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

Chapter 1
Your Fire Place
Ritual and Culture
Taming Fire
Keeping the Home Fires Burning
Whats 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

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 clich; 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.