Monday
Jul232007
Value of a Fireplace
July 23, 2007
Q: What Value Does A Fireplace Add To A Home?
Fireplaces are fantastic focal points for the rooms in any home, but what are the secrets for using a fireplace to add value to your home? Irwin and Nicola, our New York designer co-hosts, love the fireplace and share their advice and common sense tips with you on making your fireplace addition really count. In this episode you will learn the do's and don'ts for placing plasma TVs above the fireplace, which room gives you the best resale value for fireplace additions, the fuel gel fireplace trend (easy, inexpensive, and stylish), using decorative mantels and other fireplace surround materials to tie in with your room's color scheme, and the romance of coal and woodburning fireplaces (particularly if you love chimney sweeps)!
Reader Comments (6)
This was fun to listen to. We are building a house and guesthouse in Marrakech and will have 7 woodburning fireplaces - 3 in living spaces and 4 in bedrooms. I am struggling right now with the mantels. I have been inspired by the streamlined fireplaces in the Amanjena hotel.
Many thanks for your feedback, Maryam. I think fireplaces are very important in a home. Frank Lloyd Wright was nuts about them! They can be an important focus in a room. Best of luck with your house project. It sounds wonderful.
Best wishes,
Irwin
I live in a condo apt. and would love to have a fireplace. Do you think a gas burning fireplace that can be taken with you when you move, is still considered a value enhancing addition to a condo once we're ready to move? Or is it best to put the money else where in our new construction condo?
Thanks for your question! The answer will depend on a few variables. It's hard to say where you should put additional money in construction and/or decorating. Our initial recommendation is to put the money into what you're going to get the most enjoyment from and what means the most to you. Since you want a fireplace, that might be the #1 reason to add one. If you want a fireplace more than a Sub-Zero, then the high-end refrigerator is not where you should put your money.
Bear in mind that someone else should love what you add when you resell. Blue granite isn't everyone's taste, so selling a condo filled with blue granite might be tricky. Fireplaces, on the other hand, are usually easy to sell, but perhaps not if you're taking yours away. Consider keeping yours in as a valuable extra when you sell; and then move into a new home without having to find just the right spot to install your old fireplace. Start fresh!
If the layout of your room works well with a fireplace, then add one. But if the fireplace is in addition to windows, doors, and a large TV, then it might be too busy. The seating in the room needs to lay out well, too. Having two chairs facing a fireplace with their backs to the rest of the room isn't going to look great.
There are many fireplaces, both functional and decorative, that work well and can enhance a room. They can make for a great central focal point of a space and "pull a room together." Read fireplace installation instructions carefully, as even some ventless models may require an open window nearby for fresh air.
Sometimes an antique mantelpiece from any architectural salvage yard can look a 1,000 times better than a new mantel and can make a new fireplace look "old" and like it's been there forever. We like that kind of decorating touch if you're considering installing a more permanent gas fireplace versus something freestanding.
Fireplaces and fire accessories will be switched out soon for air conditioners and fans at home stores, so if you're thinking of buying a new fireplace, you'll be able to get them on sale now, or quite soon. We hope these tips help!
Hi, I just moved into a new condo in an older building from the late 1800s. I don't like my fireplace and would like to change it with either paint or new tiles. I have seen pictures of other houses/condos with similar fireplaces, so I think it may be a common style. I would love to get some suggestions on what others have done to update their similar fireplaces. Thanks!
Jefferson Condos in Portland
When there's no fire in the fireplace, maybe. But when a beautiful fire is burning, why would you turn your back to it? Much of the fire's appeal is visual, IMO.
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