The Majestic Vermont is a direct-vent gas fireplace with faux logs.
Cuddling up in front of a toasty fire was once a luxury reserved only for those living in homes originally built with fireplaces, but with new technology, anyone can enjoy the warmth and ambience of a hearth -- even apartment dwellers.
Today's new products include everything from portable fireplaces and ready-to-install models to fireplaces with gas logs or LED lighting (they "almost" duplicate real logs complete with lighting effects and heat).
Keith Hale / Sun-Times
This new breed of fireplace can be inserted into walls of existing or new homes, condos or town houses. For apartment dwellers, there are free-standing models that can sit in the middle of a room or hug a wall. Some of the latest free-standing models even come with built-in entertainment centers.
As the product line for fireplaces continues to grow, the prices for many of these hearths has decreased. Chicago area fireplace experts say inserts are affordable and priced to fit nearly every pocketbook. Consider: A fireplace insert box (that means without the mantel) may cost as little as $600, with average top prices around $5,000. For those who choose gas or LED lighted faux logs, add about $300 to $800 to the total cost, plus installation.
"Investing in a fireplace is a good investment and can add as much as $5,000 to the value of a residence," said Paula Adams, a sales associate at Coldwell Banker in Hyde Park. "So, if you spend a couple thousand on a new fireplace, the return on the investment is well worth it."
Adams says fireplaces also add a desirability factor to a home. "People love fireplaces because they can add character to a room and provide warmth," she said. "So, it's easier to sell a home with a fireplace."
What type of fireplace to choose depends on one's needs and tastes, says Tom Arnold, president of AllTypes Fireplace & Patio based in Oak Park. For example, if you don't have a chimney or a vent, you might opt for a gas log fireplace. But although a flue is not required, gas logs can be lighted only for three to four hours before it's required to turn it off or open a window. Natural gas contains a small amount of carbon dioxide, which becomes dangerous in enclosed spaces if burned too long.
"Some of the models come with automatic shut-offs and timers to make it even safer and easier to use," Arnold said.
However, Arnold says installing a vent for a woodburning fireplace is a lot easier than it used to be. Today's vents can be angled this way and that through a wall till they pop outside a building. Plus, the vent can come out an exterior wall and doesn't have to go out the roof. "The new technology is perfect for an older home or a condo," Arnold said.
Some of the other choice considerations include natural gas, propane, wood, coal, oil or electricity to light wood or faux logs. Fireplace-lovers also can opt to burn pellets made from recycled wood waste, which is fed into a burn chamber. Another option is glass particles lighted in the hearth through electricity.
As for the free-standing fireplaces, Arnold has one in his shop that uses LED lighting, priced at an affordable $500. "The best thing about this model is that you can plug it into any outlet, you don't need special wiring," he said.
Perhaps one of the most endearing characteristic of the new fireplace models is energy efficiency. Energy-efficient fireplaces display hearths with glass sliding doors and forced-air systems to reroute heat into the room instead of out the chimney. Even the electric models provide extra room heating.
Reynaldo Quesada, owner of Greenforest Fireplace & Patio Co. on the North Side, says some of the best fireplaces have an energy efficiency of 80 percent.
"My advice is to get rid of the old gas radiator and replace it with a free-standing fireplace or a gas-log unit," said Quesada, whose showroom at 1215 W. Belmont has two floors of just about every fireplace model and design on the market.
Arnold says with the the economy in a downturn, fireplaces are a great way to save heating costs. Recent figures from Peoples Gas indicate Chicago area residents are expected to see an average increase of 35 percent in the 2008-2009 heating season, compared to last year's gas prices.
"A fireplace is like having zoned heating," he said. "If you're in one room, light up or turn on the fireplace and then turn down the thermostat in the rest of the house. It'll definitely cut down on this winter's heating bill."
One of the newest developments in fireplace inserts is direct-vent technology. The double chamber vent brings fresh outdoor air for combustion into the sealed firebox and exhausts the products of combustion through the inner vent core. Inserts use two smaller separate, vents, one for air intake and one for exhaust.
AllTypes Fireplace & Patio's showroom features a zoned-heating unit that also is available as a separate direct-vent fireplace, complete with mantel, that can be installed in a room without a fireplace.
"You might call it a very attractive space heater," said Arnold. "These direct-vent gas fireplace units, such as the popular 'Fireplace Xtraordinair' brand, are equipped with a blower to get the heat out of the fireplace and into the room."
These fireplace inserts require a depth of 15 inches to 16 inches and back width of 16 to 17 inches (Chicago Building Codes require a minimum depth of 12 inches). Of special interest is that the inserts can be installed with a vertical or horizontal vent, which enables homeowners to install a fireplace virtually anywhere in an existing home. The Fireplace Xtraordinair brand units are base priced from about $2,500.
Heatilator Fireplaces, another manufacturer of direct-vent fireplaces, offers a line of models with prices beginning at about $1,100. The Heatilator units come with such features as a cut-glass bay windowed hearth, pewter, brass or black enamel trim and ceramic refractory.
For additional heat distribution, one or two optional power heat ducts, with fans, can be added to the fireplace inserts to draw heated air up to 20 feet away from the fireplace and into other parts of a home.
Arnold said ventless fireplaces currently account for about 40 percent of installations in the Chicago area. "They are very popular in high-rise condominiums because no flue or chimney is necessary, and ventless fireplace units are more affordable," he said. Ventless fireplaces with logs typically range in price from $1,000 to $2,000.
