60% of new homes being built across the USA have at least one gas burning fireplace. This is a 30% increase from the fireplaces available in homes in the early 1970s. One of the three basic amenities that new home owners say they want in a home today is a fireplace. The other two are an upgraded kitchen and a patio.
The desire to own a fireplace in the home is so strong that the National Association of Realtors claims that adding a fireplace to a house increases the house value by as much as $12,000!
Numerous Advantages and Benefits of Having a Gas Fireplace
The benefits of owning a gas burning fireplace are numerous and include:
• Being convenient
• No need to purchase wood
• No need to tend to the fire
• No need to clean up after the fire
• No municipal burning restrictions
• No chimney sweep needed
• Energy efficient (50% to 99% compared to 10% to 30% for fires that need wood)
• Environmentally friendly – no smog problems
• Easy installation
Pick and Choose Your Gas Fireplace from a Wide Variety
Traditional fireplaces that burned wood were more or less all the same. Gas fireplaces, on the other hand, are different. There are three main types which can be customized for indoor and outdoor use.
1. Log sets – you use the traditional fireplace that exists already, but instead of wood, there is a gas line running through a fake log inside the old fireplace. A kit connected to a burner completes the setup.
2. Inserts – are easy to install as they are self-contained gas burning fireplace units that can be fitted easily into a firebox.
3. Built-ins – as the name suggests, are freestanding fireplaces that can be mounted on a wall and secured. These provide the most ease and come in a variety of unit sizes. They can also be found outdoors.
One additional thing you need to remember with a gas burning fireplace is that you need to consider the ventilation option. Experienced technicians should be consulted and contracted to advise and install your gas fireplace.