For heat I got a Soapstone Hearthstone Heritage. It puts out all the heat I need to accomadate 1600 sq ft addition & upstairs bedroom. Didn't need the "warm furniture" argument or the its a work of 'art' to convince an old timer like me that it was too rich for my current budget.

As far as maintenance I vacuum the unit out maybe once per week when I really get going building fires in Mid Winter. Honestly; we haven't had many rough winters in the past 8 years in Virginia.
Took the extra $$ when building & put it in more insulation and a Solar Water heater system. The wife is happy.

I wanted to put one of them in my house, but because of the weight of the stove 3 to 4 thousand pounds I could not put it my living room. If you are building a house then you can do it a lot easier. I did take a look at them at a dealer up in CT Dean's stove and spa. They are beautiful but cost a lot. The pricing starts around 6 grand for the smallest stove and they have to be built onsite. What I did for my 1450 sq. ft. home is put in a Hearthstone Soapstone wood stove, the Mansfield which is the biggest they make it weights 600 Lbs and puts out a max BTU of 80'000. It heats my whole house and it does not blow you out of the room like a cast-iron stove can. The stone retains the heat much better than any cast-iron stove. With a Hearthstone stove you get the best of both for a lot less money.