Looks Like A Fireplace, Heats Like A Woodstove

When we built our house, Hubby and I knew we wanted some type of supplemental heat that used a renewable resource. In other words, a wood stove. However, the general decor of our home is kind of contemporary/modern, and a regular free-standing wood stove would not have worked with our style. A fireplace would have looked better, but they are notoriously inefficient.

We searched high and low, and eventually found this fireplace/box: http://www.highcountryfireplaces.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_25&products_id=34

Due to size constraints, we did not purchase the blower with it. Nonetheless, it comfortably heats an open space (living/kitchen/dining combo) of about 1,200 square feet without the blower (part of that has a vaulted ceiling, too). Some of the heat goes upstairs, too, but in a shit+fan situation, we'd probably all just camp out in the living room.

The only downside: cooking in it would be a bitch. We'd have to let the coals die down and then put in some type of tripod or grate.

Still, I have alternative cooking methods (charcoal grill, sterno stove, build a solar cooker), so overall this is a minor quibble.

Here's a pic of it (ignore the baby gate, please):