Installing a woodburner in a holiday let...pros and cons

[PeridotCricket]

Are there downsides to putting a woodburner in a holiday let? I know when I'm looking for one to let it's a plus for me. But what about for the owner?

I'm not just thinking supplying fuel and getting it checked and maintained...but do people use them wrongly?

I'd be potentially worried about the flooring in front of the woodburner - we had a couple of singes in the cat's bed in front of ours!

I guess people putting the wrong stuff in to burn maybe?

We have one in ours. We have it serviced every year, and repainted.

We don't provide fuel apart from the first evening, but supply matches. We clearly state not to burn anything but logs.

It is beautiful, a real feature to the room. It cost a fortune to do because we had to do lots of building work, but we get a lot of winter bookings which I don't think we would get without.

We have just bought another let, and we are prioritising a log burner.

We have a Clear View.

Thanks Hooli. My concern would be that they burn stuff other than logs , but I suspect if it looks well cared for and that only burning logs is made clear - that should stop anyone apart from real idjits burning coal - random stuff - in it.

I’d put one in a holiday let no problem. Will you supply logs kindling etc? If you do you know what theyre burning. I’ve got tiny wood burners in yurts here and the guests love them, they really do make for a great experience. (I would not put a wood burning stove in a thatched building).

I think Hooli's point is a good one actually, for a winter let I would want a woodburner as a visitor.

curiousyellow which stoves do you have out of curiousity? We have a hobbit but have never lit it beyond a test burn (only installed a few months ago and we'll likely have moved before it gets cold enough again). We'll be installing something in our new house but I'm on the look out for a tiny stove to go in my new workshop. The workshop doesn't exist but this is an important part of planning!

The thing my DH would worry about is people burning unseasoned/ underseasoned wood, causing deposits further up the chimney which can lead to chimney fires. Those net bags of logs from petrol stations are not always well seasoned. The deposits are not just soot, it's creosote or something that's difficult to remove.

Whether that's a proportionate response to the risk I have no clue, I just stick to well seasoned wood.

When looking for a holiday let, I tend to go for ones that have wood burners.

Hoolio's Clearview is presumably multifuel, I think all Clearviews are. So wouldn't matter if coal were burned instead of wood.

At home, we have a Clearview Pioneer. It's been in constant use for a 9 winters and is very robust, so I think would be a good choice for a holiday property.

As someone who has a woodburner, Andy who would actively look for a winter holiday let with one in, I would advise you to have a well stocked wood store and include the cost of the wood in the rental. We went to a beautiful cottage in the middle of wales, miles from civilisation, and had 3 logs and a coup,e of sticks of kindling provided for free. That went half way through the first evening, and the nearest place to buy more was a garage an hours drive away in unlit country lanes. I'd have preferred to pay a few pounds more upfront for wood to be readily available.

I stayed at a great place in the Lake District, miles from anywhere, and was v grateful the place was well stocked with wood! So good tip. It would also mean you know that kiln dried wood was being burnt.

I would provide the wood so they don't burn random rubbish and gunk up the flue

As a holiday cottage renter we can't usually be bothered with woodburners/open fires. Can't be faffing round trying to buy fuel -
what sort, how much do we need etc and no idea how to use a woodburner (can do an open fire). The only time we did use a fire was a Christmas let where the cottage owner provided wood - the brochure had said that it would be charged for but he didn't bother.

I'm with starfish on this one, also speaking as a frequent renter of holiday properties.
I don't want the faff on holiday and I most definitely do not want to be cleaning the damn thing out at the end of the holiday.
The convenience of central heating at the flick of a switch would be my preference but I wouldn't not book a property just because it had a wood burner.
I would not book a property if the wood burner was the only source of heat in the room.

It would be in addition to other forms of heating. It would be an extra thing for the cleaner to clean. I wouldn't be expecting a renter to do anything other than not leave it a total mess but not necessarily clean it out etc....

I've got a wood burner in my holiday let as an addition to underfloor heating. It is very popular in winter.

I leave it laid and ready to go (with full instructions) and leave kindling a and logs for at least two nights. As I'm local I offer to restock with logs & kindling for a nominal charge any time the guests like. Logs over Christmas and NYE are free as the let is so expensive then.

99% of guests in winter use the log burner. 75% ask for more logs. 1 guest has burnt random old wood full of nails which was a pain to clear out.

If I didn't live next door and do my own cleaning then I might not be so keen on a log burner.

We have one in our holiday let, but haven't yet had a winter season, so can't really report on the pros and cons (other than our letting agency said it that along with pet-friendly, it was the most important feature to ensure winter bookings). We have very clear, and to our mind, foolproof instructions about how to light it (to the level of how far to open each vent) but our one guest who did use the stove when we first opened in May, evidently didn't have a clue as there was one slightly charred log and lots of spent matches in there (we supply matches, firelighters, kindling and the first basket of logs). So don't underestimate the ineptitude of people who are not used to log burners, and I think that would go for safety too.

We installed a multifuel stove (although we tell guests it is a log-only stove) so hopefully it might be more forgiving if people throw on the odd bit of rubbish.

Frequent (i.e. at least annual) chimney sweeping should deal with any chimney fire risks (and a holiday cottage woodburner will be used nowhere near as often as a woodburner at home - I expect most people will use up the free logs, and then not bother the rest of the stay - that's probably what I would do!). We also tell people what to do if they overload the stove and it is burning too vigorously (i.e. don't open the door, but immediately close down all the vents).

I am slightly concerned about the time involved in cleaning it out, and restocking the supplies (I clean the property) but can't comment as yet. PM me if you want me to send you a copy of our guest information on using the stove.

Downsides:

Extra cost (logs are expensive and guests burn through them very quickly).

Mess - much more dust when there is a log burner, and the mess from bringing the logs in.

Worry from those with Young children

But the biggest downside - guests don't Always know how to handle fires. A New years day visit from the fire brigade and the resulting mess put a stop to having stoves in the properties.

We love ours, but we know how to use it.

We wouldn’t stay anywhere over winter that didn’t have a wood burning stove (or an open fire but that’s ridiculously risky for a holiday let).

Increased risk, but also likely to increase winter residency I think. People who don’t want to use it don’t have to! I wouldn’t want it as the only form of heating though.

That’s a worry, inexperienced fire users....maybe I could make them pass a test!,

tentative3 our little woodburners were made by a friend of the people who made our yurts! I’ll see if I can find them for you...

tentative3 they are [email protected] - in Somerset. They will make pretty much any stove to fit the hearth.

we rent in cornwall most winters.
unless it is dog friendly and has a log burner its a deal breaker

You must provide a guard for families with young children to avoid burns. That’s important. Also provide a log store and chopped wood. Maybe instructions?!

I wouldn't install a wood burner anywhere because it is a major source of air pollution and because of this there may be government intervention over their use. See this huff post article - why do people not know this more is beyond me!

I’m with Mrs Jamin. Like everyone else I was after a wood burning stove as they became so fashionable until I realised how bad for the environment they are. I’d not use one now.

Leave absolutely idiotproof instructions for lighting it and cleaning it out. If you accept small children, you'll need a childproof fireguard. We've installed a multifuel one, just in case someone decides they want coal, but we provide wood and peat (crofting area, we have an allocated peat bank). And one of these will help hugely with not getting ash all over the living room: www.bonkandco.com/product/tippy-coal-ash-carrier/