Imagine walking into a holiday cottage and being greeted by the sound of crackling logs and the warmth of an open fire or wood-burning stove. Isn’t that quite the treat?
It would be best for those who own a holiday home to have a wood-burning stove on your property to make your guests feel comfortable. They will surely enjoy getting cosy by the fire, and the heat will also help you reduce how much you spend on heating bills.
If you do plan on installing a wood-burning, you need to keep certain things in mind:
Opt for an Easy-to-Use Wood-burning Stove
You first need to consider whether or not your guests will have an easy time using your wood-burning stove. When choosing one, make sure that there aren’t any complicated valves or settings that are difficult to handle. You should also ensure that the fire can be regulated, allowing it to burn efficiently.
Your fire must be able to burn using easily accessible fuel, such as wood, that can be bought at a local shop. Alternatively, you can give your guests a set amount of fuel. Lastly, your chosen stove should come with an instruction manual that is easy to read and understand.
Think About the Placement of Your Wood-burning Stove
When you’ve selected the perfect stove for your holiday home, you need to consider where you should place it. If it is connected to an existing chimney, it is unlikely for the position to be changed. Make sure that the furniture and any combustibles near the fire are kept at least 40 to 80 cm away. If you can place them even further away from the stove, then that’s much better.
Have a Carbon Monoxide Alarm Installed
A carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is a must for any property. If you have an open fire or wood-burning stove in your holiday home, then it’s even more important to have one installed. CO is an invisible and odourless gas that can be extremely dangerous to humans once inhaled. In fact, it can even be fatal.
Since October 2015, it has been required by law for holiday cottages to have CO alarms installed. If you’re about to put one on your property, don’t forget to put it over or next to the fire to keep the results accurate.
Get Holiday Home Insurance
As a holiday homeowner, you should know how important it is to get your building and possessions insured. After all, although the cottage is your property, you don’t actually live there. A lot of things are beyond your control, including accidents that you did not cause.
Having your property insured is good practice for a holiday home business. This is even more important if you have an open fire or wood-burning stove in your cottage.
Get Your Chimney Serviced Regularly
Before you officially open your holiday cottage to guests, you need to get professionals to service your chimney and wood-burning stove to check if they are safe to use. And once you have opened your home for business, you need to have professional chimney sweeps clean and repair your fixtures as necessary. Between these maintenance services, you need to check your fireplace for any accumulating smoke and soot marks. Don’t forget to empty the ash bin too.
Conclusion
Wood burning stoves are a great way to appeal to potential guests. They provide much-needed heat, and they create a lovely and comfortable atmosphere that is befitting the season. If you own a holiday home and would like to have a stove installed or serviced, partner with the best professionals in the area.
Stove Scotland is the expert on multi-fuel and wood-burning stoves. Our comprehensive knowledge about fires and stoves puts us at the forefront of the industry. We specialise in stove installation and maintenance. We can even fit log burning stoves in Scotland homes that don’t have an existing chimney. If you ever need a professional to do the work for you, then we have you covered. Contact us today!
