Should I stock up on firewood before winter, and how early should I order it?
Yes — order green firewood in spring so it seasons all summer. Out in Mars Hill's Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, many homes run on propane or wood rather than a gas main, and this is one of the colder corners we serve, so wood earns its keep. Buy early, while green wood is cheap and easy to find.
Wood-and-propane country
Beyond the university, Mars Hill spreads into rural valleys — Spring Creek, Gabriels Creek, Forks of Ivy — where a gas main often isn't an option and homes lean on propane and wood. At one of the colder spots we serve, a hearth does serious work through a long Madison County winter, so the woodpile isn't an afterthought. Buy on the generous side for how hard you actually burn, and get it in early enough to season fully.
Around the university
Closer to campus, demand skews toward easy-use fireplaces that rental tenants can run without a learning curve, and gas often wins there for flip-a-switch simplicity. But if your place burns wood, dry fuel is what makes it easy: seasoned wood lights fast and clean, while green wood is the source of the smoky, frustrating fires nobody wants to babysit. Have the fireplace checked before the academic year's cold weather sets in.
Season and store it
Freshly split hardwood is heavy with water and needs months of sun and moving air to burn clean and hot, so buy green in spring and stack it by the cord — off the ground, cut faces to the sun, top covered, sides open. Wet wood wastes its heat and glazes the chimney with creosote. Call (828) 545-0525 to get your flue inspected before you're depending on it.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.