I suggest you look at the Napoleon GD70NT and FPX HH. The HH has a more realistic flame and nicer options. They should price out comparatively. THe lowest flame on FPX looks nicer than the Mendota, but it is personal preferance. Try to find a dealer that has all 3 models in their showroom so you can see all 3 at the same time.

I am in your position: we are building an addition on our kitchen, creating a 650 sq ft kitchen. We are putting in a zero clearance wood fireplace if we can find one that works for us.If I could get it here, I would install a Fireplace Xtrordinaire by Travis Industries. We have one in our place back east on Lake Champlain and love it. When I did my research, it seemed great and when I looked at it in the showroom, I was sold and so was my wife. It is not cheap.

Unfortunately, my choices in the southern Rockies are limited to HeatnGlo, Vt Castings (no longer made in Vermont), and Napoleon. Napoleon is well liked around here and throws a lot of heat. Unfortunately their smallest unit is too much fireplace for what we are doing. HeatnGlo is a big company. I do not know much beyond that about them. The one from them I like best is the NorthStar. BTW, it is a trivial exercise to pull a header from a 2x6 wall and replace it with a header framed for a 2^4 wall. That should not determine the choice of fireplace.

If we do not find what we want, we will make the opening look like a masonry fireplace and put a Hearthstone or Vt castings high efficiency wood stove in front of it. That is a very typical "country" look and frankly is a better choice if your criterion is getting useful heat from the unit.

Will

I absolutely love my Mendota and have had it for 5 years with zero problems. I do get it surfaced each year when I get my furnace serviced. Puts out an unreal amount of heat, with the blower on I can heat the entire first floor of my home. So much better than the gas log POC we had before it. The only issue I have had is with the freakin' stink bugs that are so prevalent in the Mid Atlantic now. I will make a separate post on this.

Kstuy, what did you end up deciding and why? We are making the same decision. I am mostly concerned with how it looks and we have not been able to easily see the two units side by side. I would love to know what happened. Thanks.

Mendota gas fire place are unreliable, I've had numerous problems, 3 thermocouples, and the front burner replaced in less than 5 years. Products arn't warranted or at least the dealer doesn't warrant the fireplace. I wouldn't recommend Mendonta