About Us
Who are Stovefitter's and why do we exist?
Stovefitter's is a brand owned by JPM Ltd. (established by stove installer Julian Patrick).
Why does Stovefitter's exist? Here at Stovefitter's we think wood burning stoves are really great - life enhancing. We also believe that they have a place in assisting us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
But many people are unable to afford a wood burning stove. Not because the stove is expensive (stoves can be purchased for a few hundred pounds) but because the installation is expensive. Registered stove-fitters often charge huge sums, upwards of two thousand pounds for the install. Nothing wrong with that - they work very hard and some are very good at what they do (not all though - the majority of training courses are classroom based and some installers have little hands-on experience).
But the less able installers spoil it for the excellent installers: we have seen customers charged huge sums for substandard work and materials. Stovefitter's exists to shine a light into the trade. To give the customer the power to self install (and save a huge amount of ££££'s) or, if they are employing a fitter, to have the knowledge not to get taken for a ride.
Visit www.stovefittersmanual.co.uk for extensive DIY and regulations advice. Visit www.stovefitterswarehouse.co.uk to purchase our recommended stoves and materials at realistic prices.
Julian Patrick, Managing Director
My name is Julian Patrick, Managing Director at Stovefitter's and author of The Stove Fitter's Manual (www.stovefittersmanual.co.uk). I live in North Wales. I am not Welsh having escaped from the Midlands during the 1990's. I used to be a full-time Hetas-registered stove installer but now spend most of my time working in the shop, answering the phone or tinkering with the various Stovefitter's websites or Stovefitter's Manual.
In North Wales stove-fitting meant whizzing around in a white Land Rover having adventures. One day we would be at the coast (Conwy, Beaumaris, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and so on), the next the rugged Snowdonia mountains (Betwys-Y-Coed, Llanwrst, Llanberis, Blaenau Ffestniog). Hard work but a lot of fun; what a lot of adventures (especially with Huw who recently passed away). I met some strange people too, especially in the hills ;-)
I like North Wales - it's gritty. The sunset picture is the view from the window of my house - on this particular evening it looked like the Welsh dragon was breathing fire across the top of Conwy mountain.
North Wales was especially gritty in that winter of 2009/10. Fond memories of some hair raising journeys in the mountains (icy roads, big drops, snow chains and minus 18 degrees). I'm almost starting to yearn for another daft winter.
I live with my wife and our dog (Reg the Lurcher). No kids. Outside of work I enjoy reading, writing (still trying to make progress on the unfinished novel), jogging on the beach with the dog, fine wine and more. Also I am learning to stand-up-surf (started July 2015 first lesson Sennen Cove Cornwall).
My wife and I have a small cottage in Cornwall and, as of February 2018, are bashing it about a bit; maybe this is as close as I get to off grid ;-) And there's a big warm Wifi-enabled pub down the road should we run out of logs.
It was 2013 when I launched Stovefitter's. It started with a blog (how to fit your own stove) followed by a small shop (The Wood Stove Hut). The shop opened with just 7 stoves (all I could afford). The idea was to stove fit for three days a week and open the shop the other two days.
The Hut was actually my tatty, rented lockup with a lick of paint applied and the aesthetic creativity of my wife. It has turned out surprisingly well I feel (thank you wife). Very cosy in the winter and then with the Twin Wall Design Studio upstairs things looked good considering.
Stovefitter's took off far faster than I could ever have imagined and is now an online operation, with a warehouse and office, selling liner and stoves all over the UK and within three years we had over 250 stoves in stock. Arran joined in January 2015 and is a valued and reliable Stovefitter's representative.
As of March 2016 we are in our new premises to serve the online world: The Chapel. Check out the Twitter feed. Exciting times.
Emma Davidson joins us July 2017 and I will update this page accordingly :-)
I promise that I will never sell you anything that I do not believe to be fit for purpose and I promise that I have personally used or researched everything I do sell. As just one example our stainless steel Duraflue hanging cowls are devoid of external welds following my experience of other manufacturer's cowls failing within 18 months of being fitted due to weld corrosion.
Arran Hands, General Manager
I have worked within the stove industry for about 10 years, gaining essential product knowledge along with some installation experience. Although a lot of people see a stove as a black box, I think they all have a personality and character.
In our home we have a fantastic little wood burner which is used around the clock - making the house warm and cosy.
Bike Update........ I have another new one! After another year of hard work I've treated myself to a 2010 Yamaha R6 to carry on racing on this year. My first year is now finished and its been an absolutely amazing experience and I've even managed a couple of trophies for a 2nd and 3rd.
When I'm not on the bike my main hobby is spending time with my 11 year old daughter Elvie. Elvie likes to help out around the shop on Saturdays, she's exceptionally keen and a good worker (we may have to give her a slight wage rise). Donna and I had our first child together in February 2017. Another little girl racer to add to the family!
Elvie runs general errands (fetching the Diet Coke from Morrisons and sausages from the Cafe for the dog) and packs the items for the "Useful Items Kit" that forms a part of our Fitting pack contents. It was this or chimney sweep's assistant but she doesn't like soot.
Emma Davidson, Office & Social Media
We are pleased to welcome Emma as of July 2017.
I’m Emma, the new face at Stovefitter’s! I’m also new to the stove industry, so be gentle. I’ve already learned so much and I'm looking forward to converting my open fire into a stove this winter - if I can ever decide which log burner I want!
(Update: she did it as well, did the breakout herself! -Saltfire ST-X5)
My background is mainly social media and I’m really enjoying my role at Stovefitter’s.
Outside of work I like to take advantage of my beautiful surroundings and get outdoors with my family: walking, climbing or a spot of wild swimming, we are incredibly lucky in North Wales.
I also play for North Wales Roller Derby; roller derby is a full contact sport on roller skates and played on an oval track - with no ball. My derby name is Spider-Slam (Because Spider-Man is unequivocally the best super hero!).
Reg Harcourt-Patrick, Entertainments Manager
My name is Reg. I have a bed at home and a bed at the stove shop.
My main interests in life are food, sleep and chasing rabbits. I am actually obsessed with rabbits and dream about them constantly. I have never actually caught a rabbit. I was once in a field with more than twenty but because I tried to catch all of them I didn't catch even one.
I once stole ten frozen lamb chops and ate nine of them. I was very poorly.
Chasing rabbits and then lying in front of a hot stove and dreaming about rabbits is my idea of a good time.
I don't really know much about stoves so no good asking for me. But if you want to talk about rabbits...
