How much does it REALLY cost?

By Sophie Villeneuve

Sophie and Paul's new pellet stove had a certain price tag...but there was much more to consider beyond that

I love working with homeowners and making their lives better. I love being there to guide, make things happen smoothly… and to answer questions.

One of the questions I get asked all the time is: “How much does this cost?”

It might be a question about a light fixture, or an appliance, or flooring.

Or it might be like the question about a pellet stove that my husband, Paul and I were considering buying awhile ago. How much would it cost?

Paul said it would cost $4,000, because that’s what the tag said. Simple, he said.

Not so fast, I said.

The price was $4,000, sure, but we had to get it delivered.

Then we had to find a certified installer.

We had to remove the old wood stove that the pellet stove would be replacing. (We moved it aside without a plan for it yet.)

Fortunately we already had a hearth and a chimney, but if we didn’t, well, you can imagine.

The installer had to place a new liner in the chimney so it would be certified for our insurance. Delivery, installation and HST -- now the cost was $7,000.

There was an old piece of pipe from the old stove. But it was blue and the new one was black. So we went shopping for the right paint for it. We painted it and it looked great.

But then, a few months in, it started making a ticking noise. So we made a few phone calls and Google searches and discovered it needed a new blower fan.

We drove for an hour to find the part. Then we called the installer to have him replace it for us. Job done.

About six months later, when we had friends and family over, we took advantage of having strong hands available, and we finally hauled the old wood stove out of the basement.

It sat in our garage for a year. We expected to have to pay someone to take it away, but fortunately we found someone who wanted it and we gave it to them.

We managed this by ourselves. But if we had hired a company to take care of all this for us, there would have been a cost for coordination, cleaning, fuel, disposing of the old stove, labour, time. By now it would be a $9,000 stove.

Then that company would have to charge a profit to remain a viable business and carry a 5-year warranty. Cost of the stove now? $12,000. If we had to add a hearth and chimney, it would be $20,000.

So the question, “How much does it cost?” goes way beyond what the “tag” says. You have to look at all the factors, including the time it takes to source the item in the first place.

When we bought our stove, we ended up asking ourselves: were we buying a stove or a service?

Turns out it was both. Question answered.

Sophie Villeneuve is Project Development Manager at Lagois Design·Build·Renovate