Tag: Fireplace

3 Things You Need to Know About Fireplace Installation

Fireplace in HomeIf you’re like most people, you associate fireplaces with cozy evenings that involve enjoying a hot beverage with friends and family while a blazing fire lights up the room. Now that chilly weather has arrived, you may be thinking about contacting an architectural firm about adding a fire feature to your home. The following are three things you need to think about before deciding to have a fireplace installed.

Decide What Type of Fuel You Want to Use

Although there’s nothing quite like the woodsy aroma and crackling sound made by wood-burning fireplaces or stoves, this option comes with a certain amount of effort. You’ll have to chop and carry wood, and you’ll also need an outdoor area where wood can be properly stored. Gas fireplaces, on the other hand, only require a flip of a switch to have a full-fledged fire within a matter of seconds. However, some people enjoy the exercise they get from chopping and carrying wood.

Determine Your Energy Saving Goals

Unlike wood stoves, which are combined with an overhead fan to distribute the heat throughout the room, wood-burning fireplaces don’t produce enough heat to be reliably used as a primary heat source. Their value is mostly aesthetic, so go for gas if you want your fireplace to help keep your monthly heating bills down. Gas fireplaces have a greater heat output and use less fuel overall than their wood-burning counterparts.

Check Your Safety and Building Codes

Building and safety codes are specific to individual jurisdictions, so be sure to check with yours before moving forward with plans to have a fireplace installed! If you live within the city limits, check with your municipality. Rural residents will be subject to safety and building codes set by their county.

At TAB Associates, we have over 30 years of experience helping residents of the Vail Valley and beyond, achieve the home interiors of their dreams. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today to find out more!

How to Decorate Your Fireplace Year-Round

decorate your fireplace

The hearth has long been a symbol of what home was. The comfort of a fireplace, even if seldom used, conveys a homey feel. This sentiment is one that has withstood the test of time.

This makes it even more important to make sure that your mantel not only represents your personality but the vibe that you want your home to give off. Check out these 5 ways to spruce up your mantel and achieve that finishing look to your home.

How to Decorate Your Fireplace Year-Round

  • Bring in a Little Bit of the Shoreline: For a year-round summer feel for your mantel, you can adorn it with unique pieces of driftwood, shells collections, and nautical ropes or lanterns.
  • Immortalize Your Favorite Verse: Have a favorite poetry verse or family saying? Put it on display on a chalkboard atop of your mantel, flanked by some varying sizes of candles to create a unique and a daily motivational piece.
  • Resurrect Some Silver Serving Trays: If you have some serving tray pieces that have been collecting dust waiting for the perfect occasion to use, you can repurpose them as mantel decoration. Their reflective quality adds a unique look to any fireplace.
  • Add Some Favorite Florals: Find some beautiful live (or silk) flowers that provide a pop of color that goes with the room. If you have a more neutral color palette, you can always go with a classic bouquet of white.
  • Provide Some Additional Room Lighting: Depending on the size of your mantel, you can decorate and provide some additional light to low-lit rooms by placing decorative lamps on each edge. Lamps also create spotlighting for mantel pictures as well.

If you are looking for an architectural firm to help design your house to truly become your hearth and home, contact TAB Associates today to schedule your consultation.

How a Fireplace Benefits Your Home

The thought of sitting in front of a warm, crackling fireplace in your own home is something many buyers take into consideration when searching for the perfect place. TAB Associates, an architectural firm in Vail Valley, Colorado, understands how a fireplace brings structural integrity and value to any home. More than just a creature comfort, having a fireplace can bring many other benefits. Here is just a small sampling:

Cozy Environment

There’s just something about having a warm fire going, any time of the year, that brings a sense of comfort throughout the house. Gathering around an open hearth brings its own unique sense of ambiance and coziness, which is even better when it’s shared with friends and loved ones in your home.

Atmosphere

Dimming the lights and sitting in front of a bright, warm fire is a dream setting. Enjoying dinners and movie nights by firelight is truly second to none. As the sun sets, fire up your own fireplace to ensure you have a comfortable, relaxed evening at home.

Eco-Friendly Heating

Today’s wood-burning appliances have become incredibly efficient, and leave a zero-carbon footprint. Some of the higher-end wood-burning units qualify as smokeless heat sources because they produce such a small amount of emissions.

Cut Energy Costs

Electricity costs can become a source of stress as they continue to grow. Because of this, fireplaces are becoming a popular source of prime heating within the home. Some of the newer models have the possibility of distributing heat from the appliance through the existing ductwork to warm the entire home.

With the many benefits they offer, having a fireplace that is a sound and safe structure is also very important. Call the office today and learn how TAB Associates can design a fireplace for any home that is both safe and stylish!