Beat Back the Cold with a Detroit Stone Fireplace

Winter in the Motor City can be as chilling as the state of the local economy. Fortunately, Detroit stone fireplaces can be as warming and inviting as they are reasonable to install. Even without the ability to get the job done without a homeowner's loan or the harsh winter of Detroit, stone fireplaces are an easy sell. The ambiance they offer to living rooms, family rooms, bedrooms, and other common areas of your home are well-known and nearly universally coveted. Whether you like the comfort of a fire's radiating heat or the decorative style of a hearth, installing a fireplace in Detroit is as close as you can get to a can't-miss home improvement.

Detroit Stone Fireplace Masonry Contractors
An authentic stone fireplace is custom built by a highly skilled masonry contractor. These artisans will craft a fireplace for your home from any number of brick or stone materials that you choose. Traditional fireplaces are made from masonry and remain unmatched for beauty and comfort. Needless to say, this is not the type of project you can do yourself. Plus, for every piece of the fireplace you see, there's also a good deal of work going on behind your walls. Chimneys and chimney liners are crucial to the durability, reliability, and general safety of your fireplace. A Detroit masonry contractor will be able to keep you warm and safe for years to come.

Cost of Detroit Stone Fireplaces
Once you start talking to contractors, you'll realize you probably have a good deal of latitude in not only design options but cost, as well. The average cost of a stone fireplace is about $3,000. Depending on your choices and the existing condition of the area, you can have a stone fireplace installed for as little as $1,000 or for more than $5,000. Be warned, however, if you decide to cut too many corners to save on cost, you'll be able to tell the difference in the end project. Low-cost projects rarely include the hearth that many homeowners have always dreamed of. In fact, if you're really on a tight budget, you can also elect to install a pre-fabricated fireplace or fireplace insert.

Pre-Fabricated Fireplaces and other Alternatives
There are as many types of fireplaces in Detroit as there are types of Detroit homeowners. You can have a stone, wood-burning fireplace that will show you and your guests why fireplaces are timeless. You can have one of the modern gas fireplaces that are getting remarkably good at imitating the original. Or, you can have a pre-fabricated fireplace insert that reduces cost and is superbly convenient to operate. In fact, if you have a modern central heating system that provides the perfect climate control, you can even have a fireplace that is purely for show and is never intended for actual use.

Other alternatives include direct-vent fireplaces that forego the need of a chimney at all. You may have heard about vent-free fireplaces, as well, but controversy rages about their safety and the general wisdom of installing them. Quite a few states have even outlawed vent-free fireplaces.

Detroit Chimney Maintenance, Repair, and Safety
More than fireplace installation, ServiceMagic sees a good deal of homeowner requests for chimney cleaning and inspection. Often overlooked, if you use your fireplace on any kind of regular basis during the winter, you should have it inspected and cleaned. As smoke rises through your chimney, some of it condenses into creosote that can eventually ignite if left to thicken. A chimney fire is one of the most dangerous fires for a home. The intense heat often causes nearby walls and structural supports to burst into flame, creating a total home loss and seriously endangering anyone in the home.

A more insidious form of danger comes from cracks that can develop in the chimney, allowing for the possibility of carbon monoxide to filter back into the home. If you own and use a fireplace, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. No type of fireplace hazard could be considered common, but having your chimney inspected and cleaned at least once a year is a great way to ensure your fireplace is operating as it should.