Most Vesper Homes houses are heated by Waff soapstone accumulation stoves – a smart heat battery that is ideal for low-energy and passive timber frame homes. This idea has its roots in Scandinavia, specifically in the Norwegian village of Hurdal, where Vesper Homes completed the construction of thirty passive houses in 2013. It was here that the efficiency of heat accumulation in stone was first revealed. For owner Michal Šopík, an experienced builder of low-energy homes, this project became a turning point. Not because of its scale, but because of one material that fundamentally changed his approach to heating timber frame homes – soapstone.

Soapstone stoves: heat that looks like a rock in your living room.

In Hurdal, Michal encountered something that at first glance looked like a design monolith. No noisy fan, no insert fireplace. Just a mass of stone standing in the space, naturally radiating heat. "The only source of heat in those houses was a peculiar stone stove," Michal recalls.

Until then, he only knew soapstone from textbooks – the softest mineral on the Mohs hardness scale. But in Norwegian passive homes, it revealed a completely different role: a perfect heat accumulator for low-energy buildings. Soapstone accumulation stoves work differently from what we are used to in Central Europe. You fire them briefly and intensively, the stove accumulates the heat and then releases it evenly for dozens of hours – without overheating, without temperature fluctuations.

"As soon as I discovered these accumulation stoves, it was clear that I wanted them in every low-energy and passive building we would construct," says Michal Šopík, CEO of Vesper Homes and founder of the Waff brand.

When the whole industry says "no"

The journey from idea to a proprietary soapstone stove brand was paved with rejections. Vesper Homes were looking for a partner willing to develop fully soapstone stoves – not just a design casing for a fireplace insert, but a stove with a fully soapstone construction tailored to the physics of a passive home. "We had a clear vision of how a stove in a passive house should work. But everywhere we turned, the answer was: what exists is enough. And what doesn't exist, we won't make," Šopík describes.

Suppliers used to traditional markets saw no reason to innovate. The decision ultimately became simple: when the entire industry says "it can't be done," you have two options – give up, or start developing your own.

More references of Vesper Homes houses you can find in this SECTION.

From construction company to soapstone accumulation stove manufacturer.

This is how the Waff brand was born – Czech soapstone accumulation stoves designed specifically for low-energy and passive timber frame homes. The team that had spent years designing passive houses began developing a heating system that truly understood their physics: stoves that won't overheat the house, that forgive everyday user mistakes, and that release heat exactly when the residents need it.

Soapstone: the ideal material with a complicated supply chain.

On paper, soapstone is the perfect material for accumulation stoves. In practice, however, there is a challenge: high-quality soapstone is quarried in a limited number of locations worldwide, and consistent supplies of the right grade and quality are rare. Europe as a source proved disappointing. "Europe unfortunately let us down as a supplier," says Šopík bluntly. The pressure for quality and supply stability led to a decision that sounds more like a story from a global business textbook than everyday Czech reality: the company headed to India.

Our own soapstone quarry in India

India became the key source of soapstone for Waff stoves – and not merely in the sense of having a contact with a miner. To guarantee consistent raw material quality, the company gradually became a co-developer of a mining project in an area with exceptional soapstone deposits. The result is direct control over the composition and parameters of the rock, and the ability to fine-tune material properties in line with stove development.

"We are the only Czech manufacturer offering soapstone stoves of world-class parameters – inspired by real life in passive homes," says Šopík.

Handcrafted and made in the Czech Republic

Blocks of soapstone travel in shipping containers to the Czech Republic, where they undergo hand finishing: cutting, grinding and final assembly. Every installation is precise manual work. "We deliver more than a tonne of soapstone material to our clients – precisely cut pieces that are assembled on site. It's like building with Lego, and it takes at least two to three working days," Šopík explains. Every piece of soapstone is unique – the colour and structure of the stone depend on the specific geological vein. The stoves are not just a heat source, but a standalone interior object with its own distinct character.

Heating a timber frame home without overheating: heat as a service

Waff soapstone accumulation stoves work as a smart thermal battery – the ideal heating solution for low-energy and passive timber frame homes, where conventional heat sources risk rapid overheating. The house warms up gradually and evenly, with stable temperatures maintained for up to 40 hours after the fire has gone out. "With soapstone stoves, you are also buying something very precious – time. Time for your family, your hobbies and yourself. And that is what matters most today," adds Michal Šopík.

From an idea in Norway to a feature in interior design magazines

Today, Waff soapstone stoves appear in projects for modern timber frame and masonry homes across the Czech Republic. Vesper Homes standardly integrates them into their low-energy and passive builds as the primary heating source. On the surface, they are stoves. In reality, they sell peace of mind: the peace of mind of never waking up to a cold house, of making the most of every log in the woodshed, and of knowing that warmth at home never means compromising between design and function.

It all began with one project in a Norwegian village and one encounter with an unknown mineral. The rest is the logical consequence of a single idea: when the world cannot offer you the stoves your homes need, there is only one thing left to do – build them yourself. More information and inspiration can be found on the WAFF website.

Below you can watch a video filmed at one of our completed projects of our woodhouse near Znojmo.