Valree,
In case I was unclear; you do not duct the wood stove to the front room. You run a separate duct in the ceiling where the warmer air collects. The wood stove is a completely different, and independent system. You just pull the warm air generated by the stove, but it is only room air, never duct the stove gasses into your home. Read die from carbon monoxide poisoning if you did that.
DanD

Layth,
I'm not trying to talk you out of your idea, but before you spend major cash check out mini-split systems. They work for me, but I don't use every room in my house every day.
Dand

Directly linking forced-air furnace returns and a wood stove risks spreading carbon monoxide through the house. Code says the returns should be at least 10 feet away. There are some ideas here about how to distribute wood heat. http://www.woodheat.org/move-heat-around.html

i think you should go for basement because after basement you can construct 2nd floor later on if you want. also contact 2-4 contractors have a look at the expenditure and then decide according to your budget hat you want.