Happy December!

We wanted to kick this month of holiday celebrations off with a blog on one our favorite home improvement items for the cold winter months: a fireplace. We’ve had a lot of questions about adding fireplaces, the cost involved, the amount of money recouped, and just how big of a job it is. In this blog, we’ve taken the top questions and broken them down in order to give you a more comprehensive understanding of what it might take to add a fireplace to your home. So if you daydream of cozying up next to a fire with a warm drink and a Christmas tree, read on: adding a fireplace may not be as hard as you think!

Can a fireplace be added to an existing home?

There is good news! Putting a new fireplace into an existing home can be done, and depending on what you’re willing to compromise on, adding a fireplace to your house doesn’t have to break the bank, either!

How much does it cost?

It depends on what you want. Building a new masonry fireplace costs between $3,500 to $5,600 on average. The cost to install a prefabricated brick fireplace is $2,000 to $3,000, whereas an authentic mason-built brick fireplace can cost $10,000 or more. Electric fireplaces can be pretty inexpensive and can require no installation, with some models running as low as $99.

Do I need a chimney for a wood burning fireplace?

No! With all of the technology and advances made today, there have been systems invented that can allow you to run flues through options other than a fireplace.

Does a fireplace add value to my home?

According to a 2007 National Association of Realtors survey, 46 percent of home buyers would pay more for a home with at least one fireplace. The median additional price buyers were willing to pay was $1,220, but fireplaces can boost a home's value by as much as $12,000 in some locations. If you’re curious if a fireplace will increase your home’s value and by how much, we recommend contacting a local, experienced realtor or someone who knows your market well.

Can I put a fireplace in my home, or are some homes just not able to have a fireplace added?

Most standard floor plans can handle fireplaces and stoves. There needs to be a way to vent to the outside, so an exterior wall works best. If you are considering a fireplace on an interior wall, there must be a way to vent to the outside, but today's technology makes this doable in most situations, as we mentioned briefly above.

How long does it take to install a fireplace?
It depends on what you want! Some fireplaces only take a day: others can take up to a week or longer.

What do you think? We think that this information proves that adding a fireplace to your home is more doable than most people believe! You can find a model that fits your budget, and your dream of a cozy warm fire isn’t as far away as you may think. It’s the little things like this that can make a house into a home.