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Our first two homes in NC had no fireplace. Our third home had a wood burning one. It was nice for when the power went out in the winter(which seemed awfully regular for living in NC!), but was a lot of work. Fourth home had a gas log fireplace. It was wonderful (we were in the mountains at the time and we had some very cold spells up there). Biggest drawback? I had to lean down and turn it on and off and singed my hair a few times and also had to keep tongs hanging on the side of the fireplace to open the screen to get to the on/off lever. Current house has the best fireplace ever! Flip a switch on the wall and it's on! Still warms the room nicely, but less work and no singed hair!
Having a fireplace or wood stove was a part of my life, for the first half of my years. My grandmother had a large, very fancy, double-oven wood cooking stove and water heater and another wood stove for her living room. I miss those wood stoves and it's a shame I don't have one now, as I have an abundance of firewood that comes from my many large trees. I enjoy pruning and cutting up the limbs or doing that to those that fall. I have to often find people to take away the firewood for free.
My house originally had a wood cooking stove and the chimney for it is still there. But the expense of buying a certified wood heating stove and the materials for making its surround, would make it uneconomical. I used to be able to make a wood stove for my workshop out of an old, 80-gal. steel barrel or buy a cheap, sheet-metal one for a house, that would last for a season.
Not having a fireplace would be a plus for me. Unless a house is very large, a fireplace takes up floorspace and makes it harder to place furniture. It also tends to suck the heat out of the house and up the chimney.
If I lived in the north, and actually used a fireplace for warmth, that would be different.
If you have a shack in the Alaskan Bush with no other source of heat then yes, it would greatly decrease value. In a conventional home anywhere besides coldest states I would see it as a nothing burger or negative.
We opted against one in our 2008 construction in Alaska-albeit in the "banana belt" region.
Our first house had a corner fireplace. It smoked up the house if you shut the hall door, and had a persistent leak. The floor was uneven near it, too. Turned out that it was sinking unevenly on its foundation, and we took it out. We practically gained another room by reclaiming that space.
"Fireplace" never came up while we were selling the house.
The two houses I've bought since don't have fireplaces.
So I, personally, don't think a fireplace is necessary, but many like at least the idea of having one.
If you like the look of a fireplace, you can get an electric one, or just an antique mantle, or a handsome piece of furniture to serve as a focal point.
Location may make a difference. We don't get cold weather very often here in New Orleans.
My present home has a gas fireplace. It did not affect my decision to buy the house, and I have not turned it on during the five years I have lived here.
Would the lack of a fireplace decrease the value of a home?
We bought our home about 2 years ago. Its perfect for us in every way and we plan to retire here, so we're not interested in selling or market value for quite some time.
Our house does not have a fireplace. We seldom use a fireplace, anyways, and did not consider it a deal breaker, although I do like a FP to decorate for Christmas!
I'm just wondering -- would the lack of FP affect our market value/desirability when we do go to sell? How much does a lack of FP affect market value/marketability in today's market?
Also, does the FP affect our taxable value? If so, perhaps we should forego installing a FP for the immediate future, to keep our taxes lower
We could compromise and get one of those "fake" fireplaces, perhaps with a built-in heater? At least I would have someplace to hang my Christmas stockings!
Opinions, please!
At a certain price point, which varies in every region, it's expected, and I think the lack of a fireplace does have a negative impact on the desirability of a home.
We have owned five homes. Only our starter house was missing a fireplace. We weren't looking for a fireplace. I was pregnant with our first child. Our goal was to become home owners. We stayed in that house for almost eight years. When we wanted to upgrade, a fireplace was on our list of "must haves".
When a house is more than just shelter and convenience, and people want a house that is stately, or even just homey, a fireplace is one of the features that is expected.
It's hard to conceive of a house that's described as "great family home", "stately colonial" "great for entertaining" or "executive style ranch" that does NOT have a fireplace. Most new construction includes a fireplace, often gas, as do many condos.
It's not a matter of how much it is used, it's an architectural feature and focal point that is desirable to many consumers.
Aside from very old homes, where the fireplace was the source of heat, most post WWII homes that are "upper end" or even solidly middle class, have fireplaces. I do enjoy decorating the fireplace for Christmas.
Unlike in ground swimming pools, there is no up keep involved. There are few people who would reject a house because of the presence of a fireplace.
We don't use ours every day, but in the winter, we love to sit by the fireplace. Yesterday it was 10 dregrees and we had a beautiful, roaring fireplace.
I think where the home is located would probably be the largest factor in whether or not a fireplace adds value.
Both sets of grandparents lived in the St. Louis area. Neither of their homes had a fireplace.
My childhood home (also in the St. Louis area) didn't have a fireplace for many years--for that matter, most of the houses in my neighborhood didn't have one. My parents had one added when I was about twelve. As my parents got older, they both developed asthma, so they stopped using the fireplace. Then they decided if they weren't ever going to use it again, they might as well have it torn out and regain the wall space.
My first apartment in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had one, which might surprise a lot of people, but trust me--the winds come bearing down from the north in Tulsa, and it gets *cold*.
Oddly enough, I can't remember if my apartment when I first moved to Denver had one or not. I'd have to dig out pictures to see if they could help.
My first house here in Colorado had a wood-burning fireplace in the corner of the living room. It was nice to have that when my furnace decided to die in the middle of a snowstorm in March one year.
My current house has a gas fireplace in the middle of the front wall of my living room.
While I do like the cracking of logs of a wood-burning fireplace, I have to be honest--I don't care for the upkeep, plus constantly having to get firewood, get the fire going, and in some cases, having to put it out suddenly if something comes up and you need to leave the house. The gas fireplace may not have the cozy wood-crackling, but I flip a switch, and voila--fire. I flip it again, and it's off. Which is very nice some mornings when there's just a slight chill in the living room before I go to work--I can just turn the fireplace on for a few minutes to get a little more warmth in the room, then turn it off. Plus, my sister lives with me, and she has some minor allergies, and smoke from a fire is one of them, so the gas fireplace is better for her.
Most of the people I know prefer having a fireplace, so I would say it probably is a value-add item. Warmer climates maybe less so than cooler ones, but a family friend of ours actually chose her apartment because of the presence of a fireplace here in Texas, so there’s that.
Personal preference pf buyers, leaves as many wanting a fireplace, equaling those that don't about even, so the only factor is price adjustment for fireplace.
Our gas fireplace, is sealed and vented through the wall, with a light switch to turn on or off, and a rotary switch to control amount of flame and heat.
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