How much does a cord of firewood cost in the Asheville area?

Where a Cord's Heat Actually Goes

An open masonry firebox drafts hard, so most of the warmth from every log rides straight up the chimney, and between fires it pulls heated air out of the house. In Arden's tired open hearths, that means you can burn a lot of wood and still feel a cold room — the cords are working against a fireplace built to lose heat.

So the honest question isn't where to find cheap firewood; it's whether an open hearth is worth feeding at all.

If You Keep Burning

Buy a true full cord — 128 cubic feet, not a face cord one row deep — and buy green in spring so it seasons under about 20% moisture by fall. Wet, fall-bought wood smokes, gives little heat, and coats the flue with creosote — a bad combination in an already-inefficient open fireplace.

The Insert That Ends the Cord Habit

Drop a sealed insert into that open firebox and it stops the draft and captures the heat — commonly 70% efficient or better versus an open fireplace that can run a net heat loss. On Arden's natural-gas mains, a gas insert means real warmth at the flip of a switch. We permit with Buncombe County. We're 15 minutes south; call (828) 545-0525.