Spacious living room showcases a roaring fire within a prominent fireplace, flanked by comfortable furniture and tasteful decorations on a herringbone wood floor.

Arpino offers these pros and cons of wood-burning fireplaces:

Pros:

• Wood is entirely renewable and when burned “is super warm. You can heat your whole home.”
• It’s economical.
• The smell of wood smoke and the crackle of burning wood create the ultimate romantic ambiance.
• The newly certified wood-burning fireplace products — a fireplace or a stove that burns wood or pellets — emit less particulates in the wood smoke per hour than one cigarette.

Cons:

• The heavy lift involved in stacking, loading, and carrying wood, and doing cleanup, isn't for everyone. “It’s not as fun to do these things as you age.”
• Countering those drawbacks are products like pellets, which look a bit like pretzel nuggets. They’re created from compressed dried wood or other biomass, and they burn like logs. They come in bags and are easier to bring into your house than a load of logs. They can produce “an aggressive flame. It’s not a sit-and-gaze kind of fire, but they’re incredible for warmth.” While you can retrofit your wood fireplace to one that burns pellets, you do need a pellet-burning appliance. You also need electricity, since pellets pour into a hopper that feeds them into the stove; the stove then blows out the hot air. EPA-certified pellet stoves are 70% to 83% efficient.

Are you interested in updating your fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

Whether you have a wood-burning fireplace, a gas fireplace, or an electric fireplace, it will quickly become a room’s focal point. You can choose to make it pop or blend into the surroundings. If you don’t like what you see, you can reface, paint, stain, or remodel the fireplace. But before starting the project, you'll want to answer some questions to make sure you get what you want:

What design options do you like? You can choose from surround materials ranging from stone to tile to brick. Do you want painted or unpainted? Mantel or no mantel?

What design fits with your home style? Shiplap or reclaimed wood pair well with a modern farmhouse style home. Or do you prefer something sleek and modern — maybe white with a black insert and marble surround? If you don’t have a fireplace and like mid-century modern design, a freestanding fireplace with glass and metal may be a good option.

What are your options if you're moving into a home with a fireplace? Get help to inspect and service the fireplace. A home inspector can do a thorough check. A hearth professional will look at the firebox and the damper and make sure the bricking inside is not cracked. Inspectors will look at any steel for buckling and check the chimney for creosote. They'll scope out the roof, including the chimney top and rain cap, and send a camera into the flue to make sure it's clear. Your best option is a hearth dealer. Many are chimney sweeps. They can do installs and service. They’ll check the chimney and can discuss remodeling options.

What are your goals? Adding or updating a fireplace may or may not add value to your home. Don’t make a fireplace purchase based on what you think the return is going to be. It is 100% impossible to say. Instead, install a fireplace because it will make you happy.”

Are you interested in updating your fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

You might love the authentic crackle of the fire and the warm ambiance that fills your rooms. But that romantic hearth is costing you money. Almost all the heat generated by an open fire goes right up the chimney -- often as much as 90%.

The remedy? A wood-burning fireplace insert keeps the good vibes while driving down your energy costs.

What Is a Fireplace Insert?

An insert is a cast iron or steel box that fits inside your existing masonry fireplace opening. In essence, making it work much like a wood-burning stove.

A decorative flange fits around the outside edges so that no gaps appear between the unit and the sides of the fireplace. You’ll be required to install a chimney liner to carry combustion gases and smoke up through your chimney.

Fireplace inserts have clear, heat-proof glass doors. The best designs circulate air within the firebox in a way that helps keep the glass clean.

Inserts heat 1,000-3,000 sq. ft., depending on their size. You’ll want to size your insert to the square footage you need to heat.

Cost: $3,000-$4,000, including installation and a chimney liner.

How Much Energy Do Inserts Save?

You’ll cut your other heating costs by 10%-40% with an insert.

Because of the enclosed design, an insert increases the efficiency of burning wood, helping you extract the most heat for the least cost.

Most wood-burning inserts also include a fan to circulate the warm air around the firebox back into the room for even more efficiency.

