Fireplaces
Ivy Ngeow RIBA
November 2003
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All rooms need a focal point. The living area is often the largest and most public room in the house, therefore would benefit from an interesting and more formal display. Traditionally, the most impressive and expensive paintings, furniture and ornaments are saved for this room. If you live in a pre-WWII property, every room would have been built with a fireplace. It is a traditional symbol of the home and the family. Also it is the heart of relaxation and entertaining because firstly it provides heat and secondly it is central to the room, and therefore a feature.

In most homes nowadays, the television is now a focal point. This does not have to be unattractive, as it is an honest reflection of modern lifestyle. However, most 'period' homes would benefit from at least one fireplace as the chimney breast is so dominant. In many houses the original fireplaces were removed during the early to mid twentieth century due to the drive towards modernism. Fireplaces and panelled pine doors were considered the height of bad taste. Only in the nineties did they regain their popularity. The opening where the fireplace used to be was simply boarded up. Many people discover that their fireplaces are still intact under hardboarding.

If your fireplace is missing under the hardboard (i.e. there is a gaping black hole of raw brickwork), it is relatively simple to install a new fireplace. The fireplace should match the character of the room. If not, it will be very difficult to decorate and the fireplace will be an eyesore rather than a beautiful object. This does not mean that it has to be old-looking, or reproduction. The fireplace design must be conceptualised with that of the room. You can scour salvage yards and antique shops if you want a real antique. However, reproductions and modern designs are all as attractive.

You will also have to consider the type of fuel your fireplace will use. The four most common types of fuel are gas, solid fuel, oil and electricity. The first three will require a flue but electrical fires will not. There is now a gel fuel as well, which makes it possible to move a fireplace or tray from room to room without the need for flues, cabling or plumbing. However, this is a very expensive way of having a fire.

Real flame gas fires come with or without heat exchangers. Modern designs conceal the heat exchangers and look like a real coal fire. You can have pebbles, coal effect or log effect fires. These are usually gas-powered. In most modern designs, you can have electronic remote control to operate or control the settings of your fireplace.

If you have an old chimney breast, you are required to have the flue lined and a smoke test carried out before you fit a new fire. This is because the brickwork or pointing may be defective and the exhaust may enter the internal rooms above the fireplace. If a chimney breast does not exist, you can have a gas fire with fanned or balanced flues. This means that the burnt gas is extracted to an external wall. In any case, you will have to box in the flue somehow. This can be hidden in joinery within a carefully planned interior design. If not, the overall appearance could be like an industrial kitchen. Of course it is also possible to build a chimney breast.

Fires should have a hearth for safety and a fireguard to protect children and the elderly. However, most people do not want this effect as the whole point of the fireplace is so that you can see it. It is recommended that you purchase your fireplace from a reputable company with full safety and warranty certificates. The gas fitter has to be CORGI-registered and you will be required to submit a building notice to the council if you are building a flue and chimney breast.