Fireplace from the hardware store

Hello,

we have bought a house and are currently renovating. Since there is a chimney, we would like to install a fireplace. Overall, we want to spend about €2500-3000 for everything. We have a semi-detached house with about 125sqm + attic.

We have now looked at a few fireplace stoves in the hardware store. The prices range from €300 to €1500. We like one for €1000 with 7kW. Who has experience with a hardware store fireplace? Are they recommended or should you rather buy from a specialized fireplace store?

I would appreciate answers. Regards

Hello,
for 1500 € you can, with a bit of luck, also find something suitable at the stove maker.
The DIY store stoves won’t explode or anything like that. But I’ve heard from 2 colleagues that while they did work in the sense of "burn wood and make heat," they often didn’t draft well at the beginning, so you’d first have smoke in the house, or that the glass quickly got sooty and you couldn’t see the fire anymore.
Eventually, both of them threw out their DIY store stoves and replaced them with ones from the stove maker.

Best regards,

Andreas

The problem of poor draft and soot buildup on the glass now has hardly anything to do with the fireplace itself, but rather with the chimney/flue and the burning behavior of wood and the person ;) I had an Obi fireplace in the townhouse and was very satisfied. With soapstone or larger volume, the price also increases, but not only for that reason would I avoid the cheap pieces. Installation should be done by a professional, best to contact them before purchase to see if the draft is actually suitable. And of course, additional costs for the piping are to be expected. Greetings