ᐅ Is having a fireplace still practical in new construction homes today – any experiences?
Created on: 20 Mar 2018 23:34
P
PSK
Hello!
My wife and I are currently in the planning phase for our single-family home and are wondering whether a fireplace still makes sense today, although we would like to have one.
To give some background: we both grew up with a fireplace and have always found it very appealing. There is just something special about a fire, and the “pleasant warmth” is great. For that reason, we always intended to install a traditional wood-burning fireplace with an open flame in our house. Specifically, we would like a real eye-catcher integrated into a wall, visible from two or three sides.
Almost every homebuilder we spoke to said that this no longer makes economic sense in modern houses and is more likely to cause overheating. However, it would be possible with all of them. Even a fireplace installation company advised against it. We are currently planning a system with an air-to-water heat pump and underfloor heating throughout the house (about 155m² (1,670 sq ft)), built to KFW55 standard (timber frame). A wall-integrated fireplace would have around 8 kW output, which is far too much. If at all, they recommend installing only a small freestanding fireplace with a maximum of 2-3 kW if we absolutely want one. But we don’t like those due to their size.
Thinking it over, I see the point of these arguments. In this setup, you have a consistent indoor temperature of about 21°C (70°F). You don’t really need a fireplace anymore. The companies estimate heating costs of around 500 euros. A cubic meter of firewood costs roughly 80 euros if you buy it prepared. So, potential cost savings are almost zero. And the chimney along with the fireplace and all the accessories would cost about 8,000 to 10,000 euros. Visually, it would also never quite look how we imagine it. Without a fireplace, we wouldn’t have an intrusive edge in the rooms and could position the doors more freely.
We also had a striking experience: about a year ago, we visited friends who had recently built a house and also have a fireplace. They proudly lit it even though it was already 22°C (72°F) inside, thanks to house automation and pellet heating. Although they barely put any wood in—so the fire was mostly smoldering—the fireplace kept running at full power. After two hours, the temperature reached around 26°C (79°F), and we were sitting in T-shirts (with -10°C (14°F) outside) in the living room. Another hour later, at 29°C (84°F), just before overheating, the friends opened the windows. The takeaway: expensive heat, a poor fire that I then effectively blew out the window!
What are your experiences with or opinions on fireplaces in modern homes?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards
Steffen
My wife and I are currently in the planning phase for our single-family home and are wondering whether a fireplace still makes sense today, although we would like to have one.
To give some background: we both grew up with a fireplace and have always found it very appealing. There is just something special about a fire, and the “pleasant warmth” is great. For that reason, we always intended to install a traditional wood-burning fireplace with an open flame in our house. Specifically, we would like a real eye-catcher integrated into a wall, visible from two or three sides.
Almost every homebuilder we spoke to said that this no longer makes economic sense in modern houses and is more likely to cause overheating. However, it would be possible with all of them. Even a fireplace installation company advised against it. We are currently planning a system with an air-to-water heat pump and underfloor heating throughout the house (about 155m² (1,670 sq ft)), built to KFW55 standard (timber frame). A wall-integrated fireplace would have around 8 kW output, which is far too much. If at all, they recommend installing only a small freestanding fireplace with a maximum of 2-3 kW if we absolutely want one. But we don’t like those due to their size.
Thinking it over, I see the point of these arguments. In this setup, you have a consistent indoor temperature of about 21°C (70°F). You don’t really need a fireplace anymore. The companies estimate heating costs of around 500 euros. A cubic meter of firewood costs roughly 80 euros if you buy it prepared. So, potential cost savings are almost zero. And the chimney along with the fireplace and all the accessories would cost about 8,000 to 10,000 euros. Visually, it would also never quite look how we imagine it. Without a fireplace, we wouldn’t have an intrusive edge in the rooms and could position the doors more freely.
We also had a striking experience: about a year ago, we visited friends who had recently built a house and also have a fireplace. They proudly lit it even though it was already 22°C (72°F) inside, thanks to house automation and pellet heating. Although they barely put any wood in—so the fire was mostly smoldering—the fireplace kept running at full power. After two hours, the temperature reached around 26°C (79°F), and we were sitting in T-shirts (with -10°C (14°F) outside) in the living room. Another hour later, at 29°C (84°F), just before overheating, the friends opened the windows. The takeaway: expensive heat, a poor fire that I then effectively blew out the window!
What are your experiences with or opinions on fireplaces in modern homes?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards
Steffen
tomtom79 schrieb:
Better to have a nice fire pit or a pizza oven in the garden, etc.... or a hot tub.
That might also suit @garfunkel.
G
garfunkel24 Mar 2018 12:01Making a fire in swim trunks and, after a refreshing swim, enjoying a delicious pizza from your own oven.
A man can hardly experience more happiness.
A man can hardly experience more happiness.
G
garfunkel24 Mar 2018 12:46I once saw a fake fireplace in a restaurant. It was constructed like a regular wood-burning stove, but the glass panel was actually a display showing only a flame effect. It looked very realistic.
Hello everyone,
Our shell construction is now complete, and from the beginning, we planned to have a masonry stove built in by the stove fitter.
A brief overview of the situation:
The stove will be located in the dining room/kitchen area (40 m² (430 sq ft)). There is also a double door from the dining room to the living room (another 20 m² (215 sq ft)).
It’s a KFW 55 house, built with 42 cm (17 inch) solid bricks, and has a controlled ventilation system.
After looking into it more closely, we think that a 7 kW stove made of Ytong without fireclay lining (meaning without heat storage) might not be the right choice, as the rooms could get too hot.
We have now received another offer for a stove made from HSM stone with fireclay lining, 8 kW, but it requires a breakthrough to the living room, so the heat can also be shared there by opening wall flaps.
This is, of course, the top-of-the-line option among stoves.
As an alternative, there is a middle-ground option to install a prefab storage stove, the Camina S9, which is not masonry-built but is said to offer heat storage and also allows for a connection to the living room. It has 7 kW and uses storage concrete.
Does anyone have good experience with this? Would the cheaper stove cause overheating or stuffiness? Is a fireclay lining essential to prevent the room from heating up too quickly, something we definitely want to avoid?
I want to save money, of course, but there’s no point in having a stove that I won’t use because the space overheats.
Our shell construction is now complete, and from the beginning, we planned to have a masonry stove built in by the stove fitter.
A brief overview of the situation:
The stove will be located in the dining room/kitchen area (40 m² (430 sq ft)). There is also a double door from the dining room to the living room (another 20 m² (215 sq ft)).
It’s a KFW 55 house, built with 42 cm (17 inch) solid bricks, and has a controlled ventilation system.
After looking into it more closely, we think that a 7 kW stove made of Ytong without fireclay lining (meaning without heat storage) might not be the right choice, as the rooms could get too hot.
We have now received another offer for a stove made from HSM stone with fireclay lining, 8 kW, but it requires a breakthrough to the living room, so the heat can also be shared there by opening wall flaps.
This is, of course, the top-of-the-line option among stoves.
As an alternative, there is a middle-ground option to install a prefab storage stove, the Camina S9, which is not masonry-built but is said to offer heat storage and also allows for a connection to the living room. It has 7 kW and uses storage concrete.
Does anyone have good experience with this? Would the cheaper stove cause overheating or stuffiness? Is a fireclay lining essential to prevent the room from heating up too quickly, something we definitely want to avoid?
I want to save money, of course, but there’s no point in having a stove that I won’t use because the space overheats.
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