and the installer will also retain the third & final copy. If you sell your home a Solicitor acting for the buyer will require a copy of the HETAS certificate, which may also be required by your insurance company.  Should a problem ever arise whereby HETAS do not have record of a certificate for your property then it's likely that you may not be insured, so always make sure you get one once your installation has been completed. 

Providing that they are properly maintained and taken care of, a good quality stove, can last in excess of 20+ years!! We have personally seen stoves that are over 30+ years old, still currently in use today. In order to properly maintain your stove, we strongly recommend you have your chimney and stove serviced at least once annually. It is also good practice to clean out the stove every once in a while in-between this time.