Hi samkosky. We had two of these very efficient heaters until a friend, who works as a specialist 'tester' for Energy Safe Victoria, visited and inspected them. (We had no idea but these old heaters have been deadly, sadly.) Your Plumber and Gasfitter should be able to test them for safety, I believe and will also know the models that should be dismantled. Yours may be safe, but you do need to check. We had to get the plasterer in after we got them removed, of course. (We replaced them with split systems, up high, so no issues with furniture placement or efficiency. Not cheap but really work well and look good - and are safe.) Good luck with yours.

Stanislas Piechaczek A wood heater with a fan built into a chimney breast is a great addition to a room and makes a great focal point. Work out the m2 of the space you need to heat to make sure you choose the right one for the job. Some options have a zero clearance firebox meaning you can frame up next to the heater. Check the specs to see what the options are flues. Here are a couple of options http://www.pivotstove.com.au/catalogue/wood/inbuilt-zero-clearance-wood depending on floorplan and budget, there are double sided wood burners from Axis You can plan to have built in joinery as part of the fireplace area to complete the feature. Best wishes

buying wood cost us at least twice the price of gas just for space heating and then we had to transport and find undercover space (away from the house because of the risk of white ants) for a pile about 2m x 2m for the season and then regularly clean out the flue and the heater but it depends on your wood supply and if you have access to natural gas or LPG.. Gas heaters and wood heaters seem to have a similar price tag but in a cold climate if i had the time to look after a wood heater i would choose the most efficient wood burning combustion stove for cooking, hot water and heating and have an electric stove, gas log fire and solar hot water and electricity to subsidise the power bills when i can't be bothered with wood or supply is interrupted...enjoy your new home

We had one with the two little doors and pretend coal inside. After a few months the bulb blew, so we bought another, but seems the flame thing actually stopped working, not the bulb...the bulb although new, didn't get the flames working again unfortunately, as it was really really good! This was a portable one, 10 yrs ago, and we still have it, and use it for the heater. A wall one would look great! I think they are perfect for what you need...not naff at all. And cheap if you just run the flame and not the heat.