August 26th, 2026

Yes, as long as those rooms are within the same insulated envelope. Warm air naturally rises through an open staircase, and the rooms directly above the heater are often among the warmest in the house because heat radiates up through the floor. Adjacent rooms can be reached with simple convection loops (a vent near the ceiling and one near the floor), and an uninsulated interior wall behind the heater will warm and radiate into the next room. Many homes pair the heater with zoned backup heat, so a far bedroom or office can get a small boost without heating the whole house.
No, but insulation makes a big difference in how much wood you'll burn. A masonry heater works in an older, less-insulated home — Rod's first heater went into an uninsulated 1850s house — but a poorly sealed house simply needs far more wood to stay comfortable. The better insulated and sealed your home, the smaller the heater you need and the less wood it uses.