Fireplaces
A Practical
Design Guide to Fireplaces and Stoves, Indoors and Out
By Jane
Gitlin
Expert Advice on
Planning and Designing a New Indoor or Outdoor Fireplace!
Whether you are planning a new indoor or
outdoor fireplace, recasting an existing one, or shopping for a
stove, there are a lot of choices of materials and finishes
available to you. What are the best selections? That depends on the
building codes, your budget, and your personal style.
The hundreds of photographs in this book will
help you make the important decisions by revealing your options
while outlining the parameters for the design and construction.
You'll find examples of all types of fireplaces from wood to gas,
freestanding, and ventless to stoves, wood, pellet and corm.
You'll also find in-depth discussions of
hearth, mantel, and surround – the elements we most associate with
the look of a fireplace. Lastly, a helpful glossary and list of
resources will help you find everything you need to keep the home
fires burning.
Introduction:
What more appealing scene can you conjure up on a wintry day than
a pair of comfortable armchairs pulled up to a crackling fire while
wisps of smoke curl from the chimney top? All your senses are in
use- the sight of the flickering flames, the sound of the crackling
logs, the warmth on your face, and the fragrance and taste of wood
smoke. Certainly this image is a cliché; nevertheless, the hearth
truly is the essential core of every home, whether it is an actual
fireplace, a sturdy stove, or merely a mantel shelf displaying the
treasures and trophies of intertwined lives. No longer used solely
for practical uses like cooking or heating, nevertheless, a fire
place is the fundamental symbol of Home: the domestic core of warmth
and nourishment.
Those of us lucky to have one or more fireplaces in our homes
treat them with a particular reverence. We adorn the mantelpieces
with our prized possessions, we pose for formal photos in front of
them, and we decorate them each season with almost a shrine like
manner. Buying or selling a house is sure to underscore the value of
a fireplace on the list of the homes top amenities, and adding a new
fireplace to our existing homes indicates our commitment to the
place, by imprinting our enduring mark.
But fireplaces are more than a mere brick hole in the wall for
burning logs, and stoves are more than a fire in a cast iron box.
They include a host of other parts and pieces and accessories to
keep them burning attractively and safely. There are the
architectural parts- the sturdy chimneys, hearths and fireboxes that
make up the shape of the fireplace or stove. There are the
decorative parts – the gorgeous mantelpieces, handmade tile or honed
granite surrounds, dramatic chimneys and quirky chimney pots – that
give style and substance. And there are parts that we cant even see
- the dampers, flues, and ash pits that keep our fires blazing
safely. The traditional hand built masonry fireplace and chimney is
only one way to attain a hearth within your home. These days, you
are just as apt to encounter a wood burning stove, gas fired flames,
or an array of candles in place of a stack of logs.
There is a fireplace or a stove for every budget, too, from a
prefabricated unit to a craftsman built monument. A visit to a
specialty home shop will introduce you to the wide variety of
outdoor fireplaces and fire pits now available for toasting
marshmallows on a crisp evening. And no fireplace or stove is
complete without a few accessories and tools that personalize it and
keep the flames alight, such as screens, andirons, firedogs, grates,
pokers, bellows and brooms. Whether you are planning a new fireplace
for your home, recasting an existing one, or shopping for a stove,
there are a lot of choices of materials and finishes available to
you. What are the best selections? That will depend on the building
codes, your budget, and your personal style. The hundreds of
photographs in this book will reveal the range of options for all
flavors and varieties while outlining the parameters for the design
all the fancy features and the necessary components that will keep
your home fire burning. I invite you to pull up your armchair to the
hearth, and take a look through this gallery of ideas for your own
home.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1
Your Fire Place
Ritual and Culture
Taming Fire
Keeping the Home
Fires Burning
What's Your Fire
Place?
A Hearth for Every
Room
Chapter 2
Fireplaces
What Sort of
Fireplace for Your
Home?
Masonry Fireplaces
Prefabricated
Fireplaces
Where Does Your
Fireplace Belong?
Chimney Basics
Chimney Style
Chapter 3
Chimneypiece Style:
The Mantel,
Surround, and Hearth
Fireplace Style
A Glossary of Terms
Choosing Materials
Mantelpiece Design
Chapter 4
Stoves
What to Consider
How a Stove Works
Finding the Right
Stove for Your Space
Retrofitting a
Fireplace for a
Woodstove
Stove Style
Masonry Heaters
Heating Your Home
with Wood
Chapter 5
Alternatives to Wood
Fuel Options
Gas-Burning
Appliances
Pellet Stoves
Corn Stoves
Electric Fireplaces
Emerging
Technologies
Chapter 6
Outdoor Fire Places
The Fire Outside
Campfires
Fire Pits
Outdoor Fireplaces
Glossary
Resources
Soft-cover, 9-3/16 x 10-7/8 in., 208 pages, with color
photos and drawings
Published 2006
ISBN: 978-1-56158-835-0
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