So look at this! After years of shivering (caused by dithering) we have a freestanding fireplace. Installed without any fuss, in half a day, and now happily burning the firewood that is still in the shed from when we bought the place twelve years ago. It is very dry and is burning very well.
We still have to get it certified by the government but that is just a question of filling in the forms and paying the money. I don't know if this will be a money saving measure - the fireplace will cost us just under $6000 all up - but we pay $102 a week for electricity on average, so anything that brings that down will be more than welcome. And of course we will have to buy some more wood.
Here is the room view with boy under blanket (but still wearing a t-shirt, for god's sake if you're cold put a jumper on) and teetering piles of folded washing. It is lovely to watch the flames. It's a big piece of iron with a big hearth, but it doesn't overwhelm the room like I was worried it might. The technology is amazing - even at full burn there is no heat coming off the back, it lights incredibly easy, and no smoke in the room!!!
We went for a very traditional-looking fireplace because the modern sleek ones wouldn't have suited our very 1970s house. And it pumps out the heat, even on low. Mind you it hasn't been super cold these past few days. I think we have another week where the overnight temperature might dip below zero but then it will have to sit idle until April probably. And we haven't cleaned out the ashes yet, that might dampen my enthusiasm. Or not! I love a fire.
It does look very cosy. Being Very Ancient, and having been brought up in the days of coal fires, I don't really understand why anyone would want to clean out a fire now that central heating has been invented, but they're very fashionable, and our son and dil have one. Mind you, they're said to be pollutey...
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