From the crackle, pop and flickering flame to the heat and romance of a fireplace or free standing stove, for some only wood will do.
Aside from ambiance, supplemental heat sources – whether wood, gas, electric or other fuels – are practical options.
“For many home buyers having some sort of fireplace or wood stove insert in their house to reduce [home heating fuel usage] makes sense, said Leigh Nunno, a Realtor and associate broker at Melissa Healy Group at Keller Williams Real Estate in Doylestown.
Some people fall in love with a fireplace. For others, wood is too much maintenance, work; cleaning and clean up.
There are some people who cannot tolerate wood odors or suffer from allergies triggered by smoke or airborne particulates.
The ability to convert a fireplace or wood stove to natural or propane gas can be an attractive alternative.
“Most of our clients and home buyers prefer gas units, in one way or other, though there is a group that loves the ambiance and feel that the wood burning option gives them,” Nunno said.
Jaimie Meehan, also a Realtor at Melissa Healy Group said a cohort of buyers are interested in various heating appliances.
“How they work together and separately, I believe a fireplace is not generally at the top of a buyer’s list, but when we are [showing] and they are seeing homes, a fireplace is a bonus,” Meehan said.
Wood and gas stoves need proper installation for peak performance.
It’s important to make sure wood and gas burning fireplaces and stoves. Gas can produce dangerous and deadly gasses if not properly installed, vented and maintained.
“With wood and gas stoves you need to make sure you have make-up air that comes from the outside in. It’s a rotation of fresh air. You can really get smoked out, so yearly maintenance and service on the units, chimneys and flues” needs to be a priority, said John Gray, project manager at Total Home Manager LLC in Hopewell, N.J.
Gray said to make sure pilots and ports on gas burners are working properly.
“Make sure [gas] log kits in the stove or fireplace logs are correctly positioned, too,” he said.
Install and regularly test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; change batteries as needed.
Gray recommends checking Consumer Reports before buying new or replacement items and equipment – and to read the reviews.
“See what people are saying about newer equipment, warranties and service, if you are looking to make a purchase. Be an informed consumer,” he said.
Dennis Gehman said many homeowners want a fireplace for aesthetics and will install a gas log set.
Gehman is president of Gehman Design Remodeling in Harleysville, Montgomery County.
“They may ask us to build the fireplace if they ever want to burn wood. It’s a lot less expensive to do it upfront than to retrofit it,” he said.
Gehman said gas burning appliances are more frequent requests over wood burners.
“They don’t want the work with wood and the dirt and ashes inherent in wood burning,” Gehman explained.
While Pennsylvania has not banned wood stoves – as some other states and territories have done – most manufacturers are now making cleaner burning units, which also use less wood,” he said.
For those who want real wood burning fireplaces and stoves, many opt for wood out of concern about utility failure, according to Gehman.
“They’re buying solar powered batteries in case power goes down, too,” he said.
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