Tiny houses need to follow a specific aesthetic. It’s not about what you prefer but what the architecture and design of your house demands.
Since we’re talking about stoves here, let’s take that as an example. A big metallic stove with a lot of fancy equipment looks out of place for a wooden themed, furnished house. The texture, the material, and the size don’t go well.
Buying Guide for the Best Wood Stoves
It’s time to give you a small buying guide, just to be sure that you buy the right stuff for yourself every time you do.
Fuel Type
What is a stove without fuel but an empty black box of steel and iron? Fuel is the soul of the stove, and you should pay keen attention to it whenever you buy a stove—especially stoves for tiny houses, where resources can sometimes become scarce.
Some stoves can only use either wood or coal as fuel but not both. While others are pretty much versatile in their choice of fuel and do not discriminate between different fuels. There are also stoves out there that use propane or sometimes even natural gas for fuel.
Always make sure the choice of fuel fits your needs. If you live nearby a jungle, then a wood-fueled stove is preferable since it will be financially less straining.
Material
We know that the material of anything determines its durability. Still, in stoves, they choose the durability and heat retention and the stove’s overall safety.
A stove made of cast iron is going to get very hot very soon. But it also means that you’re not supposed to touch any part of the stove other than a handle. Do touch only if you want the smell of burning flesh to swim across your house.
A cast-iron without an internal lining or firebricks is going to get cold very soon as well. The same is the steel case.
Make sure that whatever stove you’re buying has an internal lining or fire bricks or both. These will ensure maximum heat retention while making sure your stove doesn’t go cold rapidly.
Weight
Although insignificant for many other products, not for tiny house stoves. Or a stove bought for an RV, a van, or for camping purposes.
If you’re planning to buy a wood stove for a tiny house and plan to keep it in its place for the long term. Then go ahead and buy it by all means, because in this case, the weight is pretty much insignificant.
But if you’re buying the stove for camping purposes, or your RV, then considering the weight is a must since you’ll be moving the stove around for quite a bit.
The stoves which are the most lightweight are the best for camping purposes or for someone who moves a lot. Most of the lightweight stoves feature a wide cooking surface and make them the perfect fit for such purposes.
Hence, if you’re confused about what your next stove should be for your cute tiny house because you’re at the crossroads between your liking and your house’s preference, don’t worry. Here are the best stoves for tiny houses.
The Dwarf 3kw Wood Stoves For Tiny House
For the tiny houses that offer little space for a stove, this is one perfect. Both in aesthetics and size. It’s so small as it can fit in a van or an RV, any space under 300sq’s, and it will fit in nicely.
Field with wood and coal, this cute stove weighs only 65lbs. This makes it very lightweight to carry around and switch its position from time to time.
Plus, it just fulfills the aesthetic. Brings a classic, old times, vintage theme to your house. It’s small, but that doesn’t mean it lacks essential features. Here are some pros and cons.
Pros
- Great heat retention. The cast iron door and firebricks make sure heat is distributed evenly
- Large windows on the door to enjoy the fire
- The 3 level air control gives full flexibility on how bright you want your flames to burn
- Easy cleanup. The ash pan collects all the ashes, ready for disposal
Cons
- No cons
England’s Stove Works Survivor 12-CSS “Cub” Portable Wood Stove
This classical looking wood stove is just the one you need to take you back to old times. The company boasts that this is the perfect stove for both indoors and outdoors. And perhaps they’re not wrong.
The stove weighs only 38lbs. It’s pretty small. It gives a 5-hour continuous burn, and its legs are fit-inside removable style, which means more ease in transportation.
The stove is quite sturdy, and its walls are pretty thick. This means that it will retain more heat and keep heating its environment long after the fire inside is out.
This can act as one of the best tiny house cooking stoves.
Pros
- Well built. Small and lightweight yet sturdy
- Versatile. It can be used both for cooking and heating
- Great ventilation makes smokeless
- Best choice for campings
Cons
- The door could have used a little less gap
- The air control system could’ve used a baffle for better heat transfer
CB-1008 CUB Cubic Mini Wood Stove for Tiny House
The CB-1008 CUB stove takes aesthetics and functionality to a whole new level. The color, the glass, and the metal just blend in with each other so well to give you the final masterpiece.
Designed for spaces under 200sq ft, this tiny house wood stove measures only 11 inches wide and 12 inches long. Small enough to fit on the palms of a big man. But don’t let him do that because it gets very hot.
Pros
- Easily removable top rail to expose a cooking area
- Secondary combustion system makes it virtually smokeless
- Easy to install and operate
- Requires a clearance of only 20’’ on all sides
Cons
- Only supports wood chunks of recommended sizes. Any other size will disturb the airflow and destroy the insulation too
- Removes humidity from the air, as stated by the company. This, for some people, can be uncomfortable.
Dwarf 5kw Cookstove Combo
Another one of our favorites in the Dwarf series. But unlike the 3kw, the 5kw is a combo stove—the accessory on top of the stove allows the flue gases to spread out and run through the stove; heating it up and making it cook-ready.
Unlike the lower stove, the upper stove in the Dwarf 5kw is an oven designed specifically for off-grid cooking, baking, and heating.
Like the stove, the oven is designed for maximum heat retention and is equipped with a large window to monitor the fire. Also comes with fire bricks and racks (2 shelves). The oven features a stainless steel interior lining.
Pros
- Firebox designed for heat retention
- Cast iron top cooking surface on the oven
- Easy cleanup. Features ash pan and riddling grate
- Removable oven chamber and stovetop for easier maintenance
Cons
- Not lightweight. Weights over 210lbs altogether
- A little too tall, which might be unfit for some people
Osburn 2000 Wood Burning Stove With Blower
What would you get if you were to combine cuteness with modernity and functionality? For us, it would be Osburn 2000 wood stove for a tiny house.
This little monster will burn vigorously for 8 straight hours with a maximum heat output of 70,000 BTU per hour. That’s a lot of heat to turn a cold and dark cabin into a warm and cozy one. Easily heats over 2000 sq ft of area.
The stove features stainless steel secondary air tubes for maximum burning of the wood while good quality firebricks for maximum heat retention.
Pros
- Tall legs that can be used to store wood underneath. Some models even feature drawer for that very same purpose
- Excellent heat retention thanks to firebricks and air tubes
- Heavy steel construction ensuring maximum durability
- Air wash system to keep the window clean during operation
Cons
- A little too pricey for its size
- Not lightweight. Designed to be kept in one place for long-term use.
Comparison Chart
| Product name | Dimensions | Price | Material | Weight | Fuel type |
| 1. The Dwarf 3kw | H17” x W10.25” x D8.5 | $670.00 | Cast iron and steel | 75lbs | Wood and coal |
| 2. England’s Stove Works Survivor 12-CSS “Cub” | L19.38’’ x W19.25’’ x H14’’ | $142.35 | Steel | 38lbs | Wood |
| 3. CB-1008 CUB Cubic Mini | W11” x H12’’x D10.5’’ | $579.00 | Steel and cast iron | 25lbs | Wood, Coal, pressed fire logs |
| 4. The Dwarf 5kw | H38” x W14” x D11 | $1425.00 | Steel and cast iron | Stove 150lbs, Oven 75lbs | Wood and coal |
| 5. Osburn 2000 | W27″ x 33 H1/8″ x D27″ | $2399.00 | Cast iron and steel | 390lbs | Wood |
Conclusion
And that’s it for the best wood stoves for a tiny house. They are classy; some are vintage-looking, while others are a mix of modernity and vintage both. But all of them share one common feature: they are all super warm, cozy, and serve their purposes very well.
