What would a vacation mountain home be without a fireplace? Ivan Stanley Fine Home Builders can skillfully guide you in selecting the right type of fireplace to meet your needs and design desires. Fireplace technology has improved drastically in the last several decades, providing the custom home owner with a myriad of choices. Let’s start with the basics. There are four main categories of fireplaces: wood burning fireplaces, gas log sets, B-vent or natural vent gas fireplaces and direct vent gas fireplaces. For the sake of this discussion, we will focus on the three types of gas fireplaces, saving wood burning products for another time.
As the most important room in your home, the great room in your custom mountain home deserves a bold, magnificent fireplace and hearth. Gas burner fireplaces, traditionally called gas log sets are a perfect system to create this stunning and authentic effect. Gas burner fireplaces are actually a combination of two products. A manufactured wood burning fireplace box is installed with a gas line penetrating the wall of the firebox, allowing a gas burner system to be inserted inside the firebox cavity. This combination of a wood burning firebox and gas burner allows for an extremely high BTU burner, providing the most realistic presentation of the gas fireplace products: big flames. These fireplaces are open to the room; they are not enclosed behind glass while burning. This inviting, open view is desirable in a large presentation fireplace as it creates a more genuine and comfortable appearance. The wide variety of log sets that can be placed above the burner offers the homeowner a great deal of control over the final look.
Natural vent or B-vent fireplaces are true prefabricated gas fireplaces. These fireplaces provide a very similar look to gas log sets, with several distinct differences. Natural vent fireplaces are a complete manufactured system. The firebox and burners are designed to work together and are engineered to function as a unit. For this reason, the log styles are limited to a handful of choices that have been preapproved by the manufacturer. The log style options are realistic in appearance, but the options are limited. Like gas log set fireplaces, natural vent fireplaces do not require a glass separation from the room space. They are open to the room environment, adding to the natural, authentic ambiance. B-vent fireplaces are typically a slightly lower BTU range than gas log sets. While there may be fewer log style options, this type of fireplace is advantageous because it is a considerably less expensive product than the afore-mentioned wood burning box with gas log burner sets.
The direct vent gas fireplace is the newest to the market and is the most technologically advanced. Direct vent gas fireplaces are highly engineered products and are efficient heating appliances. These products are designed to be both decorative and efficient. They are rated with the same efficiency systems as boilers or furnaces. Direct vent gas fireplaces are sealed from the air space with glass which must remain in place. Combustion air is pulled in from outside the home, and exhaust is forced outside of the home through a special ventilation system, protecting the integrity of the internal air quality. Advanced engineering affords these products with a wide variety of accessories: accent lighting, multi-level burner control options, fans, thermostatic controls and remote control options.
Gas fireplace design advancements have opened up generous design options and opportunities for the custom homeowner and designer. Ivan Stanley Fine Home Builders can help guide you through the pros and cons of each style. Contact Jeremy Fischer for his expert advice. Jeremy Fischer’s experience and expertise will prove invaluable in your decision making process.
