Fireplace Options to Warm Your Home and Hearth When the temperature starts to drop, and the winter months loom ahead, nothing makes a home feel cozier than a fireplace. Whether you are looking to create a toasty focal point, or cut heating costs, a fireplace is a guaranteed way to transform a room into an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. Before installing a fireplace or an insert, consider the options — research cost, maintenance, frequency of use, fuel, installation, and efficiency. There are many varieties. Here are five options that cover the basic heating styles. Gas Fireplace Convenient, cost-effective, and popular Gas fireplaces and inserts have grown more powerful in terms of heating a space. Plus, you don’t have to clean out the ash from previous fires. And you can operate it via remote control. More modern gas fireplaces and inserts have gotten so nice-looking that many people who wouldn’t have considered it in the past are now.
Pro: No need for a chimney. Many gas fireplaces and inserts can be directly vented to the outside. They take in fresh air from the outside for the combustion system and expel the exhaust.
Con: You need gas. If you don’t have a gas line, you’ll have to install one or get a propane tank setup outside the house.
Price range: $2,000-$10,000-plus, depending on what you need to have installed and where
Wood stove Authentic, hot, and entertaining Wood stoves are very popular with homeowners who already have a chimney and an old fireplace in need or replacing. Stoves are freestanding and contain an enclosed firebox in which the wood is burned and a stovepipe that sends exhaust out through the chimney. Because they are contained in this way, wood stoves are safer than traditional fireplaces and they tend to heat spaces more efficiently.
Pro: It’s a real fire. Nothing beats a real wood fire. The smell, the crackling sound, and the color of the flame can make winters much more bearable. Gas units have real flames, but they’re about as exciting to watch as the burner on your gas range in the kitchen.
Con: There’s a lot of extra work. Firewood needs to be either purchased or cut, stored, and carried. Fires need to be lighted and maintained, as does the enclosed firebox.
Price range: $1,500-$3,000
Pellet stove The wood stove’s hotter cousin Pellet stoves are similar to wood stoves in many ways, but they use electricity and a different fuel. Pellets are produced from wood waste like sawdust that has been mixed with water, shaped, and then put under pressure to remove all of the water. This results in a denser, purer product that burns very hot and clean because there are no impurities like saps and moisture.
Pro: Very effective heater. Pellet stoves can heat large spaces with ease. They often have built-in convection fans that blow the hot air around the home. You can load a pellet stove and get the same constant heat out of it and for double the time of a wood stove. As soon as fire is established and heat is stabilized in the firebox, you can control how much heat you want. It can even be controlled on a household thermostat.
Con: Requires electricity. Pellet stoves operate differently than wood stoves. They rely on a feeder that connects to an auger, which consistently dumps the pellets into a burn pot.
Price range: $1,500-$5,000
Electric Very convenient, not very realistic Electric fireplaces have gained popularity over the past few years, particularly with people living in condos without gas hookups or chimneys. They have no real flame, but a screen display of one and a small heating element. Many electric fireplaces are built into furniture, such as TV stands.
Pro: Electric fireplaces can be placed anywhere near a power outlet and require minimal setup.
Con: Limited heat. Electric fireplaces have a nice look but can’t heat the room they’re in most of the time, let alone a house.
Price range: $1,000-$3,000
Open-hearth fireplace It’s the real deal, but you won’t find many deals If you want to go all out, an open-hearth fireplace is the classic answer. Ventilated through a chimney, these brick-lined fireplaces are usually custom-built.
Pro: Aesthetics. Looks-wise, built-in fireplaces are the best of the bunch. The glow of the flame off the bricks, coupled with the crackling sound of a real wood fire, is tough to match.
Con: Low efficiency
Price range Greatly depends on what renovations you’ll need to do and can easily top $10,000 if a new chimney is required.
Built-in fireplaces are great for heating one room but don’t have the power to heat large sections of a house like a wood stove can. Open fireplaces are inefficient heaters because of the uncontrolled combustion cycle that allows much of the heat to go up the flue, whereas the controlled combustion of wood stoves radiates most of the heat into the room. If you are going to install a heating device, make sure to get your building permit, have the system inspected, and follow the instructions for proper use and clearance. Whether your desire is a warmer house or a cozier environment, one of these modern advances may be just the solution you’re looking for.
Here at Michael Roberts Construction, we make people’s home dreams come true in the Coastal Georgia area. All it takes is a phone call to start the road to a custom home, addition, or remodel. I offer helpful hints, tricks, and other information about the home industry, pictures to provide you with inspiration for your next project, large or small, indoors or out, as well as examples of my work on my Facebook Page, Pinterest and Google Plus! Michael Roberts artfully combines the latest trends in home construction with classic elements to create an exquisite space for real families to enjoy. Licensed by the State of Georgia as a residential home builder, he thoroughly enjoys every aspect of the home building process. He offers an exemplary hands-on approach to his craft and insists upon working with his customers on a personal level to ensure complete satisfaction. Michael Roberts is a name synonymous with integrity, notable reliability, enthusiastic creativity, and award-winning design in the Coastal Georgia area. With high standards and a detail-oriented approach to home building, Roberts builds functional living spaces that make elegant southern opulence an affordable luxury.
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