Keep Your Family Warm and Safe—No Matter What

No—most homes rely on natural gas furnaces tied into the Spire Missouri pipeline network, and newer construction rarely includes a masonry chimney built for cordwood. Still, a subset of homeowners in Hazelwood's older 1950s and 60s ranch neighborhoods have existing brick fireplaces that can be fitted with a wood-burning insert, and some households near the Missouri River bottoms keep a wood stove as backup heat for when ice storms take out the grid.

Because wood isn't a mainstream request here, pricing tends to track broader regional averages rather than a deep local market: expect roughly $4,000-$8,500 for a full wood stove install with new Class A chimney pipe, or $3,500-$6,500 for an insert into one of the existing masonry fireplaces common in Hazelwood's ranch-era homes. Get a firm quote from a local hearth dealer, since relatively few installers in this market specialize in wood-burning work.

Hazelwood sits well outside any national forest boundary—the nearest public land with self-cut firewood permits is Mark Twain National Forest, roughly three hours south, which isn't practical for a regular supply. Almost everyone burning wood here buys seasoned cordwood from local firewood delivery services instead. Oak and hickory are the most common species sold around St. Louis County, with walnut and maple also turning up from local tree removal companies; expect to pay somewhere around $200-$300 per cord delivered.

Yes. A new solid-fuel appliance requires a building permit through the City of Hazelwood, and the unit itself needs to meet current EPA 2020 NSPS emissions standards. Because wood installs are infrequent locally compared to gas or electric retrofits, it's worth confirming the exact permitting steps directly with the building department rather than assuming a contractor has run the process recently.

A few practical reasons line up. Winters here are moderate by national standards—average lows around 24°F and roughly 4,400 heating degree days, well short of what a place like Bismarck, ND or Duluth, MN sees—so a gas furnace comfortably handles the season without supplemental heat. Lots in Hazelwood's post-war subdivisions are also tighter than rural Missouri properties, which limits woodshed and stacking space, and Spire Missouri's gas lines already reach nearly every block, making a gas insert the simpler retrofit for most homeowners.

Yes, and it's the most common wood-related project we see in Hazelwood. Many of the ranch and split-level homes built here in the 1950s and 60s have an existing masonry fireplace that was designed for occasional, low-output wood burning rather than real heat. A certified insert with a stainless steel liner turns that fireplace into a genuine heat source and is usually the easiest path to wood heat without any new chimney construction.

It's one of the better reasons to consider it. St. Louis County has seen ice storms take down power for days at a time, and a wood stove or insert keeps burning without electricity, aside from an optional blower fan. For homeowners who prioritize storm resilience over daily convenience, wood remains a legitimate, if less common, choice in this market.

Given the moderate climate here—around 4,400 heating degree days and winter lows in the mid-20s—most Hazelwood homes need a small to mid-size stove for supplemental or backup heat rather than a large unit built for sub-zero climates. A stove rated for roughly 1,000-1,800 square feet typically covers a main living area comfortably; a local dealer can size it precisely based on your insulation and layout.

For most homes here, gas wins on convenience: Spire Missouri's natural gas network reaches nearly every neighborhood, gas inserts install faster, and there's no wood handling or ash cleanup. Wood makes sense in narrower cases—a home with an existing masonry fireplace, a household that wants storm-proof backup heat, or someone drawn to the ambiance and lower running cost of burning oak or hickory instead of paying for gas. If either describes your situation, a local dealer can walk you through both options side by side.

An insert does two things: it seals the chimney completely, so you stop losing air you already paid to heat, and it radiates warmth into the room through the firebox and glass. Most add a heat-exchange fan that pulls cool room air underneath, wraps it around the hot firebox, and pushes it back out warm. Your home is more efficient before you've even lit the first fire.

New wood stoves are 70%+ efficient, so far less heat goes up the flue—which also means less draft to get a fire established. The rule: build a genuinely hot fire for about 45 minutes before you choke it down. Skip that and you get smoke in the room, creosote in the chimney, and a fire that never takes off. Most performance complaints trace straight back to this.

It's a visit where a hearth professional measures your space, confirms the model you picked actually works in your home, and walks the specs—framing, gas line, venting, finish work—before anything is ordered. Some details you just can't know until you see the house. Never make a down payment without one; it's the single most-skipped step that burns buyers.

Yes—by creating a comfort zone. A furnace heats every square foot of the house just to warm the one room you're in; a gas fireplace on low burns roughly a sixth of the gas a typical furnace does. Set the furnace around 55–60 degrees as a baseline, then heat the rooms your family actually uses. Families who heat this way commonly save $20–$60 a month.