Cozy up to a new fireplace!

Fireplace possibilities are endless

Fireplaces and wood-burning stoves add character to a home or office. They radiate welcoming comfort and draw people into the room. Some fireplace designs also create enough warmth to supplement the heating system and help lower heating bills. There are a lot of reasons why you might choose to add a fireplace or stove when building a new custom home, doing a renovation or creating new office or commercial space. There are also several fireplace styles and options.

To choose the best fireplace option for your custom construction project, start by asking yourself why you want a fireplace; how do you envision the fireplace in your space and what does it look like in your mind? Do you crave the stately appearance and cozy ambience of a traditional wood-burning, masonry fireplace? Are glowing flames, crackling logs and the aroma of the fire are part of your vision for your new home? Are you looking for your fireplace to supplement the heating in your office – to reduce your heating bills while creating an atmosphere that welcomes your customers? Do you want the dramatic effect of a fire, but have no wish to keep a supply of wood or clean up the ashes?

Understanding your motivation to include a fireplace or stove in your design will drive the styles you should consider when talking with your architect or custom builder. Let’s take a look at the options.

Traditional Wood-burning Full-Masonry Fireplace
If you want a very traditional, all stone or brick fireplace designed to be the focal point of your room, a full-masonry fireplace built by hand by skilled craftsman is for you. This type of fireplace is often what people think of when dreaming of building a new custom home. They are beautiful and are often designed to be a showpiece in a new custom home.

Construction starts with a cinder block foundation and chimney built around a clay chimney liner. Expert masonry artists construct an entirely custom outer surround with stone or brick to create the solid, traditional look of fireplaces of old.

However full-masonry fireplaces do have some drawbacks. They are expensive and time-consuming to build, requiring weeks if not a month in your construction schedule. The fire has more of a tendency to draw air from the room to fuel the fire and sends your homes heat up the chimney. Therefore, they do not provide significant additional heat to the home but do provide warmth to the room.  Full masonry fireplaces can burn wood, gas or a combination.  If you choose to burn wood, you will need to have a supply of wood on hand and be prepared to clean out the ashes and have the chimney professionally cleaned periodically depending on how much you use it.

Metal Box Fireplace
If you’d really like the look and function of a traditional masonry fireplace but not the price tag, a fabricated metal box fireplace and metal chimney will be the right choice. In addition to being more economical to build, this type of fireplace can also burn wood, gas or a combination, and offers a much wider array of custom options to truly fit your fireplace to your style.

Once the metal box for the fireplace is in place, it is surrounded by wood framing, then drywall that can then be covered by any material you choose. Create a clean, modern look with ceramic tile or granite. Keep the drywall and simply add a showpiece stone or wood mantlepiece. Or stick with the same type of brick or stone used in a traditional full-masonry fireplace to get the same look at a fraction of the price.

Metal box fireplaces are more economical to install and finish, they perform better than a traditional fireplace in terms of heating efficiency.  Less air in the room is used for combustion and less of your already heated air is sent up the chimney. If you burn wood, you will need to have wood on hand, clean the ashes and have the chimney inspected and cleaned periodically.

Sealed Glass Fireplace
Some people really want to be able to experience the ambience of a traditional wood-burning fireplace, but have no interest in having to purchase wood, clean the ashes or inefficiently send room heat up the chimney. If that sounds like you, a sealed glass fireplace could be the best choice.

This type of fireplace has a gas burner under realistic ceramic logs in a firebox covered by a glass panel. Some models have an electric fan that blows the heat back into the room.  For the ultimate in convenience, you can choose a model with a remote control or wall switch. Simply press the button or flip the switch to instantly light the fire, or better yet, instantly extinguish the fire.

A sealed glass fireplace is ideal for master bedrooms where a traditional wood-burning fireplace would be inconvenient and maybe not-so-safe. They are very efficient and pump out a lot of heat. The only real drawback is that they don’t provide the same flames and snap/crackle experience of a traditional fireplace.

Wood-Burning Stove
If the reason you’d like to include a fireplace in your new space is to supplement the heating in your home with cost-effective, alternative energy, a wood-burning stove could be the best choice. Typically, the stove is made of heavy cast iron that heats up as the fire burns inside. The cast iron then holds the heat and radiates it throughout the room or even the entire home or commercial space.

Installation begins with construction of a non-combustible stone, granite or concrete pad for the stove to stand on. A metal pipe is used to vent the smoke out through the roof. Decorative tile, stone, brick or other treatment can cover the pad and/or surrounding wall to make the stove a focal point in the room.

When used correctly, a wood-burning stove is the most efficient way to burn wood for heat. Stoves generate very little smoke because the firebox of the stove is completely sealed, allowing the fire to get very hot and heat up the cast iron stove. The fire is typically viewed through a glass window, so if sitting with a cup of hot cocoa by a roaring open fire is your dream, a wood-burning stove is probably not for you. You won’t hear as much of the snap and crackle of a wood fire or see as much of the flames, but you will be able to enjoy the flames through the glass and see when you need to add more wood to keep the fire burning. And, like any wood-burning fireplace option, you need to keep the wood on hand, clean out the ashes and have the vent pipe inspected periodically for safety.

Electric Fireplace
An electric fireplace will give you an entirely different experience in a fireplace, but it opens up a world of options you may never have considered. Electric fireplaces can give a home or office a sleek, modern style with the ambience of a traditional fireplace, instant on/off and no clean-up.

While electric fireplaces don’t have the actual fire and flames you get with a wood or gas burning fireplace, the “flames” you do see can be almost any color or even multicolor to fit your mood. Electric fireplaces come in a variety of shapes and sizes and only need electricity to operate. As a rule, no venting or maintenance is really ever needed. They are easy to install and can be placed almost anywhere in your space.

Custom Construction Designed for You
A beautiful fireplace is just one feature you can customize to make your space uniquely yours. Let’s talk about how Scholl Construction can help you build in the unique features you desire in your commercial space, new home or renovation. Call us today at 815-479-0910, or contact us online to arrange an appointment.