Dated April 6, 2017

I purchased my woodstove secondhand thirty-two years ago for around $400. It was in much better condition then. The stove is a Vermont Castings Vigilant, and its parts were made in Vermont back then.

This stove has been a reliable heat source for our home for many years. We have never had any problems with it and never needed a repair technician. We simply added wood, and it kept us warm—or at least warm enough. Anyone who has relied on a woodstove as their primary source of heat in a snowy climate understands that it can get chilly at times.

Mornings were especially cold until the first person awake started the fire. We also discovered that the stove struggled to heat our house adequately when the temperature dropped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and a strong south wind blew. We’d bundle up in sweaters and sweatshirts in those situations.

Following our recent exploration of buying a house in town, Marlene and I have decided to stay in Upland. I am currently in the process of completing the siding on our house, as shown in the photo below.

We plan to add an extension to the west side of the house later this year or next. It will provide us with a first-floor bedroom, a bathroom, and additional living space with south-facing windows. We are considering accessibility as we age.

The addition will be heated by a propane stove. This will allow us to leave the house unattended during the winter months, a luxury we do not currently have. When my grandmother died in February 2005, we had a friend stay at our house while we traveled to Maine for the funeral. Someone had to keep the woodstove burning.

When I was a child, my parents used two woodstoves to heat their old farmhouse. They still only had the two woodstoves for heat years later, as they got older.

One particularly cold winter day, my stepfather called. He and my mother were both sick with the flu. They were so ill that they couldn’t even get out of bed to light the woodstoves. My father asked me in a weak voice if I could come over and start the stoves.

I had no idea they were sick. Because they lived only three miles away, I arrived less than five minutes after hanging up the phone. When I opened the door, the house was freezing. The stoves were completely out, with no flames or even hot coals.

Following that incident, my stepfather installed a propane furnace in the basement.

We don’t have a proper basement here. However, a propane-fired stove in the addition will suffice to keep the house warm. At least, that’s the idea.

We are still capable and willing to continue using a woodstove as our primary source of heat for the time being. However, I’ve been considering getting a new one for the past couple of years. I tend to overthink things before acting on them.

Fortunately, I am acquainted with Bob Rozonni, the proprietor of Holy Smoke in Dryden, New York. Despite not having seen Bob in years, we share a bond because we both prepared for the Y2K problem together. We were a close-knit group of people who met regularly and took the situation seriously. We assisted one another in learning new skills and obtaining supplies in order to be better prepared for the collapse of civilization.

Bob has been in the woodstove industry for four decades. He is an expert on woodstoves. I was confident that he would guide me toward the ideal woodstove for my requirements. To put it simply, I trust Bob.

So Marlene and I scheduled an appointment to meet with Bob and look at his woodstove showroom. Bob’s showroom is at his house, which is located on a secluded country road. He only sees clients by appointment. When you have a solid reputation, you can run your business in this manner.

I’d done some online research on woodstoves. I was leaning toward a soapstone stove. Performance was more important than price, and I’d heard that soapstone woodstoves would provide the performance we required. They also appealed to me aesthetically.

Bob had soapstone stoves in his showroom but advised me against getting one. He suggested that a Regency stove would be preferable for my home. He was aware that we only heated with wood and that I desired a stove that would reliably last at least thirty years. We examined the other stoves, but Bob kept bringing us back to the Regency display model, which had a fire going.

I mentioned that I liked the idea of soapstone absorbing heat from the fire and releasing it slowly as the fire died down. He informed me that I could achieve the same result by placing soapstone slabs on top of the Regency. I could even use soapstone in place of the firebrick inside the Regency stove.

Bob persuaded us on the Regency’s advantages and practicality. He has one in his own home. Both of his installers have Regency stoves in their homes. There are more attractive wood stoves available, but Bob assured me that the Regency is an exceptionally good stove.

We ended up buying one. Bob and his team installed it a few weeks ago. They removed the old Vermont Castings and placed it on the dock at my shop. I’ve given it to one of my sons to use, sell, or give away. It still has some value left. I’ve heard that some people dismantle, clean, and restore old Vermont Castings stoves. Bob, on the other hand, believes it is not worth the effort. The newer stoves, he claims, are superior.

After being installed in place of my old stove, the new Regency didn’t look too bad. It actually fit the corner hearth better than the Vermont Castings. One of Bob’s installers stated that I would find the Regency to be a significant improvement over my previous stove. He compared it to driving a Ferrari after driving a Volkswagen.

Here’s a photo of the Regency in our living room:

The imitation brick on the wall is a little outdated. I intend to replace it with ceramic tile at some point. Behind the facade, there is a one-inch air gap. Over the years, my brick hearth has held up remarkably well.

If you look closely, you’ll notice a soapstone slab on the stove’s front surface. Around the stovepipe, a second slab will be installed on the back surface (I’m waiting for it to arrive). So, in a way, I do have a soapstone woodstove.

Bob had told me that once I experienced how good this new stove is, I would wish I had purchased it years ago. He was absolutely correct.

Starting a fire is now much easier. Controlling the fire is also simpler. It’s even easier to load the wood. The wood burns more efficiently, and there’s no smoke in the house when the door is opened. It has an ash bin underneath. And it produces a significant amount of heat!

I never imagined a woodstove could perform as well as this one. Using it is pure joy. Our previous woodstove paled in comparison to this Ferrari. I’m already anticipating next winter.

The only drawback of this new stove is its lack of a traditional design. However, when it comes down to it, I’ll always choose function over form.

And, for the first time, we have a view of the fire.