Fireplaces Burn Brightly in Home Design

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• Wood Burning
• Gas

Today's new homes have the home fires burning in all the traditional spots: living rooms and family rooms; but they are also showing up in unexpected spaces like bathrooms, foyers, and kitchens. In fact, the trend in new home construction is to have two, three or more fireplaces. Undoubtedly, when planning your new home you will be including at least one, if not multiple fireplaces, into your plan.

"More decorative than functional, the fireplace has become something to snuggle up to and your fireplace will likely serve as a room's focal point. Fireplaces are designed to create ambience in a room, to be another source of light and to divide spaces without closing them off," says interior designer Anna Simone, part of the creative team of Cecconi Simone.

A fireplace is a fireplace - or so you thought. New home purchasers need to first consider what type of fireplace they desire and what can be implemented within the architectural and building guidelines.

There are three types of fireplaces:

1. Wood burning 
2. Gas
3. Candle powered

Wood Burning

• Wood-burning fireplaces can be easily customized in new homes.
• A masonry fireplace made of brick and mortar can be built on site, to any size and design you and your architect require.
• Pre-built metal inserts for wood-burning fireplaces can also be purchased.
• Although there is nothing more charming than the crackling flames and the smell of real wood, you should consult your insurance company to ensure that there are no increased premiums for a wood-burning one.

Gas Fireplaces

• Gas fireplaces are the most common type of fireplace used in new home construction due to the ease of installation, cost effectiveness, reduced emissions into the atmosphere, resulting in improved air quality, low operating costs and minimal maintenance requirements.
• Gas fireplaces are also available in custom designs. I recently ordered a seven-foot log lighter gas fireplace for a home under construction, for about $16,000. The fireplace is going to look amazing in the living room of the new home, but with the BTU's being 150,000, this is a lot of heat output for a single fireplace. I also had to contend with the massive ventilation system required for such a large fireplace.
• For interior walls and smaller spaces, such as bathrooms, bedrooms, dens and hallways, an electric fireplace may a viable option, since this type of unit requires no gas piping, ventilation or log hauling. Alternatively, you may want to consider the urban fireplace.

"I have shied away from using gas fireplaces in the past, because of the fake logs. Now what I do is fill the pan around the flame with rock or sand. It's brilliant and creates a very Zen feel in the room. Never imitate fire. Allow it to be what it is," suggests Simone.

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