Having a fireplace in your home brings a certain type of elegance to any room. There are some important things to consider when selecting your fireplace, namely what type are you looking to install? Whether is it a wood-burning or gas fireplace, it will be the main focal point of the room it is installed into in your Gerstad Builders home.

One option is a gas fireplace; gives a contemporary look and burns natural gas as fuel instead of wood.  This has become a very popular option among homeowners because of some important features that you can’t get with a wood burning fireplace.  A vented gas fireplace is constructed similarly to their wood-burning counterparts, and has a firebox that is vented up through the chimney. The gas fireplace option allows for a variety of burning elements from glass beads that give the appearance of flames, to ceramic logs that also appear to be burning. This style of fireplace is easy to operate, and less of a fire hazard – is started and stopped with the press of a single button! Lastly, a gas fireplace is much more efficient, and is more effective at heating rooms.

There are two options available for a gas fireplace.

• Direct vent fireplaces work by drawing in air from the outside, and is delivered via a gasline from inside the home. This style also doesn’t require a chimney, and is energy efficient because it releases a large amount of heat into the home. Gerstad Builders offers this option to their clients since it has a very important vital feature. During the winter months homeowners can experience power outages and with the direct vent option that Gerstad offers, it will still work even without power. With this great option available, it has helped homeowners decide on this option instead of a wood burning fireplace.
• Ventless fireplaces have no venting which means they can be placed against an internal wall in your home and a gas line can be attached. The ventless option is very efficient, as the heat generated remains inside your home.

A wood burning fireplace is another common style available. A traditional open hearth can be built out of brick or stone, but keep in mind that in order to enjoy the awesome wood smell and the crackling, you need to be sitting close to it. This style looks the most authentic, but they are not very effective at heating up a larger room.

As beautiful as a wood burning fireplace is, there are some things to keep in mind:

• Storing logs and/or running to the store when you want to have a fire.
• Requires maintenance via cleaning out the ashes and the chimney.
• Ensuring safe operation, as the embers are likely to ‘spit’ out, and can potentially be a fire risk. We recommend using a safety screen with all wood burning fireplaces.
• Energy efficiency is an issue because they lose more heat up the chimney than is created.

If you are building a new Gerstad home with us in one of our McHenry County communities, you are able to have a maintenance-free fireplace, which is great for busy families. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to not have a cold draft from the chimney and not have to clean a messy flue?  Very awesome. A fireplace provides a great balance of elegance and warmth to your living room, they provide a ‘lived in’ feeling to your space making it cozy to enjoy a family movie night, and they are an efficient way of helping to heat your home during the colder winter months.

Interested in visiting one of Gerstad Builders model homes to see the fireplace feature first hand? Call us at (815) 385-4495 or visit our website. In the area? Stop in our Central Sales Office in McHenry and we would be glad to help you find that perfect home.