John
The fireplace looks wonderful and I love the fact that you only have to stoke it 1 or 2 times a day yet it continues to provide heat long after the fire is out. I also burn wood to help heat the house and love the warmth and ambiance it provides, but I use a conventional airtight fireplace insert. It provides great heat when it's going but I have to continually stoke it every couple hours. If I go out for 3-4 hours, I'm lucky if there are a few coals left to get it going again. Your system will be way less hassle and time to operate. If I ever move I'll have to consider going the route you have.
How many cords of wood do you think you might burn in a fall/winter/spring cycle? I go through about 2 cords (assuming I cut that much or more the preceeding spring while out and about in the woods) but I only burn intermittently for the reasons mentioned above.
Paul
