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…
Sunderland homes and stoves
Sunderland has a house type you will not find in many other cities: the Sunderland cottage. These single-storey terraced homes, mostly built between about 1860 and 1910, still line streets in Millfield, Pallion, Hendon, High Barnes, Fulwell and Ryhope. They sit alongside two-storey Victorian terraces, the larger villas of Ashbrooke and Thornhill, seaside terraces at Roker and Seaburn, and later estates across the south and west of the city.
That variety means there is no single standard installation. A stove in a Sunderland cottage, a three-storey Ashbrooke house and a 1960s semi each needs a different plan.
Fitting a stove in a Sunderland cottage
Sunderland cottages were built with coal fires, so many still have a chimney breast in the front room. Being single storey, they raise some particular points:
- Flue height. A short chimney on a single-storey roof can struggle to draw, especially where taller buildings stand nearby. Building Regulations set minimum flue heights and terminal positions, and a survey checks whether the existing stack meets them.
- Room size. Front rooms are often compact, so a smaller stove is usually the better choice. An oversized stove simply overheats the room. Our guide to choosing the right stove size explains why.
- Loft conversions and dormers. Many cottages have been extended into the roof, which can change the flue route and the position of the terminal.
- Floors and hearths. Suspended timber floors are common, so the hearth has to be built to keep combustible materials at a safe distance from the stove.
The long, narrow plan of a cottage also means heat from a front-room stove will not easily reach the bedrooms at the back. It is worth being realistic about what one stove can do. Our article on whether one stove is better than two looks at this.
Smoke control in Sunderland
Sunderland City Council states that Sunderland has been declared a smoke control area under the Clean Air Act. In practice, this means you should plan for either:
- A Defra-exempt stove if you want to burn wood, or
- A multi-fuel stove burning authorised smokeless fuel.
Since the Environment Act 2021, councils in England can issue civil penalties for smoke from chimneys in smoke control areas. We will confirm the position for your address and only recommend stoves that suit it.
Chimney and flue options
Lining an old chimney
Victorian and Edwardian chimneys were built for open coal fires, and over time the mortar and parging inside break down. Fitting a flexible flue liner seals the flue and sizes it correctly for the stove.
Homes without a chimney
Some post-war and modern houses in areas such as Doxford Park and Silksworth have no flue at all. A twin-wall flue, run internally or up an outside wall, is the usual answer. See fitting a wood burner without a chimney for what is involved.
Seafront homes
Houses at Roker and Seaburn face the North Sea. Exposed stacks and flues need careful detailing, and wind can cause downdraught on some roofs.
Choosing a stove
A multi-fuel stove is a practical choice in a smoke control area, as it lets you burn authorised smokeless fuel. If you would rather burn logs, a Defra-exempt wood burner is the right fit. Replacing an old stove with an Ecodesign model is often straightforward if the existing liner is sound. The sale of traditional house coal has now been phased out in England, so anyone still running an old coal fire will need to change fuel in any case.
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Sunderland has 14 conservation areas, including Ashbrooke, Roker Park, Old Sunderland, Sunniside, Bishopwearmouth, The Cedars and Ryhope Village. An external flue, or alterations to a stack or roof, may need planning permission in a conservation area, and listed buildings may need listed building consent for many works. Check with Sunderland City Council's planning team before work starts.
From enquiry to handover
- Send us an enquiry with a few details about your home.
- We carry out a survey of the chimney or flue route, hearth and room.
- We recommend a stove and flue that suit the property.
- You receive a written quote, as every home is different.
- We install the liner or flue, prepare the hearth and fit the stove.
- At handover we explain how to run it. The work is certified through a competent person scheme such as HETAS or signed off by Building Control, and a carbon monoxide alarm is fitted, as required in England for a new or replacement solid fuel appliance.
Request a free quote
Whether you live in a Millfield cottage or a Roker terrace, contact Northcrest Stoves for a free survey and an honest view of what will work.
