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Wood burners in shepherd's huts
A stove makes a hut, but it has to be the right size and fitted to the rules for small leisure units.
The short answer: a wood burner in a shepherd's hut should be installed to HETAS Technical Note TN_0023. That means a stove of 7kW or less, a non-combustible hearth, a twin-wall insulated flue, a permanent air vent and a fixed carbon monoxide alarm.1 In practice most huts need only 3 to 4kW.23
The rules for stoves in huts
Building regulations don't apply to huts that are caravans, but HETAS, the scheme for solid fuel installers, has published a technical note for "leisure accommodation units", naming shepherd's huts. Installers follow Approved Document J "where practical".1 Its main requirements:1
- A freestanding stove of 7kW or less, tested to BS EN 13240, with efficiency above 65%.
- A non-combustible hearth extending at least 150mm each side of the stove and 225mm in front.
- The stove fixed down if the hut may be moved.
- A twin-wall insulated flue at least 2m long, ending at least 600mm above a non-combustible roof, or at least 1.8m above a combustible roof such as timber or felt.
- A permanent air vent of 550mm² per kW, placed where it can't easily be blocked.
- A fixed carbon monoxide alarm 1m to 3m from the stove, and a notice plate in the hut.
What size stove?
The HETAS note suggests about 3kW for a space of up to 30m³, rising to 7kW for 90m³ or more.1 Most huts are at or below the 30m³ bottom of that table, which is why makers warn against going big: hut maker Plankbridge says no more than 3 or 4kW2, and stove maker Salamander says "a 5kW stove would be far too powerful".3 An oversized stove makes a hut too hot to sit in.
Using it safely
- Burn dry wood with less than 20% moisture.1
- Have the chimney swept at least twice a year, as the HETAS note advises, ideally before you light the stove after a long gap.1
- Check the carbon monoxide alarm regularly, and never block the air vent.
If you let the hut in England, the Home Office fire safety guide for paying guests also advises a carbon monoxide detector, a spark guard, a big enough hearth to keep rugs clear and a metal ash bin.4
Questions people ask
Do you need a CO alarm in a shepherd's hut?
Yes, with a wood burner. The HETAS technical note for huts requires a fixed carbon monoxide alarm 1m to 3m from the stove.1
Do building regulations apply to a stove in a shepherd's hut?
Not to a hut that is a caravan, but installers should follow HETAS Technical Note TN_0023, which applies Approved Document J where practical.1
Related guides
Buying guide
Letting a hutSources
- HETAS, April 2020 (copy hosted by The Kent Stove Company), HETAS Technical Note TN_0023: leisure accommodation units.
- Maker's own website (manufacturer claim), checked 23 Oct 2026, Plankbridge buyer's guide.
- Salamander Stoves (stove maker), Installing a wood burner into a shepherd's hut.
- Home Office, A guide to making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire.