When the weather outside is cold, nothing can be quite as warming and cozy as sitting in front of the fireplace. Whether you’re interested in renovating to include a brand new fire place or would like to renovate your existing fireplace, you want to make sure you pick the right type of fireplace for your personal tastes.
Masonry Fireplaces
If you own an older home and you have a fireplace, it might be a masonry fireplace. Masonry fireplaces are usually built into the home, made of materials like bricks, stone or mortar and they usually have a masonry chimney. Masonry fireplaces create a classic-looking hearth, but they might not be very modern looking and if you’re not interested in purchasing or dealing with wood, can be a bit of a hassle.
Gas Fireplaces
Gas fireplaces are becoming the more popular choice among home owners. Flick a switch and the fire is on! You can still enjoy the warmth of a fire without having to worry about burning solid fuel. That means no firewood to stack, no ashes to clean out and no smoke getting into your house. Gas fireplaces can give the same ambiance as a wood burning masonry fireplace and produce a fair amount of heat too. Calgary fireplaces companies specialize in the installation, service and maintenance of natural gas fireplaces, including the installing natural gas inserts in your existing masonry wood burning fireplace. They can also provide services for wood burning inserts.
Learn about fireplace maintenance and safety.
Gas Fireplace Insert Installation
When you install a gas insert, venting will be installed in the existing chimney. A fireplace company would help you choose an insert based on the size of your firebox. If you don’t already have gas running to your fireplace, they will install a new gas line. You can include log sets to go into your fireplace that emulate the look of real burning logs. You can change the finishing work on your fireplace to stone or tile, but cannot change the firebox itself. Learn how to install a gas fireplace.
One of the benefits of having a gas insert is that it requires minimal maintenance beyond an annual inspection. There will be no ash or creosote produced by your gas insert. You can also control the heating in your house and contribute to energy savings by turning up the fireplace in the room you are in and lowering the thermostat in other parts of the house. Beyond that, they burn at high efficiency which means your fire burning will produce very little smoke or pollution.
Fireplace Renovations & Replacements
If you’re building a new home or doing a major home renovation, you might want to install a gas or wood burning fireplace. If you’re installing a fireplace in your existing home, a cavity will have to be created and venting will have to be installed, either with a chimney or another outside vent. A professional fireplace company in Calgary can do all of the framing and finishing work, including tile and/or stone, any necessary drywall work and all permitting.
If you already have a fireplace but would rather replace it completely, rather than just install a gas or wood insert, installing a new fireplace would include the demolition of your existing fireplace in the renovation. Replacing your fireplace entirely will give you more to choose from including high-end quality gas fireplaces, gas inserts and free standing stoves. You can also choose your style from traditional fireplaces, contemporary and timeless wood-burning stoves.
Ready to get cozy by the fire? Contact a Calgary Fireplaces company!
