Burning question
It’s simple, and I think I know the answer. But it’s not that straightforward.
Image: Beth Evans for The Guardian
Do I get a fire? I have a boarded up fireplace, a handsome mantlepiece and a big, freezing living room. I like to be warm. I like a focal point. I like to burn things. So I owe it to myself, and the flat, to get the real fire reinstated, no?
The main problem is that it’s pretty expensive. I had the chimney swept and tested last winter, and Mick The Sweep (his business name) said I’d need the chimney lining, involving scaffolding, knocking out bits of the chimney breast and other disruption. And it also feels pretty decadent. There are loads of more sensible things I should get done in the house, not least sort out the large drafty windows that are also part of the coldness problem. So what do you think, have you had it done? Was it Loadsahassle? Worth it in the end (I bet it was).
Hey,
We just replaced an old fireplace which admittedly was still open. The sweep we used said be careful about people who say you need a liner, as unless you want a wood burning stove, it’s unlikely that you need one. Having said that, it’s one person’s word against another, so your guy might be right. If you are based in London, I recommend http://www.thamesfireplace.co.uk/ they were by far the most helpful place we went to and worth the trek South of the river. Give me a shout if you want to know exactly what we got and costs.
I just have one word for you to think about before opening up that fireplace,DUST.
Hello! I’ve had them before and although they’re lovely I found them quite a bit of extra work, dust and grit, and they can spit. If you’re in a smokeless zone you’ll be limited to what you can burn and they take a while to warm up. You can lose alot of heat up the chimney so a solid fuel burning stove thing is more efficient. Sorry to be a bit of a downer on the dream!
Hello! I have just had one of my fireplaces reinstated and it really has been a nightmare. I wanted it to look like the one in your photo and to just burn logs in a grate – we had the chimney lined – what a mess it made and we have had to redecorate the wall as they needed to knock a huge hole in it as the chimney was so narrow the liner could not be “fed” down from the roof. The builder also recommended we have a hidden “skirt” attached to the bottom of the liner supposedly to help draw the smoke up the chimney. Alas the first time we lit the fire the room literally filled with acrid smoke setting off smoke alarms all over the house – the air was blue! It was as if we had lit a bonfire in the middle of our sitting room! Some of the smoke was indeed going up the chimney but most of it was belching into the room – have tried lighting it twice since and the same thing happened. Also the room is now covered with a fine layer of sooty dust obviously as a result of all the smoke in the room. SO, after lots of expense, mess and hassle we still do not have a working fire. Some chimneys do not have a good “draw” apparently …. I am devastated as I so wanted it to be perfect – I adore the smell of wood smoke in a home and just think a fire MAKES a home. Incidentally we have an open fire in one of our other rooms which was there when we moved in and that is fine so my advice would be speak to a reliable expert first before making any decisions. Good luck!
why not do what Isabella Blow did in her fabulous apartment – have a gorgeous digital fire image thrown into a slightly recessed space ? I can’t remember which of the bios about her I read that I saw a picture of it but is should be easy to find. I agree with your practical correspondents: think messy, cold, dusty and expensive especially if you have to redo the whole room as well as doing the chimney
I say go for it. If you live in a city, you can’t burn wood anyway as it’s illegal.
You aren’t going to have it on all the time, but when you do it makes a home.
Get a wood-burning stove!!! So safe, SO warm and efficient, and you’re allowed to burn wood because it’s so hot that the emissions are less polluting, apparently. We burn coal, and it’s just lovely. They’re not cheap (we bought a Morso) but they’re atmospheric, and they do have to be cleaned out but it’s not that big a deal. I love being able to leave it very low for the night and just rekindle it gently in the morning. It doesn’t smell of logs but that doesn’t really matter. You can burn Diptyque’s Feu de Bois candle instead!
pS – you can buy a wood-burning stove on ebay. We live in London and burn wood and coal
We have a gas fire in one room, and a wood-burning stove in another. They’re both lovely. I grew up with an open fireplace and liked it, truly, but the other options are both warmer, far more practical, and almost as nice.
I have a real fire and I love it – I can turn the central heating off in the evening and just burn the logs. This will be a problem for you if as has been said and you can’t, also storing them might be a problem if you live in a flat. There are some amazing gas ones if that is an option. Looking at your picture though it would look lovely with a flame in there somewhere