Should I install a stove in the summer?
Who wants to talk about stove installations in the summer? We do, and here's why. When the sun's out and everyone else is thinking about air con, planning a wood burner probably isn't top of your list. But hear us out, because there are two really good reasons why summer is genuinely the smartest time to install a stove, and neither of them are what you'd expect.
The short answer: yes, and it comes down to two things most people don’t realise. Installation lead times more than double once autumn arrives, and the specific stove you want is much more likely to be available in summer than later in the year.
Get in touch about a summer install
How long does a stove installation take?
The installation itself is quick. Most stove installations are completed in a day, sometimes two if we need to install a chimney system for you. But the length of time between getting in touch and having the stove sitting in your living room is a different story, and it changes dramatically depending on when you ask.
During the summer months, the average wait between completing your inspection and having your stove fitted is from around 2 weeks. By October, that stretches to roughly 2 months. Same team, same standard of work, four times the wait.
The reason is simple. Once the weather starts to turn in September, everyone remembers they were going to sort out a stove. Enquiries triple almost overnight. Every fitter in the county gets booked solid through to Christmas. And what should have been an enjoyable decision becomes a scramble.
Plan it in summer and you’re at the front of a much shorter queue. Plan it in autumn and you’re joining the back of a much longer one.
Why stove availability drops in autumn
Here’s the bit that most people never think about until it’s too late.
Manufacturers don’t produce stoves to stockpile them. They produce them to meet demand across the year, with warehouses and distributors holding a certain amount at any given time. When installation demand triples in autumn, distributors run out of the popular models. Even we, as a HETAS registered installer with 22 years of buying relationships, can’t always get every stove we want in October and November.
What that means in practice: if you have your heart set on a particular stove, or a particular size, or a particular finish, you’re much more likely to get it if you plan in summer. Come autumn, you might find yourself compromising on your second choice because your first choice is out of stock across every UK distributor.
Plan now and the range is at its widest. Wait and it narrows.
The benefits of installing a stove in the summer
The two arguments above are the ones that genuinely change the maths. But there are a handful of smaller benefits worth knowing about too, because they add up.
Take your time choosing the right stove
A stove is a significant purchase and it’s going to sit in the centre of your home for the next 20 years. It deserves a proper conversation. In summer, we’ve got time to walk you through the options in our showroom in Ross on Wye, show you stoves lit, and have a real discussion about what suits your home. In autumn, we’re much more likely to be on the road installing rather than in the showroom advising.
Better weather for the install
Chimney work happens on your roof. Bad weather delays roof work, which delays installations. In summer, the odds of a delay are far lower. In autumn, especially in a wet October or November, delays become common. Better weather also means fewer awkward days of half-finished work while your family waits for the sparks to fly again.
Enjoy your stove before winter arrives
British summer evenings are cooler than most people remember. Once your stove is in, you’ll find yourself lighting it earlier than you expected. Plenty of our summer install customers tell us they had their stove going by August or September, months before the temperature properly dropped. It’s a lovely bonus you don’t get if you install in October and immediately face the cold season head-on.
A calmer, less rushed process
There’s something worth saying about the difference between planning something calmly and doing it in a panic. Summer installs feel measured. You’ve got time to think, ask questions, change your mind about the stove you first chose. Autumn installs feel like a race against the calendar. The end result is the same beautiful stove, but the journey to get there is much more pleasant when you’re not fighting the clock.
What’s involved in a stove installation?
For anyone who hasn’t been through the process before, here’s roughly what to expect once you’ve decided to go ahead.
The inspection. Before we can quote properly, we need to come and look at your home. This tells us what type of installation you need, whether you already have a chimney or need one installed, and what building work (if any) is involved. It takes an hour or two, and you get a clear picture of what’s possible.
The quote. Based on the inspection, we come back with a clear, itemised quote. No pressure, no obligation. You take the time you need to decide.
Choosing the stove. Ideally you’ve already been to the showroom and have a sense of what you like. If not, this is when we work through the options together and land on the right stove for your home.
Booking the install date. In summer, this is usually within a couple of weeks of quote acceptance. In autumn, expect a much longer wait.
The install itself. Most installations are a single day. If we’re installing a chimney system, it might be two. Our team will keep the mess contained, protect your floors and furniture, and leave everything tidy when they’re done.
Curing fire and hand-over. Before we leave, we’ll light the stove with you, walk you through how to use it, and make sure you’re happy. From that point on, it’s yours to enjoy.
Do I need a chimney to install a wood burning stove?
Not necessarily. If you have an existing chimney, we can usually work with it (with a chimney liner installed for safety and efficiency). If you don’t have a chimney, we can install a twin-wall flue system that runs up through your home to the roof. This is more involved than working with an existing chimney but perfectly straightforward for our team. You won’t know from the finished result whether the chimney was original or added.
How much does a stove installation cost?
Honestly, it depends. The cost varies significantly based on the stove you choose (there’s a huge range across brands and sizes), whether you have an existing chimney or need one installed, whether the chimney needs lining, whether any building work is required, and where you live in relation to our base in Ross on Wye.
Rather than a price we’d have to caveat to death, we prefer to have a conversation, come and look at your home, and give you a proper itemised quote with no surprises. It’s free, there’s no obligation, and you get real numbers to work with rather than a vague range.
Get in touch for a no-obligation quote
Why Green Man Stoves
We’ve been installing stoves across Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire since 2003, with HETAS, OFTEC, Which? Trusted Trader, Stove Industry Alliance and FSB accreditation behind the work. Those credentials tell you the job is being done properly, by people who actually know what they’re doing.
What’s harder to put on a badge is the way we work. You’ll know our team by name. (You’ll know our dogs by name too.) From your first visit to the showroom to the day of the install and every annual sweep that follows, you’ll be dealing with the same local team. When you book a stove with us, you’re not just getting a fitting. You’re starting a relationship with a team you’ll see year after year.
What our customers say
“Mum and I had been considering restoring an old, unused Victorian fireplace which had been dormant for 30 years. We ended up going for two stoves as the chimney had back-to-back fireplaces. Nicola explained the process very clearly and made it all feel very seamless considering the job the guys had to do to re-commission the fireplaces.
Going for a summer appointment meant we got the sessions booked in when we wanted them and meant we were ready for whatever freezing weather came along during winter months. The guys did an amazing job. With some pretty miserable weather in August, we were all set, the wood burners were lit.
We’d recommend Green Man Stoves to anyone. Great company, great people, best of all, they are local business.”
Glyn & Megan Bullock
Ready to plan your summer stove installation?
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably got a fair sense of whether a summer install is right for you. The next step is a conversation. There’s no obligation and no hard sell, just a straightforward chat about what you’re after and what’s possible.
