Building a house. I need help with a fireplace decision.

[furious]

Get an old wood stove cooker. It's nice to look at and will increase in value.

 

[gh1950]

If you want to use it for heat, go with a wood stove, not a fireplace.

I use a wood stove for most of my heating and a heat pump for those milder but still cold nights.

Your 5 grand option sounds like a fireplace/woodstove hybrid. Much better efficiency and lower cost with a real woodstove, open on all sides to the room and not built into a wall.

ditch the fire place, get a high quality insert. Should be about half the figure you quote, and it is practical.

Fireplace is for show - looks pretty, nice to sit by and drink, make whoopee on the floor, but never will be practical.

 

[MacTavish]

Put a nice fire pit on the patio.

 

[nicaburns]

We just built and my wife insisted upon a fireplace. It was her only real request so we have one... it is the equivalent use of sticking a $5,000 VW bus in the center of the house. Takes up space and has no use except as a visual feature. She even hates the smell so no "decorative fires" either... just a waste of space and money in my view.
BUT, she COULD say the same thing about my safe and some of the stuff I had in it before the boating accident but she doesn't! Happy Wife=Happy Life!

 

[chrislibby88]

Well after all the comments we are going with the basic firebox with a blower, so we can have a fire, and make a little heat, and spend the 5 grand on other stuff. Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[gh1950]

Well after all the comments we are going with the basic firebox with a blower, so we can have a fire, and make a little heat, and spend the 5 grand on other stuff. Thanks for the input everyone!

Sounds like a sound decision.

We had a futon in front of the fireplace, and we could make quite a bit of heat on it.

 

[chrislibby88]

Sounds like a sound decision.

We had a futon in front of the fireplace, and we could make quite a bit of heat on it.

Haha. We have the 3 kids rooms on the side of the house with the fireplace, so we probably won’t be making much “heat” on the couch.

 

[Zeake]

Fireplaces are useless. Spend the 5k in insulation.