In the soapstone-rich Blue Ridge Mountains, Steve encountered the European tradition of masonry heaters. After building several different designs of high-mass masonry heaters, he became a dealer/installer for Tulikivi in 1986, and a member of the Masonry Heater Association of North America in the year of its inception.

A move to Orcas Island in 1990 found Steve and his crew completing small to large-scale residential projects on a half-dozen islands in the San Juans, and for a number of out-of-state clients for whom only a Hot Rock fireplace would do. Searching for a superior masonry heater line to represent led Steve to Cologne, Germany, where engineer Werner Willach manufactures his exceptionally efficient heaters.

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