medal should be metal*

Gas fireplaces definitely do not give the same cozy, romantic ambiance as wood-burning ones. To the PP who said it's a PITA to get the wood delivered and to store it, don't be so ridiculous. You can drive over to Acme and buy a bundle of starter logs and you're good to go. As for storage, most basic fireplace kits come with little medal baskets to store extra logs in.

Well, we started using our wood fireplace this winter (bought house last year) and maybe it's because both DH and I never had a fireplace before, but we love it so much, we build a fire every weekend day. He loves the whole wood chopping thing and tending to the fire.

Even DD, 5, asks when are we going to get a fire going?

The whole thing is not as messy or time consuming as we thought.

I think gas fires are "tacky." (Sorry.) Nothing beats the smell, crackle, and authenticity of a log fire!

Anonymous wrote:Gas all the way a wood is nasty

What.

Anonymous wrote:Gas all the way a wood is nasty

Nasty? Wood? Huh?

Gas all the way a wood is nasty

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to convert our wood burning fireplace to a gas fireplace. Would anyone know of a great reference for a contractor in the Bethesda / Rockville area? TIA

No rec but do yourself a big favor and do NOT go to acme stove in Rockville...nightmare!

Anonymous wrote:I'd never buy a house without a wood burning fireplace. It was one of the few deal breakers for me. Gas just isn't the same. I love the crackle, spark, and smell. Gas is like watching a video.

+1. A gas fireplace is like fake flowers; just not the same.

I'd never buy a house without a wood burning fireplace. It was one of the few deal breakers for me. Gas just isn't the same. I love the crackle, spark, and smell. Gas is like watching a video.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are some people, like me, who just love wood burning fireplaces. I love coming home from work, pouring myself a glass of wine, opening up the flue, arranging the logs just right, and starting the fire. It's very soothing to keep tending to it, poking, feeding, etc. I just love it. It helps me de-stress from a long day.

Not having a wood burning fireplace would totally be a deal breaker for me. Unless, of course, I lived in the tropics!! It's a must in a cold climate.

So you want to spend an hour getting a fire going while sipping a glass of wine, sounds terrible.

If you are taking an hour or more to build a wood fire you are doing something very wrong. It should only take around 10-15 minutes tops to get a good fire going.

We are looking to convert our wood burning fireplace to a gas fireplace. Would anyone know of a great reference for a contractor in the Bethesda / Rockville area? TIA

We switched to gas due to some health issues with DS. He has very sensitive lungs due to significant asthma issues. His pulmonary doctor recommended we not use our wood burning fireplace so we switched to gas. Agree with pp.'s re less mess and in our case the non-smelling gas fireplace is a plus.

No one here mentions the work involved with hauling and stacking firewood, not to mention the storage. First it's delivered, then it has to be hauled and stacked where you store it and then moved again into the house as needed. No matter what carrier you have, it makes a mess. Cleaning the ash in the fireplace is the least of it.

We've done all this for our wood burning fireplace for 15 years and think it's time for conversion to gas. The gas fireplace inserts today are efficient and can provide the same ambiance. The draft from having to keep the flue open creates chill, even with glass doors. We're ready to trade having a backache for the simplicity. The only thing to miss is the real fireplace smell, but definitely not the work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are some people, like me, who just love wood burning fireplaces. I love coming home from work, pouring myself a glass of wine, opening up the flue, arranging the logs just right, and starting the fire. It's very soothing to keep tending to it, poking, feeding, etc. I just love it. It helps me de-stress from a long day.

Not having a wood burning fireplace would totally be a deal breaker for me. Unless, of course, I lived in the tropics!! It's a must in a cold climate.

So you want to spend an hour getting a fire going while sipping a glass of wine, sounds terrible.

An hour? Not even close. With well-seasoned wood and fire starters, takes about 10 to 15 minutes. If I really feel like cheating I get one of those fake logs and pile the real logs on top. Light the fake log, and you're done.

If it takes you an hour to light a fire, the wood is not seasoned. Keep it dry for a year and use it the following winter.