How-To

-Ideas for Great Fireplaces, Sunset

Whatever terminology you use to describe them -- prefab, factory-made, manufactured, or zero-clearance -- these modern fireplaces represent the epitome of efficiency and style. Available as units fueled by wood, gas, or electricity, they come in a surprising array of designs, from traditional fireplace faces to sleek contemporary interpretations.

Prefab fireplaces are available in single- and multi-faced as well as see-through versions; there are also outdoor models. The firebox usually has a visible metal faceplate, offered in a variety of designs from Victorian-style cast iron to sleek polished brass, pewter, or nickel.

These fireplaces can be installed with almost any kind of facing, mantel, and hearth -- from wood to stone -- that you could use with a traditional fireplace. (Many fireplace makers offer ready-made mantels, facings, and cabinets as well as trim kits for a finished installation.) Some can also be placed high on a wall or installed two-sided.

Many prefabs come with glass doors for heat efficiency and fire-viewing, and many manufacturers offer outside air systems that work continuously to keep the glass clean. Many gas prefabs have a fixed glass front rather than a glass door that opens. Optional features include heat-circulating fans and energy-saving dampers.

Although some factory-built fireplaces allow for "clean-face" installation, most have heat exchanger grilles, or vents, above and below the firebox to allow cold room air to be drawn in, heated, and circulated back out into the room. These grilles may be simple louvers or masked with fancy metalwork.

To shop for a prefab fireplace, visit fireplace dealers and look on the Internet, where you’ll find numerous dealers and manufacturers. Consult your professional helpers -- building contractor, architect, and chimney sweep -- to learn what will work best in your situation.

Wood-burners
Wood-burning prefab models give you the snap, crackle, and glow of a real wood fire, but with increased efficiency. With an insulated steel firebox and a metal chimney for vertical venting to the outdoors, these fireplaces may employ catalytic or noncatalytic burners (see page 19) for pollution-free operation. The firebox is usually lined with refractory material that mimics masonry firebrick.

The best of these fireplaces are so efficient that some models can be connected to your forced air heating system (though this may not be EPA-approved or allowed in your area).

A prefab may have an open firebox that’s almost indistinguishable from that of a traditional masonry fireplace, with a clean-face design that allows fireplace facing to be installed right up to the firebox edge (as shown in the photo above).