Where Are All The Chimneys
December 3rd, 2007 Categories: Real Estate Tips
From time to time, when helping a client buy a home in Raleigh, I get someone who really wants a wood burning, masonry fireplace. This is becoming increasingly harder to find. It is almost to the point of being impossible to find unless it is an older home.
Pre-fabricated fireplaces came on the real estate scene a while back and are common place nowadays, even in very high end homes. The first versions of these had an insulated metal flue that was vented through the roof. This was the first time that the masonry, or brick chimneys began to disappear. With the pre-fabricated flue, it became possible to began building the chimneys out of the same siding materials that were used on the rest of the home.
A few years later the direct vent, and then the vent-less fireplaces became available and the chimneys began to disappear all together. The direct vent version used a special flue that makes a sharp turn just above the fireplace and exits the building on the side, rather than using any type of chimney. Of course, with the vent-less, there is no need for a flue at all. This is very useful for economically placing a fireplace on an interior wall of a home.
Eliminating chimneys has certainly changed the look of the modern home. Some think it is for the best while many homeowners long for the old style masonry chimneys like the homes where they grew up.
Looking on the bright side, the modern fireplaces have solved a few building design problems. Masonry fireplaces, especially if wood was burned in them, needed periodic cleaning by a chimney sweep to remove carbon and tar build up. Not doing this on a regular basis could lead to possible fire hazards. Another issue that the modern fireplace has eliminated is chimneys pulling away from the main structure of a house.
Like them or not, the direct vent and vent-less varieties of the fireplace are here to stay. Most builders will not even consider building a masonry fireplace, or they charge so much that it is not economically feasible. Another thing to consider is the the skill set required to build a masonry chimney is probably beginning to fade away. Insisting on a masonry chimney, even at an elevated price, could result in a problematic design and installation.
With the addition of fans to circulate the warm air, and all kinds of automatic ignition and remote control systems for the gas logs in the modern fireplace, for some of us, hauling wood inside to stoke the fire has lost some of its appeal. If a masonry chimney is still important to you, give me a call and I can show you some wonderful older neighborhoods where they still exist.
Thanks Bob great discussion of fireplaces and the Raleigh real estate market. Terry McDonald
No matter what the details are this Raleigh NC realtor can provide buyers the home with all the feauture they are looking for including a list of Raleigh homes with a fireplace! -Janis
Raleigh is a beautiful area. The real estate holds value well and in most situations are desirable for resale.
Thanks for the discussion.