Log burner installation cost
Two things set the price: the stove you choose and how the smoke gets out. A mid-range stove into a sound chimney with a new liner usually comes to about £1,700 to £3,200; with no chimney and a twin-wall flue, about £2,600 to £4,800. Use the estimator for your own house.
Estimated total, including VAT
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A guide, not a quote. These are national figures; London and the South East often sit at the top of each range. A fitter prices your job after seeing the chimney or the flue route.
Typical totals, stove included
Whole jobs, including VAT, with a hearth plate. These are the same figures the estimator uses.
| Installation | Stove | Typical total |
|---|---|---|
| Into a sound chimney, with a liner | Budget | £1,550 to £2,800 |
| Into a sound chimney, with a liner | Mid-range | £1,850 to £3,600 |
| Twin-wall flue, no chimney | Budget | £2,450 to £4,400 |
| Twin-wall flue, no chimney | Mid-range | £2,750 to £5,200 |
| Chimney repaired first, then lined | Mid-range | £2,600 to £5,400 |
What each extra adds
| Item | When | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hearth plate | Glass, slate or granite, 12 mm or more | £150 to £400 |
| Built hearth | Constructional hearth with wall protection | £300 to £1,000 |
| Opening up a fireplace | Removing a fire or blocking, lintel, making good | £300 to £1,200 |
| Chimney repointing | The whole stack | £450 to £1,200 |
| Flaunching | New mortar round the pot | £150 to £300 |
| Lead flashing repair | Where the stack meets the roof | £150 to £350 |
| Scaffold | Tall stacks, repairs or twin-wall on the outside | £300 to £600 |
| Sweep before fitting | If the flue has been used | £70 to £100 |
| Council building notice | Only if the fitter is not on a competent person scheme | £370 to £530 |
What pushes the price up or down
The stove. A plain 5 kW steel stove from a reputable maker starts at around £400. Cast iron, bigger outputs, boilers, tall log stores and big glass windows take it up to £3,500 or more. In a smoke control area you need a Defra-exempt model, which most current Ecodesign stoves are.
The flue. Lining a chimney is the cheaper route. A twin-wall flue costs more in materials and carpentry, and more again if it runs through two floors and a loft.
The chimney itself. A stack that needs repointing, new flaunching or new lead flashing adds a few hundred pounds each, plus scaffold. It is far cheaper to do this while the scaffold is up for the liner than to come back later.
Who signs it off. A HETAS-registered installer includes certification in the price. If the fitter is not registered, add the council’s building notice fee, typically £370 to £530.
When you book. Fitters are busiest from September to January. Booking a survey in spring or summer gives you more choice and less waiting.
Where these prices come from
Ranges are read from national UK price guides written for homeowners, all including VAT and checked November 2026: a trades quote marketplace’s log burner installation guide (updated October 2026), its chimney liner guide (September 2026) and chimney repointing guide (October 2026), and a national tradesperson directory’s installation price guide. We do not link to them because they are commercial sites. Totals are the sum of the parts shown, rounded to £50.
Questions about the cost
How much does it cost to install a log burner?
- With a mid-range stove, about £1,700 to £3,200 into an existing chimney with a liner, or £2,600 to £4,800 with a twin-wall flue. Fitting alone, stove not included, is about £1,000 to £1,700 with a liner.
What is the cheapest way to get a wood burner?
- A small, budget stove into a sound chimney that only needs lining. Budget stoves start at about £400. The flue and fitting cost the same whatever the stove, so they make up most of a cheap job.
Is VAT charged on log burner installation?
- In most homes, yes, at the standard 20%. The figures on this page include it. Ask the installer to show VAT separately on the quote.
Why do quotes vary so much?
- The state of the chimney, its height and how easy it is to reach, the liner grade, the hearth, and how much making good is needed. Two quotes for the same stove can differ by over £1,000 for those reasons alone.
Does a log burner add value to a house?
- Estate agents often say a stove makes a house more appealing, but there is no official figure. What matters at sale time is the HETAS certificate or building control sign-off; without it a buyer’s solicitor will ask questions.
What does a log burner cost to run?
- It depends on what you pay for logs and how much you burn. Seasoned logs bought locally in bulk are usually cheaper per unit of heat than kiln-dried logs delivered in bags.
More on stoves and flues
- Chimney liner installation
What a liner does and why most chimneys need one.
- Twin-wall flue installation
The no-chimney route in detail.
- Log burner rules and regulations
What the law asks for before you buy.
- Hearths for log burners
Sizes and materials.
Get a quote for your stove
Start with a postcode. A few details about the room and the chimney (or the lack of one) let a fitter give you a sensible first figure before they visit.
Free to use. We tell you which registered installer we have in mind before anyone else sees your details.
Thank you. Here is what happens next.
- We look for a HETAS-registered stove installer who works in your area and fits stoves in homes like yours.
- We get in touch by email or phone to say who they are. Nothing is passed on until you tell us that is fine.
- With your go-ahead, they arrange a visit to look at the chimney or flue route, then send you a written price. No marketing follows.