A Homeowner’s Guide To Choosing A Fireplace

Some people add a fireplace to their home because of the luxury, warmth and comfort it gives. Others want one as this boosts the value of the property, while others think it improves the overall look of the room. Regardless of the reason why you’re willing to pay extra to have it, there are some important factors that you need to consider to determine if a fireplace is right for you.

1. The possibility of having a fireplace. Before you decide to add a fireplace, you need to determine whether it’s possible to have a fireplace installed in the room you’ve chosen. Since there are a variety of fireplace options available today, it would certainly not be difficult. However, this doesn’t mean that you can install one now as you have to adhere to the building codes in your area. This usually entails checking the height of chimney, the construction of the firebox and flue, limits of fireplace emissions, among others that will surely narrow down your choices.

2. The source of energy you’ll be using. Will you use LPG, natural gas, electric, bioethanol or wood? Remember, each of these fuel types have different costs depending on the amount of energy they’ll provide. The cheapest form of energy available is gas, however, you should purchase an energy efficient gas fire to get the best possible benefit it can give.

3. The amount of heat you need. When choosing a fireplace, you also need to consider how often you will use it and the amount of heat you need. For instance, if your fireplace is too big, you’ll need use it on low effect resulting in soot on your glass and chimney. If it’s too small, you’ll overload it and its lifetime will be reduced.

4. The flue system you’ll be using. A flue system is utilized to take the products of combustion away from the fireplace, therefore, if you have no flue system in your home, you’ll need to choose a flueless gas fire, bioethanol fireplace, electric fireplace or the balance flue gas fire.

5. The costs of installing a fireplace. Deciding on your budget will make the process a lot easier for you as you have to consider two costs to install a fireplace – the cost of the actual appliance and its installation. Therefore, you need to visit different fireplace showrooms to see the different styles of fireplaces, the costs of the appliance along with the installation costs.