There are many options available to you when searching for the perfect heating source. One of the first questions you should ask yourself is “What is the purpose of this fireplace?”

The general responses are “to heat a room without using the furnace (which heats the entire home),” or “to add beauty and ambiance to our home.” Most of the time it's a combination of the two. The good news is that regardless of why you want to add a fireplace or stove to your home—there are options for every situation.

Fireplace, Insert, or Stove?

If you're building a new home or apartment and want the fireplace built into a wall ( with new stonework or tile) this is the way to go. Installing a new fireplace usually requires minor demolition, new framing and finishing to surround the unit and venting.

Sometimes a home will have an old fireplace, like a masonry fireplace, built many years ago which is now non-operational, unsafe or inefficient. The Fireplace Insert was created especially to address this condition. An Insert allows you to utilize an existing fireplace space without having to incur the expense of rebuilding an original structure. Installation usually requires adding an additional outlet for power and extending a gas line (if needed).  Vent liners fit into the existing chimney.  You can print this page of common dimensions to help decide what size insert is needed.

Fireplaces and inserts are designed to force most of the heat into the room through the front of the unit and somtimes can have additional blowers to move warm air into other rooms.  Homes without existing fireplaces benefit by taking advantage of zero-clearance direct vent technology. Prefabricated from metal, they are designed to be installed in a simple wood frame construction without the need of a foundation or chimney—significantly reducing construction costs. Though designed to burn only gas or propane, direct vent units are a safe, efficient and cost effective heating option for any home.

Stoves are freestanding hearth units that can be installed in a corner or near a wall in most rooms.  Because heat is radiated from all sides of the unit, they need to be installed with more space (clearances) between the floor and walls and sometimes require a hearth pad underneath the unit.  They can be used in finished and unfinished spaces and provide a more rustic look to any room.