Have you used your fireplace this season? If so, did it function properly? Or did you spend the winter wishing your home had the warmth and heat offered by a fireplace? Well, now is the time to start shopping for your new fireplace! To choose the right fireplace, there are several factors you need to consider.
Determine How You’ll Use Your Fireplace
Choosing the right fireplace begins with determining how you plan to use your fireplace. Are you looking for a major source of heat for your home? Are you looking to supplement heat in your home’s most used rooms? Will your fireplace be purely decorative? Once you take the time to determine how your fireplace will be used, you’ll be able to determine the most important features of your fireplace.
Determine Your Location
Do you already have a space determined for your fireplace? Are you looking to replace an existing fireplace space or fill an empty accent wall? Do you want your fireplace to be a focal point for your home, or are you primarily concerned about the heat output of your fireplace and prefer to have the unit itself out of sight? Will your fireplace be traditionally sized and mounted, or are you looking for a statement piece to serve as the focal point in a particular space in your home? All of these are viable questions you must answer when fireplace shopping!
Prioritize Your Fireplace’s Features
You’ll have to determine what’s most important to you in a fireplace. Do you want a fireplace that easily ignites without a lot of work? Are you looking for something environmentally friendly? Do you want a unit that produces little pollution? There is no shortage of fireplace options – some units are compact and vent-free and can be placed anywhere in a home. Some emit little pollution. Others will run for hours on end without the need for attention, and some will even ignite or adjust the flame based on your desired home temperature. Only some types of fireplaces will work during a power outage.
Choose Your Fuel Type
The function of your fireplace, the desired location of your fireplace and your priority features will help guide you toward the right fireplace fuel type. Wood-burning fireplaces are a traditional option, and many homeowners like to use woodstoves or heavy-duty wood inserts to produce affordable heat for their homes. Pellet stoves and fireplaces offer traditional, affordable wood heat but take less work than wood fireplaces. Gas fireplaces can be installed nearly anywhere within a home and light and extinguish at will. They can even be connected to a thermostat to help regulate the temperature in your home. Electric fireplaces offer ultimate versatility and style, and come with or without heat.
There is a lot to think about when selecting a fireplace, but FireSide Hearth & Home can help! Our fireplace experts can help you choose a fireplace or heating stove to meet your home, and you can tour our showroom to see which models suit your needs and your style.