Improvements in the designs of wood-burning fireplace inserts over the past few years mean almost all new units now meet the guidelines for fuel efficiency set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of 60%-80%.

Other Advantages of an Insert

1. They can burn for three to five hours before you need to add wood.
2. Firewood is an economical fuel in many regions, costing just $922/year to heat a typical home when the wood is burned efficiently. If you cut the wood yourself, it might even be free. If you buy, you support local jobs.
3. Efficient combustion reduces the amount of noxious gases and particulates produced by an open fireplace.

Are you interested in updating your fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

With costs ranging up to $30,000 for a traditional brick hearth and mantel, adding a fireplace can be a considerable investment. If you’re wondering if you’ll get a return on that investment, the answer is: maybe.

While intangibles such as crackling flames and romantic ambiance may make a fireplace worth the cost, consumer attitudes toward fireplaces have been in flux over the past decade. Here are the facts:

Fireplaces are Trending Up as Desirable Features

The National Association of REALTORS survey of homebuyers’ preferences listed fireplaces as one of the most-preferred home features. Almost 40% of homebuyers said they would pay extra for a house with at least one fireplace.

That's good news when it comes time to market your house.

Match Your Fireplace Budget to Your House

A fireplace isn’t calculated separately in a professional home appraisal, so it's tricky to assign value to your investment in flickering flames.

When you estimate how much a fireplace might add to the value of your house, take into account your home’s overall value. A $10,000 fireplace holds its value in a $1 million house because buyers expect this feature in an upscale home.

But a $10,000 fireplace won't be such a crucial component of a $100,000 house, especially if other essential features that potential buyers consider more important are lacking.

How to Max Out Value

To maximize your enjoyment -- and value -- put a fireplace where you'll get the most use from it: the family room, great room, or kitchen.

For smaller, easy-to-heat rooms such as an office, guest bedroom, or master bedroom, think about a small gas fireplace that's easy to maintain.

Equip your fireplace with energy-efficient glass doors and an exterior venting system that prevents heated air from being pulled out of rooms.

Are you interested in a fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

Flip a switch; have fire. That’s the key appeal of a gas fireplace insert. You still enjoy real flames, but without the hassles of solid fuel. There is no firewood to stack, bags of pellets to dump, and no ashes to clean out. The air inside your house and in your neighborhood stays clean, too. No wonder that about 70% of all hearth products—fireplaces, inserts, and artificial log sets—now burn gas.

Unlike old decorative gas fireplaces, today’s gas inserts are heat-producing dynamos that use natural gas or propane to power a steady flame dancing on fake logs, decorative modern glass chips, or stones behind a sealed glass face.

Gas inserts are available as vented units or unvented units.

• Direct-vent units are safest. They draw in outside air to keep the flame burning and exhaust all the combustion gases and water vapor released by burning gas.
• Ventless inserts have a higher efficiency rating (92% to 99% vs. 60% to 80% for direct-vent inserts) because no heat escapes up the chimney. But the exhaust fumes and moisture released from burning gas stay in your house, which may be a cause for concern.

Most ventless gas fireplace inserts are considered safe for homeowners because they include an oxygen-depletion sensor that turns gas off before carbon monoxide reaches dangerous levels in the room. Nevertheless, some states don’t allow ventless gas units.

Upsides of a Gas Fireplace Insert

• Gas fireplace inserts can be used in masonry or prefab fireplaces; they can be vented through the existing chimney (or a wall for a free-standing unit).
• Gas inserts require little maintenance beyond an annual $75 to $125 checkup. Its best application is for zone heating—turning up the gas in the room you’re in and lowering the thermostat in the rest of your house.

There’s a definite green factor -- they burn with a 65% to 99% efficiency rating, which means very little pollution or smoke.

There’s no ash or creosote produced with a gas-burning unit.

Are you interested in updating your fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

Today's gas inserts are heat-producing dynamos that use propane or natural gas to power a steady flame dancing on fake logs, decorative modern glass chips, or stones behind a sealed glass face.

