Product Description

What more appealing scene can you conjure up on a wintry day than a pair of comfortable armchairs pulled up to a crackling fire while wisps of smoke curl from the chimney top? All your senses are in use--the sight of the flickering flames, the sound of the crackling logs, the warmth on your face, and the fragrance and taste of wood smoke. The hearth truly is the essential core of every home, whether it is an actual fireplace or merely a mantel displaying the treasures and trophies of intertwined lives. Long past the days of strictly utilitarian purpose, fireplaces and stoves are a design feature in their own right. They are available in an array of styles, sizes, and colors; offer a variety of fuel choices; and feature benefits beyond mere aesthetics, including heat and cooking. Fireplaces and heat sources are also widely found in many rooms throughout the house, including the family or living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, as well as outdoors. And the latest innovations in fireplace and stove technologies make having one no longer an expensive proposition.

While the building market is seeing growth in the fireplace market, so too is the remodeling marketplace. In fact, many homeowners are refacing their existing fireplace, upgrading their wood fireplace to gas, or simply installing a new faux fireplace where there wasn't one before. In this book readers will find hundreds of examples of all types of indoor fireplaces--from wood to gas, freestanding, and ventless--and stoves, both wood and pellet. In addition to gorgeous photos of a full range of fireplace styles, materials, and décor for indoor and outdoor fireplaces and stoves, solid information on practical design considerations--maintaining a fireplace or stove, remodeling an existing fireplace, safety, converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas, and the like--are explained in detail, making this the only book on the market to offer the breadth of content on both the design and practical components of all types of the latest indoor and outdoor fireplaces and stoves. Aesthetic and practical design considerations for hearths and mantels, built-ins and storage, lighting, and accessories like screen, brooms, and bellows are also covered. A thorough glossary, resources, and index provide reference-like information.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41778 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-21
• Released on: 2006-11-21
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
Whether you crave a fireplace as a source of heat or a center of ambience, Fire Places can help you sort through the choices. Gitlin, an architect, provides a thorough look at types of fireplaces and their construction, as well as the many materials and design possibilities for indoor and outdoor fireplaces. She also includes information on stoves and wood alternatives such as gas, corn and pellets. The many photos that illustrate the book provide inspiration. --The Kansas City Star


Fireplaces were originally all about function, but today they're valued at least as much for their charm as for the warmth they generate. Everyone wants a fireplace. And while it's neither easy nor inexpensive to install one in an existing space, such an addition can be successful as long as potential problems are identified and addressed. I urge anyone who's thinking about adding a wood stove or fireplace, indoors or out, to consult this book. --Rita St. Clair, Tribune Media Services Inc

About the Author
Jane Gitlin is an architect who specializes in residential design. She is also the author of Capes (The Taunton Press, 2003) and coauthor of Deck & Patio Idea Book (The Taunton Press, 2003) and Family Home Idea Book (The Taunton Press, 2003). She lives in Fairfield, CT.

Customer Reviews

A Design Guide and a Picture Book
Fire places seem evoke some kind of hidden memories out of our distant path when the fire at the mouth of the cave kept the tigers away. This has become so important that even apartments now seem to come with fire places.

This book, as is usual with this publisher is a beautifully illustrated, beautifully printed collection of fire places that range from a simple rock lined fire pit out in the yard to fire places that are the design center of the house, wood stoves that meet the new EPA regulations, to antiques that may have come from grandmothers house.

Besides the beautiful photography, this book also includes design tips, and the regulations that come from building codes. And there are discussions of more types of fire places than you could ever imagine without seeing it.

I got this book because my house does not have a fire place, and it's the next major extension that I plan to add. This book answered all the questions that I had, except do I want something indoor or outside. We have a long season for entertaining outside.

Ok but not as comprehensive as I was hoping
I was excited to find this book but once it arrived I was a bit disappointed in it. It has tons of photos of a variety of fireplaces, inside and out, exaplins the different types well but I was looking for more information on unique fireplaces, ones which could be placed in the center of a room. So if you're wanting a more traditional fireplace setting, this book might be great.

Excellent resource
This is a great book - beautiful pictures, but excellent information as well. Best book on fireplaces I've seen