I Want A Fireplace

CatsEye · 12-08-2011, 06:09 PM

I was sitting here in my modern home which is all electric and I was thinking about what I would do if the electric were to go off for a while. I have oil lamps and candles but I have no way to cook or to heat the house. I want a fireplace!! I am thinking of building on a family room and building a working fireplace with cooking space and swing outs for hanging dutch ovens and such. I really, really want to remodel. Do you think it would add any value to my place if I were to do this?

rockin · 12-08-2011, 06:14 PM

Sure it would add value to your place. We have a pellet stove and a woodstove. When we lose electric we can still use the woodstove. I love fireplaces - I'm not crazy over the electric fireplace inserts.

Dusty · 12-08-2011, 06:33 PM

We have a very open floor plan in our house. There is a small wood stove upstairs and a large wood stove downstairs. We hardly ever use our furnace.

OldSole · 12-08-2011, 06:37 PM

I have an open fireplace and we love it. I love using wood heat. We hardly every use the electric furnace and I've only got it on to make sure the temperature doesn't fall down too much when we're gone or when we're asleep. I count it as one of the best things we've ever built.

Grandpa · 12-08-2011, 07:17 PM

I've got the wrong fireplace I guess. Mine eats so much wood, I would use a cord a week if I kept it going. furthermore, when I let it go out, it sucks all the heat out of the house up the chimney. If I close the damper then the dying smoke fills the house. But I've got a big wood burner in the basement that takes care of all the heat. It is a poppa fisher sealed stove. Huge with a double deck top so I have two heats for cooking. It also will take up to a 36 inch log, 12 inches in diameter. However, I also keep all the propane jugs full during the winter just in case.

Jonas · 12-09-2011, 11:53 AM

If you do get one make sure they put a flu in it. We had one done and they forgot the flu so all the smoke was going up into the attic. Almost a fire, definitely a lawsuit.

ppine · 12-09-2011, 11:57 AM

I wouldn't worry about the added value. You will definitely save money, and more importantly have peace of mind, and enjoy your fires. By all means forge ahead. In the mean time, find a quiet place in you back yard with a view and create a place for outdoor fires. We have them all year.

wvbreamfisherman · 12-09-2011, 12:01 PM

My dad and I built a steel fireplace insert many years ago for his house- it was modeled after a Buck stove (in fact it used the blower and controls from a Buck Stove), but we modified the design to give a complete double pass of air on all sides of the firebox- man, did that thing ever put out the heat! you could have it running full blast and still put your hand on the outside of it where it was pulling cold air into it. We definitely saved money with it running.

ghostdog · 12-09-2011, 04:22 PM

We have heated our house with nothing but a wood stove for decades now. They don't eat wood like a fireplace and really heat up the place. They make them with windows like ours here and the ambiance is just phenomenal.

jason · 12-09-2011, 07:18 PM

That looks pretty nice. I remember as a kid we had an old wood stove that served as a heat source. I would love one now. We do have a fireplace, but I find it rather small. 2-3 logs is usually all I can put in at once. But it does not get very cold here.

As far as cooking when power goes out that is what the fire pit and cast iron goodes are for. Also have a few grills for wood/charcoal.