When Aurora Debreuil and Adam Gualtieri bought a rundown 1970s-era cabin in the woods, the 20-somethings were new to home ownership and were self-described reno-rookies. One of the first things they did was build a woodstove. They take us along on their journey of figuring out the right stove, the right size and what they did to bring it all together to create the cozy camp they can now enjoy in all seasons.
Harrowsmith: There’s baseboard heading in your cabin, so why was it important to you to have a woodstove?
Aurora & Adam: For Aurora, the beloved woodstove at her parents’ place in the country was a childhood staple, and for us as a couple, we spent many, many winters huddled around it. Definitely a major influence in us getting our own little stove.
H: How did you get started?
Aurora & Adam: It was mid-winter when we committed to the idea of purchasing a woodstove. Like any project, Adam became mildly obsessed with the idea and began using suitcases, shoe boxes, and rolls of electrical tape to help visualize the hearth size.
Then became the challenge of orienting the tiles for a hearth we wanted to build ourselves. So, Adam printed
a miniature paper pop-up mock-up — and even placed it in the corner. The electrical outlet for scale makes it
hilarious. This mock-up lived in our city apartment for many, many months.
Adam then elevated a mock-up to a cardboard ‘toscale’ version of the True North TN10 stove we bought. This was built in our apartment out of old boxes and many, many hot glue gun sticks. And yes, it was transported to the cabin mid-winter. This allowed us to visualize how far out from the rear cedar walls we had to have the stove to meet WETT Certification, as well as the hearth size and height. It also led to us discovering that a section of the baseboard heater would need to be removed.
Harrowsmith: How did you configure the hearth?
Aurora & Adam: With time to burn (half a dozen months) before an install, we went tile shopping. Aurora had some inspo images she wanted to base the hearth off of. Similar to most things in the cabin, we had never done anything like this — and definitely had never tiled. It was surprisingly difficult to find the rough, lengthy rectanglestyle tiles. Once we discovered these, we knew these were the ones. They weren’t cheap, though! A good trick is visiting a local “Re-Store” for less expensive tiles.
Just make sure there will be more than enough when you are buying them because tiling can lead to many
broken or miscut tiles. Extras are needed. Once we purchased all of our supplies (skipping over the lengthy phone calls Adam had with WETT Inspectors regarding hearth sizes and regulations on wood floors), we laid out the lumber to get a better sense for the height. Wow, did wood prices ever skyrocket during the pandemic.
Once spring arrived, we dove headfirst into building the hearth. No part of this was easy. First, we had to
plane down the plywood floors to make them even. The wooden frame for the hearth was severely overbuilt for such a light stove. But go big or go home. Lots of shims were needed. Very doable if you take your time.
Then, we added the cement board beneath the tiles. This was another new process. Fun fact: The cement
board is super messy and not enjoyable to score/cut. Keep a shop vac nearby because it’s like pouring out a
bucket of dip n’ dots each time you touch it.
Harrowsmith: When did it finally all come together?
Aurora & Adam: After many long-awaited months, the woodstove was installed on an extremely hot day in the middle of summer. Mainly because we couldn’t wait any longer, we built the hearth ourselves but had professionals
install and certify the stove. We will do almost everything ourselves except cutting holes in our formerly leaky roof.
Harrowsmith: Now that it’s done, what’s your favourite thing about the woodstove?
Aurora: Cuddling up beside it and reading in the midst of a chilly winter day!
Good to know
Woodstoves offer a charming and cost-effective way to heat your cabin and work even when the power’s out, ensuring warmth during emergencies. If you are considering adding one to your home or cabin, know that maintenance, like cleaning the chimney and ash removal, can be a bit of work but is essential to keep it safe and efficient. And, remember that you will need a reliable source of dry and seasoned firewood (fresh wood will produce unwelcome smoke). Wood stoves must be used with caution to avoid accidental fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Lastly, like any fire, don’t leave it unsupervised.
