Submitted by Barron Heating
Like many areas across the country, the real estate market in the Pacific Northwest continues to rise. Home prices are skyrocketing, enticing many homeowners to sell, but encouraging many others to embrace their current living situation and “ride the wave.” Whether you’re looking to become a seller or staying put, one thing remains the same: home is where life happens—and as it continues to serve as your office, gym, and even classroom, your home is worth the investment for you and your family.
As the housing market heats up, so does the weather, meaning fireplaces are likely not top-of-mind right now. But nothing’s better than kicking back in front of a warm, beautiful hearth when those hot nights turn chilly again. For many homes with traditional wood-burning fireplaces, however, that coziness is a well-earned luxury. After all the splitting, hauling and stacking logs, your evening is nearly spent before you even begin to build your own flame. Then there’s the need to continuously tend to the fire to keep it burning as desired, all while ensuring ash and embers don’t escape into your living room.
While the ambience and smell of a crackling wood fire creates a sense of nostalgia for many, it’s hard to beat the convenience of a gas fireplace, with instant warmth and flame at the flip of a switch or push of a remote. Temperature control is at your fingertips on modern gas units and the flame can be extinguished as easily as it was started. An electronic ignition is now a common feature, which can save you money each month by eliminating the need for a pilot light. And no need to completely rebuild your space: gas fireplace inserts are the perfect way to makeover your home—they can be swapped into your existing masonry or prefab fireplace and vented through your chimney or wall for free-standing units.
Quick and convenient zone heating is another great feature of natural gas or propane burning units, allowing you to turn up the heat in the room you’re in while lowering the thermostat for your furnace in the rest of your home. This versatility is perfect for heating a range of room sizes, from bedrooms up to large bonus rooms. With built-in fans that pump out plenty of warmth, quality gas inserts can heat all the way up to 1,000 to 3,000 square foot rooms, making them ideal for replacing existing wood-burning units.
Built to meet or exceed today’s EPA standards for clean burning, gas units are extremely efficient clean alternatives as well, rated 65% to as high as 99% for newer models (traditional wood-burning fireplaces are often rated just 10-20% efficiency). High-efficiency means very little pollution or smoke from your fireplace, and even better—no ash or messy creosote, a potentially dangerous buildup in your chimney that requires cleaning. And with very little maintenance required beyond a $75-125 annual checkup, a gas insert proves to be a cost-effective investment that will serve your home for years to come.
The wide range of sizes, shapes, and finishes available for gas inserts over traditional wood-burning units are just one more layer of their appeal. With endless options for realistic logs, flame, and even LED accent lighting to add dimension, your new hearth can be incredibly custom. “Fantastic improvements have been made over the last ten years with gas inserts; not only in efficiency, but quality of presentation and available styles,” says Barron’s John Boone, Retail Manager of Firelight by Barron. And customers agree. Guests at the Barron Showrooms are most often looking for simple, quality additions to add value to their homes and invest in their families.
Ready to take on that home makeover project this summer? Barron is kicking off their Summer Savings Event, making now the perfect time to transform your old fireplace from forgotten to fabulous—before the rush this fall. Event specials include $300 off any fireplace, stove, or insert, or up to $1,000 off select closeout units. Firelight’s team of hearth experts can also walk you through a range of discounted options ranging from good, better, to best, as well as upgrade packages to help you find the perfect fireplace to transform your space.