Adding a wood burning fireplace to basement

[Linflas]

Anyone had this done or is it as prohibitively expensive as I suspect it would be? We are going to be finishing an unfinished basement in the near future and I would love to have a real fireplace in it. In our case it would require about 6 ft of excavation along the outside wall along with cutting through the concrete and building a brick chiminey.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Depending on your basement layout and local codes, your options are going to vary a little.

I've got a family member that had a mason lay a brick fireplace and chimney for him....though it wasn't in a basement and he wasn't in a city (building/fire codes weren't much of a consideration). It's best to find an independent that takes pride in his/her work. Typically, masonary costs are a pay per brick cost....but I don't know what that would be for a chimney since it's more specialized and takes a little more knowhow to get the mortar to the right consistency.

If you move forward, I would probably start with finding what design you want...then go shopping for a mantle and brick materials to make sure the finished product is comprised of the materials you want....then worry about how well the labor finishes it... If you leave those things up to the contractor, you'll end up with something different than what you may want. Fireplaces can be finished in many different styles and designs.

 

[T9D]

....

 

[Linflas]

That seems like that could really compromise the foundation. I don't know that I'd want to do that. Also it seems extremely easier and much cheaper to put in a stove with piping instead. Would it really be that bad to have a stove? They have some awesome looking ones with pellets that show a really cool big flame. (or gas is cool too).

We actually have a gas one in the room above where this one would be. That may end up being another factor in not getting it done, we actually talked about getting it done when the house was being built and I forget why we ended up skipping it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I was going to suggest a wood burning stove with a stovepipe rather than a chimney because it would require less mucking with the foundation....

Ventless gas logs could work for you. Just remember that ventless fireplaces DO vent into the room and water vapor is a byproduct of gas when it burns...but many of those units are a mere 25-30k btus. That's not too bad for gas line requirements (probably 1/2" or less depending on distance).

My gas fireplace is vented and my gas logs are like 90k btus....

 

[Kaido]

Have you considered a wood-burning stove? They look really nice, heat awesomely, & would be easier to install than a fireplace. My buddy swears by Jotul:

http://jotul.com/us/products/stoves

Alternatively, there are some nice pre-made options if you're planning on doing the construction anyway. Check out the Energy Master line:

http://www.heatnglo.com/Products/Energy-Master-Wood-Fireplace.aspx

 

[Linflas]

I think if I go with the gas option it would be pretty easy because we already have a gas fireplace above the room that will be the rec room so the gas pipe and venting is already there and I'm pretty sure they could go up into that for the basement one as well and go through the wood above the concrete wall and into the current vent box. There is just something about the smell of burning wood in the fall and winter that makes me miss having a house with a wood burning fireplace like the house I grew up in and our first house we bought after I was married.

 

[Kaido]

I think if I go with the gas option it would be pretty easy because we already have a gas fireplace above the room that will be the rec room so the gas pipe and venting is already there and I'm pretty sure they could go up into that for the basement one as well and go through the wood above the concrete wall and into the current vent box. There is just something about the smell of burning wood in the fall and winter that makes me miss having a house with a wood burning fireplace like the house I grew up in and our first house we bought after I was married.

I agree, burning real wood is great. The warmth has a really nice skin feel & it smells awesome. Although gas has its own benefits too...never run out of fuel (assuming you get it from the city) & turns on instantly. I like this modern design from Heat & Glo:

http://www.heatnglo.com/Products/Cosmo-SLR-Gas-Fireplace.aspx

Has a smartphone app to fire it up!

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/02/prweb11550005.htm

:biggrin:

 

[Scarpozzi]

I like wood burning stoves and fireplaces. This house is the first one I've owned with a fireplace. I converted it to gas logs within a year of living here. I didn't really want to, but my HVAC return is in the hallway around the corner from the fireplace.

I would start a fire, enjoy the warmth....etc.... When the fire was raging, everything was fine. Then I would go to bed and the fire would die down...the embers and remaining wood would sit there and smoke, but the chimney would lose its draw as the fire cooled and the air handler would win the pressure battle....that ended up drawing smoke into the living room and eventually into every other room of the house.

After 2 times of this happening, I realized that gas logs + remote control just work better here due to the proximity of the register and the fireplace. (15 feet)

I would say that having gas logs is great for "instant on", but honestly having them "instant off" outweighs lighting the fire. It's nice to have a raging fire, then hit a button to turn it off and go out to dinner without worrying about leaving the fire going.

 

[Kaido]

Oh I forgot, also check out Heatilator:

http://www.heatilator.com/

 

[Linflas]

Oh I forgot, also check out Heatilator:

http://www.heatilator.com/

Thanks, I may have to consider going that route if I want a wood burner. The one we had in our townhouse was a wood fireplace similar to the Heatilator SC60 that vented through a pipe rather than a traditional masonry chimney and it was super efficient to the point it would make the room hotter than you would want if you weren't careful.

 

[cabri]

Your home insurance will also go up because of this.

 

[cabri]

I had a split ranch place that I was renting back in 80s with a wood stove in the basement.

The unit had an electric blower and I was able to fairly well heat the whole house.
Heat would rise through the heating vents and also up the stairway and dissipate through the upstairs level.

Most times, the downstairs where the stove was would actually be uncomfortable while the upstairs was toasty.

 

[jessieqwert]

Another vote for a wood stove. Check craigslist for a good deal. Look in to the catalytic versions.

There is a whole forum dedicated to stoves over at hearth.com (probably fireplaces too)

 

[NetWareHead]

Another vote for a stove. Alot easier to bore through your foundation for a single exhaust pipe than to knock out a portion of the foundation wall to recess a fireplace there.

 

[DrPizza]

Yet another vote for a wood stove. They're so much more efficient than most fireplaces.

 

[Muse]

I have a wood burning fireplace in my living room but seldom use it even though the house gets cold (no central heating). This even though I have loads and loads of dry wood to burn, kindling, the whole 9 yards. Downsides to using it:

1. The particulate matter given off by a WBF is substantial and it's not healthy.

2. It stinks up the house to some extent. That smell subsides until it disappears, but it's a definite minus.

3. It doesn't seem to heat the house as a whole at all. It gives off plenty of heat in front of it, so when I'm cold I can fire it up, it's the infra red that it gives off that gets you warm, for the most part. But the house is decent size and the fire doesn't seem to affect the overall inside warmth.