It can be said that a fireplace represents the heart of the home. It represents warmth and togetherness, providing the cozy backdrop to a family’s most meaningful holidays, gatherings, and celebrations. For this reason, and because of the considerable investment it requires, our homeowners spend a lot of time working with their dream team (custom builder, architect, and interior designer) to make just the right decisions when it comes to the fireplace(s) in their home. We’d love to walk you through the five essential questions you should ask when considering your home’s fireplace.
1. What style of fireplace do I want?
You will want the style of your fireplace to blend well with the architectural style and interior aesthetic of your home. Start by gathering inspiration images and collaborating closely with your architect and interior designer to ensure that the style of your home and fireplace are cohesive. For ease, let’s divide fireplace styles into three categories: square fireboxes, linear fireboxes, and custom fireboxes. All fireboxes can be enhanced with mantels, hearths, and other design materials to fit a variety of architectural styles and interior aesthetics.
Square boxes are typically selected for traditional and transitional styled homes, while linear fireboxes are typically selected for modern homes. A square firebox interior is often finished with firebricks in a standard running bond or herringbone pattern. Real wood logs are used when the fireplace is wood-burning, while fake logs, stones, or fire balls are used when the fireplace is gas-powered. These square fireboxes can be open, screened, or have glass doors, and the exhaust vents through a central flue and away from the house via a chimney.
When a linear fireplace is selected, it is usually used with a crushed glass or rock basin, has a linear gas flame and a sleek glass or open front. They are powered by either gas or electricity and typically vent exhaust through a direct vent.
Custom fireboxes are needed if homeowners desire the look of a linear fireplace, but their architecture is configured for a more traditional firebox and flue. This is an expensive solution, but if a homeowner is transitioning the interior of their home from traditional to modern, this is often the best option for them. A less expensive option is to replace fire logs with glass fire rocks or fire balls and install a linear gas flame.
2. What is the main purpose of the fireplace for me? How much will I be using it?
Here in Texas, a fireplace is not always needed to provide heat to our homes. Instead, they are primarily desired to create a comforting focal point and anchor for a space. In addition, some homeowners desire a fireplace to enhance the resale value of their home.
Once you understand YOUR purpose for having a fireplace in your home, that often affects other decisions as well. If your purpose is to provide an anchor to your space, that will affect what size you want the fireplace to be, what materials you’d like to use, and what seating arrangements you’re hoping to achieve in the space. If your fireplace is meant to be a statement piece or focal point, you’ll likely not select materials that blend in with their surroundings but instead draw the eye because of their color, texture, size, or uniqueness. If your fireplace is only to enhance resale value, then you may choose to minimize cost by sticking with economical materials with potentially broad appeal. If you plan on using your fireplace frequently, you’ll likely want it to be gas-powered or have dual wood/gas-burning capabilities in order to minimize cleanup and maintenance.
3. What is the best location for my fireplace?
Because a fireplace is an expensive feature in your home, you’ll want to include them where you’ll get optimal enjoyment and use. The most common location for a fireplace is often in the Great Room, or main Living/Family Room so it can be enjoyed on a regular basis as well as provide a cozy refuge during the holidays and winter months.
When we are involved in the architectural design phase of our projects, we are sure to have many discussions about the placement of the fireplace as well as the TV in our homeowners’ main living space. When a TV is designed to sit above a fireplace, then we plan out in detail how the room will be configured. You’ll want to consider the height of the finished mantel above the fireplace and figure out how far away couches and chairs would need to be in order to provide an enjoyable TV-viewing experience without having to look upwards. Sometimes, once we’ve done all of the calculations, our homeowners decide that the TV would have to be placed too high to enjoy. Instead, they’d rather have the fireplace be the central focus of the room and design an alternative location for their TV. If the home is being designed from scratch, this is not a problem at all. If the homeowners determine they would indeed like their TV above their fireplace, then we will often choose a fireplace surround and mantel that is lower profile or smaller in scale in order to achieve an optimal TV height.
4. How much effort do I want to spend to use and maintain my fireplace?
This is a big one for our busy homeowners. They typically want to minimize operation and maintenance time in order to prioritize enjoying their fireplace. Because of this, they typically choose a gas-powered fireplace over a wood-burning one. For modern homes, they opt for gas-powered, electric, or ethanol-fueled fireplaces.
From an ease of operation standpoint, there is a lot that has to be done before, during, and after using a wood-burning fireplace. On the other hand, for a gas-burning fireplace, it’s about as easy as it gets. To start a gas fireplace, you simply check for any debris, open the damper, and then either turn on the ignition switch or open the gas valve slightly and light with a small flame. To turn off, simply close the gas valve and the damper.
When it comes to maintenance, wood-burning fireplaces require a lot of time, money, and energy to ensure they remain safe for your home. Whereas for a gas-burning fireplace, the only maintenance needed is to have the vent pipe inspected yearly to ensure there is no buildup of debris and no valves or connections are leaking.
5. What is my budget for my fireplace?
Your builder should provide guidance on this. They will let you know how much the internal and utilitarian components of your fireplace will cost and how much you should budget for the finish selections like your hearth, mantel, and surrounding materials. This will guide you and your interior designer towards making the best selections possible to fit within your budget, fulfill YOUR desired purpose for the fireplace, elevate your interior design, and make your house truly a home.
There is a lot to consider when incorporating a fireplace into the design of your custom home. Be sure to collaborate closely with your custom builder, architect, and interior designer. As it is with every aspect of your home, they should help you think through all of your options in order to make the best decisions for your home and your family.
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