6k quote for log burner installation

[Itsonthestairs]

This price doesn't include the cost of the log burner either. I know things have gone up in price but I wasn't expecting that. Its quite a tall house so they would use a cherry picker to a access the roof to install. AIBU or does this sound about right?

We paid £5K in Feb for a second hand woodburner to be installed and for a second hand fireplace to be installed in the other reception room. Quote included both flues being lined and as our chimney had been removed, new steel flues installed. Needed scaffold that was not included in the quote and I bought the stove and fireplace off ebay. They do have Hetas certificates now. The work only took them about a day and a half. I feel ripped off but we really wanted them and we had to wait from November to February for installation and even then he didn't come when planned as he claimed he had covid. What area are you in, @Itsonthestairs?

Ask for an itemised breakdown of the quotation.

High cost is probably related to installing a chimney in a very tall house, where part of the installation will be inside an existing brick chimney and from first floor up (no existing chimney) it will be connected to a twin-walled SS metal chimney. There are strict building regs about the latter installation; distance from walls, wooden beams in ceilings/floors/attic/roof etc.

It may be necessary to include an extraction fan (to ensure sufficient draw up such a high chimney) and an inspection chamber.

Crazy. We have a tall chimney and paid £2k including log burner earlier this year.

They're bad for your lungs. I wouldn't pay 6K to damage my lungs, no.

I paid a lot more than that over decades of cigarette purchases! I can’t see how a log burner can do it when the minimal amount of smoke is enclosed in a sealed unit.

Yeah. I know someone who got quoted 10K for a boiler/cylinder install that probably shouldn't have been more than 5K.

If they have too much work on they will just go really high, especially independents.

That said, every job of this type varies and although you will always get someone saying it should not cost more than £25, it's only after doing the proper site survey and actually knowing how much things cost to do properly that you can really come up with a reasonable price.

The TLDR of all of this is that it is a bad time to rush into anything like this. Everyone is busy so there is no incentive to quote low. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that in less than 2 years energy prices will be back to where they were before. Which would lead to one hell of a payoff time if your installation turns out to be very costly.

I reckon to heat my house with the gas CH would be no more than 5 quid a day (a lot less normally). Assume I need to do that for 120 days a year, it would take 10 years to claw back the cost of a log burner install at 6K. And that assumes free wood.

And I wouldn't choke myself on the pollution in the process.

We’re in this category. We have a wood burner which we love but since learning how horrific they are I cannot bring myself to use it again. Awful in terms of air pollution and causing breathing difficulties both for those in the home and for the neighbourhood.
They are said to be worse than having an HGV pump its exhaust fumes direct into your living room - and that’s the supposedly more eco friendly versions that are being sold now:

www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/30/home-wood-burning-in-uk-causes-1bn-of-health-costs-a-year-report-says?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/09/indoor-wood-fires-dangerous-for-some-pregnant-women?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/09/eco-wood-stoves-emit-pollution-hgv-ecodesign?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Perhaps a decent HEPA filter if you have one and need to use it? Arguably good to have in a child's bedroom anyway if you can afford.

"They are said to be worse than having an HGV pump its exhaust fumes direct into your living room - and that’s the supposedly more eco friendly versions that are being sold now:"

To be fair in the past few years the exhaust filtering on diesel vehicles has improved hugely.

Still ...

Everyone is trying to get wood burners installed/serviced at the moment so fitters are in very high demand and totally rammed with work. So it wouldn't surprise me if quotes are sky high in some regions.

Ours is costing around £2.5K all in for log burner. 3 storey large Victorian semi. They need a cherry picker for chimney. Existing chimney, mantle and hearth but work needed to open out existing fireplace and line the opening. We’re South East coast based. That sounds very exoensive

We are in a new build and had our woodburner installed in May for 7k. This included false chimney breast, woodburner, mantle, flue, hearth and a decorative wood store but this is because we were obviously starting from absolute scratch.
Another local company quoted us near enough 10k. We’re in Essex.

The Guardian does consider a log burner or open fire an essential part of a cosy winter break though whatever they write about emissions

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjVjJuJ3sH7AhWYZ8AKHZxzDRYQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Ftravel%2F2022%2Fnov%2F12%2F20-best-cosy-uk-cottages-for-a-winter-break&usg=AOvVaw1dScaLAbIh-WCQbGO0YgAJ

The guardian is just a collection of journalists. I'm not trawling the travel pages to get an appraisal of current research in air pollution. Same as I don't read the recipes in the weekend pages for up to date research in the obesity epidemic.

We got one installed almost 2 years ago and it came to 3.2k including the stove (1.1k by itself).

This included removing the old fireplace and widening the opening, plastering, flue and liner etc and chimney cap, fitting of the stove and air vent, polished granite hearth and strip stone surround.

Fitter arranged by the stove company wanted £770 cash. We're in NI.

We paid 4 inc log burner about 3 years ago, tall 3 storey house, no cherry picker .

but I’d say they are all snowed under op, everyone is trying to get them installed prior to winter due to energy costs. So the price right now is way up

We are in SW London and paid £4200 for the log burner, fireplace opened out, hearth lined and a new surround for fire, plus the old liner removed and new one put in - with the help of scaffolding. £6k seems £££££ but I know demand is huge. It heats my always freezing sitting room so much more effectively than our old gas fire.

That's absolute madness , do you know anyone handy my husband installed a stove in my in-laws last week himself . I can't understand how it would cost that much money

Wow really? Was it lined, flue, notified to building regs etc?

We did a basic install, opened up fireplace, 904 twin wall liner and a ecodesign stove.... BUT we were helped by a ex installer, who provided all the materials for cost and his son (HETAS) signed it off.

Without this or building regs, your house hold insurance could be invalid.... at the very least fit a carbon monoxide alarm.

Just on the environmental side - I'm not saying there is no impact to the environment from burners, but modern multi fuel burners are not comparable to older ones in terms of pollution (and efficiency). Our chimney doesn't even smoke much when our one is on. Just a faint white plume. My understanding is that improved secondary combustion with the new style ones gets rid of a lot of the bad stuff that would have leached out into the air with an older model/open fire. I know everyone has their opinion on these but they have got better in recent years (as have lorry engines 😉).

I hope he adhered to all the appropriate building standards. My DH regularly has to conden poorly installed DIY jobs.

If you're in the nw this company is amazing.

www.multifuelstoveinstaller.com/2020stoveinstallationoffer we got stove, liner and installation for £1600 all in

He is in the building trade and is aware of building regs etc. There is no justification for a company to charge that much money

I wish people would read the OP, she needs a new chimney built through the loft and out through the roof.... thats major structural work.

You initially said "did the op know anyone handy at DIY" giving your DH's install for your in laws as an example.... not that he was a builder.