As you say you have a small house, don't get tempted to buy a large stove, even if it is a secondhand bargain; it will either be running at 'tick-over' which doesn't help to keep the stove glass or chimney clean or you will be going into melt down!
It will pay to get the chimney lined at the outset if you plan to make the stove a permanent feature (it may be a legal requirement now, I think it also has to be fitted by a suitably qualified person). A decent stove specialist should be able to advise you on the optimum stove for your property.
I have a Villager stove which is British made and mainly constructed from steel as oposed to cast iron; I have had no problems with it. Although it is designed to burn multi-fuel (wood, coal peat etc) I don't really bother with anything other than wood. It can be lit from cold in a matter of seconds.
The amount of air you let the stove have together with a decent flue height will affect the burn rate. The actual heat output is a bit ambiguous as it depends not only on the quantity of fuel in your stove but the type and quality; cheap softwood waste offcuts from the timber yard or salvaged from skips can burn hot and quick whereas hardwood logs may take a while to get going but they'll burn slower. I find a mix of hard and softwood works well. Make sure any logs you get are well seasoned and dry. Buying logs can be a bit hit and miss; often sold by the 'load', but varies depending what the vendor drives...
Make sure you make provision to store your wood in a dry, well ventilated area.
You'll probably never want to go back to central heating once you have a woodburner. Best of luck.
