What is the best wood to burn?
The best firewood is simply dry firewood. Here is how to spot logs under 20% moisture, what the Ready to Burn label means, how to season…
Heaton's streets and the homes on them
Most of Heaton was built up between the late Victorian years and the First World War, laid out as a grid of long, straight terraces running off Chillingham Road and Heaton Road. Many of those terraces are Tyneside flats, with a front door for the ground-floor flat and one beside it for the flat upstairs. Further north, High Heaton has a mix of later houses, including inter-war and post-war homes.
Rooms in the flats are compact, often two or three main rooms plus a kitchen, and most have a chimney breast in the front room. That shapes almost every decision about a stove here.
Sizing a stove for a smaller room
The most common mistake in Heaton is a stove that is too powerful for the room. A large stove in a modest front room has to be turned right down to stay comfortable, and a stove starved of air burns dirty, blackens the glass and coats the flue. A compact, lower-output model is usually the better choice for a Tyneside flat front room.
Our guide to stove sizing explains how output relates to room volume, insulation and window area. Clearances matter too: in a narrow alcove, a stove with a smaller footprint leaves room for a legal hearth without dominating the space.
Upstairs or downstairs: getting the paperwork right
A Tyneside flat comes with a neighbour attached, and the chimney stack is one of the parts you are most likely to share. Before any work on the stack itself, it pays to read your title or lease and find out who owns and repairs the roof and chimney. Arrangements vary from pair to pair, so do not assume they match the house next door.
- Talk to the other flat early. Scaffolding, a new cowl or work at the pot affects both households, and a friendly conversation before a survey saves delays later.
- Get agreement in writing where the other owner or a freeholder holds rights over the stack.
- Party wall rules may apply if work means cutting into a wall shared with the next pair of flats. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 sets out when notice is needed.
- Check your insurance and any mortgage terms before a solid fuel appliance goes in.
We can explain what the flue work involves so you can describe it clearly to your neighbour, but agreements between owners are for you to settle, and legal questions are best taken to a solicitor.
Back lanes, yards and storing fuel
Heaton's back lanes are useful on installation day, because access to the rear of the stack is often easier from the lane. Scaffold on a back lane or pavement may need a licence from the council, which the scaffolder normally arranges.
Fuel storage is the next question. Many yards still have an old coal house or outhouse, which can make a dry, ventilated log store. Logs need air around them and a roof over them, and logs sold in bags or loads under 2 cubic metres have to be certified Ready to Burn. If space is tight, a multi-fuel stove gives the option of burning authorised smokeless fuel, which is denser to store. Our comparison of wood burners and multi-fuel stoves sets out the differences.
Smoke control in Heaton
Heaton sits within Newcastle's single, city-wide smoke control area. If you want to burn logs, the stove must be on the government's exempt appliance list and used with the fuels its manufacturer states. Heaton's streets are tightly packed, so neighbours notice smoke quickly. A correctly sized, exempt stove burning dry wood is the best way to avoid complaints. The city-wide rules are covered on our main Newcastle page.
Rented flats and student lets
Heaton is popular with students from both universities and with young renters. Landlords adding a stove must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the room and should leave clear written instructions on fuel and safe use. Some streets in Heaton fall within Article 4 areas that control changes of use to shared houses, which is a separate planning matter from fitting a stove but worth knowing if you own a let.
From survey to handover
The survey covers the fireplace, the full flue and stack, the hearth, ventilation and access from the lane. You then get a written, itemised quote. Prices depend heavily on the flue and access, so every home is different and figures are only confirmed after a visit. See our guide to typical installation costs for indicative ranges.
Every installation is finished with a CO alarm in the room, then registered through a competent person scheme like HETAS or approved by the council's Building Control service. To book a survey in Heaton, send Northcrest Stoves an enquiry.
