If you want to add a fireplace to your home but don't want to rip out a wall to build one, you may want to consider a prefabricated unit that can be installed with very little damage to your home. Prefab fireplaces come in many sizes and styles to fit many different home decors and can augment the heating system in your home through the winter months.
Choosing A Fireplace Design
When you're considering fireplaces for your home, a fireplace store or home center is an excellent place to start looking. The styles, sizes, and options available can be seen in these stores, and often it is easier to get a feel for the size of the unit when you see them in person.
A fireplace contractor can go over some of the designs with you and make a recommendation based on the space you want to put the fireplace in if you are more comfortable having a professional come to you. Often modern fireplaces have a glass door on them; however, you can choose one that is open in the front, offering a more traditional feel if you prefer that style or design.
The contractor you are working with will check the area you want to put the fireplace in to ensure that the structure is appropriate for the installation and there is room to run the chimney pipe up inside the wall safely. While the wall may need to be cut open for installation, it should look like the fireplace was always there once the entire unit is in place.
Installing Your Fireplace
Modern prefab fireplaces often require additional framing and structural changes in the wall where they are installed to ensure safety. Working with a contractor that regularly installs these fireplaces is often necessary to ensure that everything is adequately prepared and that the fireplace will work safely in the space.
Gas fireplaces require a gas contractor to run the lines and connect them to the fireplace burner after the unit is in place, so you will need to consider that if you are going that route. Once the fireplace arrives at your home, the contractor will come and install a metal chimney that is insulated and safe to pass through the existing wall and out your home's roof. The fireplace can then be installed in the wall and the framing built around it to ensure it is secure.
Wood burning fireplaces are nice, but they are becoming less common as they require a lot of work and maintenance that you can avoid with a gas unit, so visit a contractors website—such as http://www.villagefireplaceandbbq.com—to talk to a contractor before the installation starts to determine the benefits of each for your home.
