Prefab fireplace vs insert

[AliciaL]

Hi there - I am a new member, and I will undoubtedly have many, many questions, as we just purchased a cabin with two fireplaces and two additional chimneys were we plan to put wood stoves. Yay!! We are very excited, but it is hard to decide where to start and where to allocate the most of our limited financial resources......one of the fireplaces is in the center of the cabin, so I figured this was a good spot to invest in a really high quality insert. Unfortunately, I am not in love with the look of any of the inserts and find myself wishing we could achieve the look of the "fireplace" rather than a retrofitted insert. We plan on eventually putting a rock veneer over the brick that is now on the fireplace.....if we are able to make the faceplate fit exactly with the new veneer, could we make a " fireplace " work?? I hope that question makes sense....I am referring to what I assume are prefabricated fireplaces, which to me look very, very similar to the inserts, only they fit cleaner, without the big surround. Thank you so much for your help. Currently, I am feeling overwhelmed with all the stove/insert/fireplace options we have! BTW, we live in the mountains of SW Montana, so the more heat, the better!

 

[Nick Mystic]

From your question it is hard to tell what you hope to accomplish. You talk about having two fireplaces and two additional chimneys. It seems odd to have extra chimneys with nothing attached to them if there are also two fireplaces since when people use the term "cabin" they usually are referring to smaller structure. Also, the way you are using the term "prefabricated fireplace" makes me think you are talking about something different from what most people think of as a prefabricated fireplace. Perhaps if you posted some photos it would held clear things up and get you better responses. When you say you don't like the look of any inserts it makes me think you haven't done too much research since there are literally hundreds of different inserts on the market and certainly one of them would have some appeal to you.

You also talk about wanting a lot of heat, so that pretty much eliminates most prefab fireplaces since they tend to suck heat out of a structure as opposed to heating it. I think if you do a bit more research and get your terminology straight we will be better able to offer advice and answer questions. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[oconnor]

Prefab fireplaces are most commonly referred to now as zero clearance fireplaces. They are essentially an EPA approved stove that is built into the wall or structure. They typically aren't used in existing fireplace openings, as they can be quite large. That said, If one can be found that fits, you may have the better look you want.

Pictures will certainly help.

 

[FyreBug]

Maybe if you told us a bit about your budget this would help in telling the best way to spend that money.