Gas inserts can be used in masonry or prefab fireplaces; they can be vented through the existing chimney (or a wall for a free-standing unit).

Gas is the easiest insert to use and requires very little maintenance beyond the annual check. Flip a switch; have fire. Its best application is for zone heating—turning up the gas in the room you're in and lowering the thermostat in the rest of your house.

Green Factor: 58% to 85% efficiency rating, says HPBA; very little pollution, smoke, ash, or creosote. Zoned heating allows you to reduce overall fuel consumption.

Are you interested in updating your fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

A wood-burning insert slides into your existing masonry or metal fireplace and burns real logs.

Your installer snakes a stainless steel liner down your chimney and fits a decorative flange made of black cast iron or steel or colored porcelain around the insert, hiding its steel sides and filling the gap between the box and your hearth.

A front door with ceramic glass radiates heat into the room. You open the door to stack the wood, then shut it, on most models, while your fire is burning. Most wood-burning inserts also create convection heat with a fan located underneath the firebox.

Wood-burning inserts can heat anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 sq. ft., depending on their size. Inserts are small enough to fit into most traditional masonry fireplaces.

An insert designed to heat 1,500 square feet will burn for three to five hours before you need to reload; for 1,500 to 3,000 sq. ft., you usually have an eight- to 10-hour burn window.

Are you interested in updating your fireplace? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: houselogic.com

Happy New Year! Thank you for choosing The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport and putting your trust in our service, we enjoy serving clients like you and hope to serve you again in 2025.

As this year comes to a close, we want to take this opportunity to send warm wishes to you and your family. We hope your New Year is filled with the warmth of family and an abundance of happiness and health.

Our valued customers and clients have been the backbone of our success. We hope you enjoyed 2024 and we wish for you an even better and refreshed new year. Here's to a New Year that is as amazing as you are.

As the holiday season approaches, we want to extend our warmest wishes to you and your families. We hope you and your loved ones have a joyous holiday season filled with warmth and happiness, food, laughter, and beautiful memories. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and support throughout the year. Here’s to a fantastic holiday season, may this special time be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished memories!

Yes, it’s been said, many times, many ways, but we still mean it just as much! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, we appreciate your business and look forward to being your provider in the new year!

Nothing quite creates a winter holiday ambiance as well as a log in the fireplace and family gathered around to bask in its warmth and glow. Of course, playing with or near fire is dangerous for children, so please remember these tips from the AAP before you light your hearth.

• If possible, keep a window cracked open while the fire is burning.
• Be certain the damper or flue is open before starting a fire. Keeping the damper or flue open until the fire is out will draw smoke out of the house. The damper can be checked by looking up into the chimney with a flashlight or mirror. Do not close the damper until the embers have completely stopped burning.
• Use dry and well-aged wood. Wet or green wood causes more smoke and contributes to soot buildup in the chimney. Dried wood burns with less smoke and burns more evenly.
• Smaller pieces of wood placed on a grate burn faster and produce less smoke.
• Clean out ashes from previous fires. Levels of ash at the base of the fireplace should be kept to 1 inch or less because a thicker layer restricts the air supply to logs, resulting in more smoke.
• The chimney should be checked annually by a professional.
• Even if the chimney is not due for cleaning, it is important to check for animal nests or other blockages that could prevent smoke from escaping.
• Minimize your child's chance of burns from the hot glass front of some fireplaces, including gas fireplaces. Safety screens can be installed to reduce the risk of burns.
• Make sure the area around the fireplace is clear of anything that is potentially flammable (ie: furniture, drapes, newspapers, books, etc.). If these items get too close to the fireplace, they could catch fire.
• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Make sure it is completely out before going to bed or leaving the house. If you leave the room while the fire is burning or the fireplace is still hot, take your small child with you.
• Put fireplace tools and accessories out of a young child's reach. Also, remove any lighters and matches.
• Install both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year.
• Keep a fire extinguisher on hand.
• Talk with children as early as possible the dangers of fires and the heat coming from them.

Are you interested in updating your fireplace before the holidays? Contact The Fireplace Shop and Grill Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

Source: healthychildren.org/