How to Choose the Right Traditional Fireplace for Your Home

Looking to bring a little natural heat to your home? Perhaps you want an aesthetic centerpiece for your living room? Regardless, you’re searching for a new fireplace.

What you’re not sure of, however, is which one you should choose. That’s what’s brought you to this article: you need help making a choice. We’ve got the help you need.

Here’s how to choose the right traditional fireplace for your home.

Set Your Budget

The first thing you should do is set your budget. Fireplaces come at a wide range of prices and you don’t want to overspend what you’re comfortably capable of affording.

At the low end, a traditional fireplace will cost you a few hundred bucks. At the high end, it will cost you a few thousand bucks. Regardless of the money figure you set for yourself, remember to be cognizant of other expenses that might come up in your life.

Even low-priced fireplaces can be aesthetically pleasing. So, there’s no reason to spend money that you don’t truly have.

Understand the Various Types of Traditional Fireplaces

Next, you’re going to need to gain an understanding of the different types of traditional fireplaces. This way, you’ll have a full understanding of what’s available to you.

In terms of style, both built-in and standalone fireplaces are available.

Built-in fireplaces are essentially part of the wall. As such, their chimneys are non-visible. In addition, because they’re part of the wall, they take up little space.

Standalone fireplaces exist separately from the wall. Because of this, portions of their chimneys are exposed. Plus, because they’re separate from the wall, they take up more space.

In addition to different fireplace styles, there are also different fireplace types. For instance, you could purchase a wood-burning fireplace, an electric fireplace, or a gas fireplace. These, more or less, look the same but possess different internal mechanisms.

Decide which type of fireplace is right for your purposes and then hone in on that particular type. Regardless of the type you choose, there will be countless options available to you.

Now, let’s review the three types of traditional fireplaces in more detail.

Wood-burning Fireplaces

Wood-burning fireplaces are fueled by the burning of wood. This makes for great ambiance. Note, though, that it also results in the creation of smoke.

To properly dispose of this smoke, you’ll need to build a chimney. This adds to the cost of a wood-burning fireplace.

Plus, you’ll need to obtain and store firewood. This can be expensive, not to mention inconvenient. Unless you really want that “old-timey” feel, a wood-burning fireplace probably isn’t the best fireplace for you.

Gas Fireplaces

Gas fireplaces ignite with the help of gas. They’re connected directly to gas lines and can be easily turned on and off with a thermostat.

They require no electricity. Therefore, they continue to work during power outages. In addition, because they create very little soot, they only need sporadic maintenance.

Note, though, that they can be expensive to install. They can also be expensive to run.

Electric Fireplaces

We’ll round this out by speaking about electric fireplaces. These are connected directly to their homes’ electrical systems. They’re the cheapest to install and cheapest to run.

Electric fireplaces don’t require chimneys, vents, or strategically-placed gas lines. As such, you can place them anywhere. They’re also extremely low-maintenance.

That said, they don’t possess the warmth or ambiance of wood-burning or even gas fireplaces.

Think About Where You’re Going to Put the Fireplace

Another thing to think about is where you’re going to put the fireplace. This will dictate not only what portions of the room the fireplace will warm but what types of fireplaces are viable options for you.

Want to put the fireplace in the corner of your living room? Maybe you want it built into a flat portion of your dining room wall? You might even want to build it into a vertical divider between rooms.

Regardless, know where you’re going to put it before searching. This way, you’ll be able to find a fireplace that fits your needs.

Make note that, for open floor plans, it’s often a good idea to install the fireplace in a corner. This way, it will not only provide warmth to two portions of the home but also act as a room divider.

Consider a Two-sided Fireplace

You should also consider going with a two-sided fireplace. This is a fireplace that provides warmth and ambiance to two separate rooms at one time. It’s built into a partition or shared wall and enables you to see through to the other side.

Two-sided fireplaces are more expensive than one-sided fireplaces. However, because they provide increased warmth and ambiance, they’re very often worth the extra cost.

Know Your Mantel Options

It’s not just the fireplace itself that you need to worry about. You need to think about its mantel as well. This is essentially the frame of the fireplace.

Mantels can be made out of a wide variety of materials. These run the gamut from granite to wood to stone to brick to marble and more. The material used makes no functional difference but will have a large effect on the overall aesthetic of your home.

Looking for a New Traditional Fireplace?

What do you think? Are you ready to buy a fireplace? Looking to purchase a fireplace in Pennsylvania or New Jersey?

If so, Dreifuss Fireplaces has you covered. We have a wide variety of traditional fireplace options. Regardless of your aesthetic and functional preferences, we have a fireplace that will accommodate you.

Check out our selection of traditional fireplaces now!