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From the category archives:

Living Room

Tips for Keeping a Safe and Well-Maintained Fireplace

by Brandon Mercury on January 10

There’s nothing like curling up in front of a warm, cozy fire on a cold day. But in order to enjoy this luxury, it is important your fireplace be safe and properly maintained. Read this list of tips to help keep your family safe, your fireplace running efficiently, and your gas bill at a minimum.

Safety

  • It’s important to remember a fireplace is not the same thing as a furnace. Fires should only be burned for short periods of time (five hours or less).
  • While using the fireplace, crack a window to avoid smoke accumulating in the room. The air will be sucked up the chimney.
  • While burning a fire, make sure the glass is open to allow air to circulate through the chimney. However keep the screen closed at all times to keep sparks from jumping out.
  • Place a nonflammable rug directly in front of the fireplace to prevent sparks from damaging your floor or carpet.

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Choosing New Fire Surrounds

by Stephanie Staszko on January 4

You’ve chosen your new fire now you’ve hit the part you most dread – choosing the correct fire surrounds. It can be a difficult task as fire surrounds don’t generally come cheap and if you get it wrong you could entirely ruin the appearance of your room (no pressure then!). Proceed to read for some advice on different fire surrounds which are available and how they could fit into your home décor.

Stone

Stone fireplaces are arguably one of the most popular surrounds for the modern home. They have modern connotations and their subtle yet classy design makes them a timeless classic for the contemporary home. Widely available in limestone and marble, they generally consist of a handful of neutral shades of different stone.

Perfect accompaniment: For a minimalistic feel with a touch of romance, decorate the hearth with miniature tea lights.

Brick

Bricks create the feeling of a country home, so if you have a quaint cottage in the countryside then a brick fire surrounds can help you to continue this traditional style throughout your home. Often seen in country pubs, they are an absolute must-have if you’re opting for a traditional home that oozes comfort.

Perfect accompaniment: To continue the country house style, have a stack of wooden logs as a natural decoration next to the fire. [click to continue…]

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Considering an Electric Fireplace? Here’s What you Should Know!

by Jocelyn Anne on December 29

There is very little that is as cozy, inviting, or even romantic as the home fireplace.  Everything from the warmth, the flickering flames, the crackle of the fire in the wood, the glow, it all adds up to create an ambiance that’s unbeatable.  It beckons you in, urges you to sit nearby, preferably with a very large fuzzy blanket and a cup of cocoa, and within moments, offers to soothe away your worries.  There’s something extremely captivating about staring into a fireplace that most of us can’t avoid.  However., many homes simply do not have a fireplace built in, nor the capacity to install one.  There’s just no way to put a chimney into an apartment complex, a boat, your RV, or even your office.  Fortunately, there now exists (to the surprise of many) electric fireplaces!  These can be placed in any home, condo, apartment, etc., with no chimneys, venting or gas lines required.  If you’ve ever considered one or you are now, here are some things to keep in mind as you go shopping and start looking.

Determining Heating Capacity

Probably the first thing you’re going to need to know is what size heater you truly need.  An average size electric fireplace heater will run at 120 volts (standard), 1500 watts, and 12.5 amps.  To determine the heating capacity that this fireplace would provide, you simply divide the number of watts (1500) by 10.  This means a heater with those specs should adequately heat 150 square feet.  You can of course, find electric fireplaces with lower and higher ranges, some that even offer as many as 4,500 BTUS to heat 450 square feet.  [click to continue…]

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Image of the Week: Living Room Fireplace

by ServiceMagic on November 28

Living Room - MyHomeIdeas.com

As winter continues to move in you and your family might find yourselves spending more time in your living room, huddled around the fireplace. This week’s image, from MyHomeIdeas.com, features a beautiful gray fireplace with a one-of-kind tile frame. There are a lot of ways you can remodel and design your fireplace, and we give this one a 10 out 10! How would you remodel your fireplace?

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Grateful for Creativity: 7 Easy DIY Thanksgiving Decorations

by Derek Dasher on November 15

Thanksgiving is crammed between Halloween and Christmas and hardly gets the attention it deserves. Décor often switches from cobwebs and pumpkins to garlands and Christmas trees, giving no thought to the holiday that lies in between. In reality, it’s impractical to spend lots of money on decorations that can only be used for a few weeks out of the year.  Luckily there are a variety of things that can be done to reuse some of the decorations you already have (even ones you might not be aware of). There’s an abundance of unique, creative ideas floating around cyberspace, but we’ve saved you the hassle of searching by compiling this list of our top seven.

  1. Festive Candleholders
    Hollow out the center of your small pumpkins or apples (it’s done easiest with a drill). Use them to make candleholders, and embellish the base of the candle with leaves, berries, mini pinecones or whatever else you find lying around. Try grouping a few together and using them as a centerpiece for your big feast.

    Photo source: BHG.com

  2. [click to continue…]

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Weekend Warrior: Preparing Your Fireplace for Winter

by David Lupberger on November 3

With winter coming, fireplace users are starting to get excited about the warm glow that will soon be emanating from their fireplace hearth.  There is nothing like the warm glow of a fire on a cold night.  Like everything else in your home, however, your fireplace and chimney need periodic maintenance.

First, have you had your fireplace cleaned recently?  Creosote is a flammable material that can build up on chimney walls, and left undisturbed can start a chimney fire.  Check with a chimney cleaner if your fireplace has not been cleaned in the last 3 years.  This is important – don’t put this off.

Secondly, make sure your fireplace flue is working properly.  The chimney sweep can check is for you, but you want to make sure that you can close the flue at the times you are not using your fireplace.  Also, look into installing some kind of fireplace doors or enclosure around an open fireplace.  Why do I suggest this?  Would you keep a window open during the winter, letting heat flow out the open window?  Of course not.  Heating fuel is too expensive, and the house would be cold.

Not having some kind of fireplace doors that you can close when not using your fireplace is like leaving a window open when it’s cold.  Heat rises, and if you have an open fireplace, heat will be drawn right into your fireplace and up your chimney.  A good fireplace flue will slow this down, but installing a fireplace enclosure with glass doors that you can open when using the fireplace is even better.  When not is use, close the flue, close the fireplace doors, and keep your heat in the house.  You will save money, and your house will feel warmer.

With all that said, enjoy your fireplace and the warmth of a good fire.

David Lupberger, author of the book Managing the Emotional Homeowner, draws on more than two decades of experience in the residential remodeling field, working with remodelers to develop proven business systems. Through his work in the remodeling industry, he hopes to redefine the way the remodeling industry operates so that the trust between quality remodelers, their customers, suppliers, and trade contractors can be leveraged and improved.  Visit David’s website at: www.DavidLupberger.com

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Side Tables – The Ultimate Living Room Sidekick

by ServiceMagic on September 16

Think of a side table as a couch’s sidekick. While the couch may seem like the center of attention, side tables ensure glasses aren’t placed on the floor, they hold lamps to provide extra lighting and they’re great for books, candles, and other decor items. Not only are side tables crucial for a living space, they can also make the couch look good!  As you can see in the images above – from HGTV’s Green Home in Stapleton, CO – a side table doesn’t have to be boring. [click to continue…]

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