Stone Fireplaces Great Idea in Austin

Many people imagine a stone fireplace in a home where there's six, nine, twelve inches of snow outside. The truth is a stone fireplace makes as much sense in Austin and other warmer climates as anywhere else. First, extremely few places in the United States have no need for some kind of both home heating and cooling. Secondly, though it certainly gets cold enough in Austin to require home heating, it's rarely a priority for homebuilders. Nor should it be: there are more important things to consider for an Austin home, but it can't be ignored, either. Older homes may not have central heating at all. Homeowners building a new home may not want to spend a ton of money on a top-of-the-line heating system, but they don't want to sacrifice comfort, either.

In older homes, a stone fireplace may be used in conjunction with baseboard heaters or other individual units to provide comfortable home heating. While stone fireplaces aren't cheap, installing a central heating system can be almost twice as expensive and doesn't enhance your home décor, like a fireplace. In newer homes, you can install individual heating units with a stone fireplace or a heat pump may work and a fireplace will help take off some of the workload of your pump.

Outdoor Stone Fireplaces in Austin
Another way to improve your Austin home is with an outdoor stone fireplace. Outdoor stone fireplaces are, as you might imagine, about a lot more than providing a consistent source of heat. They are a place for outdoor entertainment and gathering. People who live in the northern part of the country may think Austin stays warm throughout the year, but we know that by mid-November there's a good chance we'll need some help to enjoy our backyard patios after the sun goes down and throughout the day by the time December hits. Still, even during summer nights, a stone fireplace can provide extra and pleasing outdoor lighting and a makeshift cooking area.

You might think that's great but wonder if you can't get all these things from a simple fire pit. It's true that a fire pit does offer many of the same advantages, but it also has disadvantages that installing an outdoor fireplace eliminates. First, outdoor fireplaces are self-contained, meaning you no longer have to worry about smoldering ash and wind setting your home or landscape ablaze. Plus, an outdoor fireplace has a drafting system that reduces smoke irritation. At least, half the area around a fire pit is often intolerable to sit or stand around due to smoke drafts.

The Time and Cost of Installing a Stone Fireplace
The national average for installing a stone fireplace is just over $3,000. Stone fireplaces in Austin, though, are generally significantly cheaper and take less time to complete. This probably has more to do with scale and need more than any inherent difference with masonry contractors. Simply put, homeowners who use a fireplace in consistently sub-freezing temperatures have different concerns and fireplaces design choices. The lack of extreme freeze and thaw cycles may require less strenuous building standards for the fireplace itself. We've had homeowners spend less than $1,500 on their stone fireplace and report complete satisfaction with their contractor and stone fireplace project.

The average length of a stone fireplace installation is about ten days, but many homeowners find this time can be cut down when they're willing to work with contractors. Many project lengths take no longer than two days, it's nearly unheard of to see homeowners complain about project length with a stone fireplace. It's not like having your kitchen torn up and unserviceable for six weeks. Outdoor stone fireplaces may take a little longer depending on the weather.

Safe Use of Your Stone Fireplace: Austin Fire Department
Here are some safety tips provided by the Austin Fire Department:

• Make certain to open the flue in the fireplace before lighting a fire.


• Only burn hardwoods such as oak, maple, or ash in fireplaces. If synthetic logs are used, burn only one log at a time. Due to their construction, these logs produce a hotter fire than most firewood.


• Never use lighter fluid, gasoline, or other flammable liquids to start or enhance a fire.


• Do not burn paper (Including newspaper and giftwrap), Christmas trees or any holiday greenery in a fireplace.


• Chimneys should be professionally inspected each year and cleaned after burning approximately one cord of wood.


• Always cool the ashes before taking them out of the fireplace. Place the ashes in a metal container and allow them to sit for several days or wet down thoroughly before putting them into a trash container or dumpster.


• Use a spark arrestor, which is a metal screen that covers the top of the chimney and prevents sparks from escaping. (It also will prevent birds from building nests in the chimney.