How To Choose The Best Fireplace for a New Home Addition

Finding The Right Fireplace For Your New Home Addition

Adding a new addition to your home is an exciting project that not only adds usable space but also opens up the possibilities for improving your quality of life. Here in Wisconsin, we enjoy long-cold winters, so including a fireplace in your new home addition is an excellent choice!

Whether a communal family gathering space or a master bedroom, a fireplace will add value to your home and an intangible benefit to your overall quality of life. Nothing is better than gathering around the fireplace with your family and friends or relaxing with a good book on a cold morning. While it is possible to heat your new space with a fireplace, a fireplace adds a cozy ambiance to the room, creating a beautiful focal point for your new addition.

If you're considering adding a fireplace to your new home addition, read on to learn about some critical factors to consider before taking the plunge.

How Will You Use Your New Fireplace?

Start by daydreaming a little. Consider all of the possibilities. You probably already have some ideas about how you will use your new fireplace.

Will it be a gathering spot for family and friends? A romantic focal point in your interior design? Or are you looking for the perfect space to curl up with a good book and a glass of wine after a long day at work? You might even be considering it as the primary heat source for your new addition, or maybe it's just something you've always wanted for your home.

Defining how you'll use your new fireplace is the essential first step to help decide where you'll place it and what style you want to convey.

Where Will You Place Your Fireplace?

a gas fireplace is easy to turn on and off. it provides plenty of heat. most sealed combustion gas fireplaces are moderately efficient, so they are a great source of backup heat for a family room, finished basement, or even for occational use in a 3-season room.

Once you've defined how you'll use your fireplace, you probably also considered where you'd like to place it within your space. Of course, how you will use it will also somewhat determine the location and style of your fireplace. Typically, a fireplace is added to a space that will function as a great room or family gathering space. Some homeowners prefer a romantic fireplace in the bedroom. If your new addition is meant to serve as a master suite, a fireplace is an elegant luxury that will enhance your lifestyle.

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Where you decide to place your fireplace will also figure into the type of fuel used. If you are considering a wood-burning fireplace, it must be located on an exterior wall, and your contractor must include a chimney. Today there are many options for a gas fireplace that look as good as a wood-burning one, without the hassle of cutting and storing wood. Plus, with newer gas or electric technology, you're not limited to locating your fireplace on an exterior wall. You can place it anywhere, even in the center of the room!

Wood, Gas, or Electric?

Once you've decided on where to locate your new fireplace, the next step is to choose your fuel source. There are pros and cons for each fuel choice. Choosing the right one to meet your needs relies on several factors. For example, if you are using your new fireplace to heat your addition, gas might be a better choice than wood.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing the right fuel for you:

a high-end electric fireplace can have beautiful flame effects. it’s a great choice if you don’t need the head, want the look, and have a hard time running a gas line to the fireplace location.

• Wood: Nothing beats a roaring wood-burning fire! For the purist, a dancing wood fire is beautiful, ever-changing, and creates a cozy ambiance that is unmatched. A wood-burning fireplace must be placed on an exterior wall, and you will have the added expense of constructing a chimney, firebox, and chimney liner. You'll also need to clean your fireplace after each use.

• Gas: While they don't offer the sounds and smell of a wood-burning fireplace, gas is a far more convenient fuel. There's no cleanup and minimal maintenance. A gas fireplace can be turned on with a remote and are either self-vented or require a PVC pipe for venting so it can be placed anywhere in the room. The addition of a blower unit makes a gas fireplace an effective and economical heating source.

• Electric: An electric fireplace is the least realistic-looking option, and they don't create much heat. However, they are the most versatile. Because there is no actual flame, an electric fireplace requires no venting. Electric fireplaces can easily be placed anywhere in the room, even suspended in the center of your space. They offer a modern look perfect for a contemporary or industrial interior design.

Just like defining how you'll use your fireplace and where you'll locate it, choosing the right fuel will help you create the vibe, you've been dreaming of.

Matching Your Home's Interior Design Style

this 3-season room is heated by a linear gas log fireplace.

Your home's interior design will dictate the style of your fireplace and its surround. Design options range from traditional to rustic, modern, or contemporary. A traditional fireplace featuring a stone surround can give your entire space a cozy, rustic feel. Brick can also be rustic but can transcend the rustic feel to become classic chic. A modern fireplace design could feature slab marble or slate, with clean lines and minimalist construction. The firebox offers even more choices to add an element of design, like a geometric design, or the perfect way to introduce contemporary materials into your space.

Between traditional and modern, there is a wide range of styles based on color, materials, and installation of the surround. If you're thinking of adding a fireplace to your new addition, start with research. Look at many pictures, read décor and home-style magazines, visit online sites like Houzz, and get to know your options. Consider them within the context of your unique needs and your home's current design style.

A fireplace is a beautiful addition to your home that can provide your family with many hours of enjoyment and relaxation. Speak with your designer or design-build firm about all the options available to you. Together, you can design the perfect fireplace for your new addition!

If you live in the Greater Madison, WI area and are planning a home addition, why not give the expert design team at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel a call at (608) 846-5963. Let us help you design your dream living space with a luxurious fireplace!

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