How to Add a New Fireplace to Your Home

We’ve been in our new (old) 1891 home for a little over a year. One of the first things I knew I would do when we found the house was turn the dining room into a family room. The house actually has a great open layout and the “dining room” was open to the kitchen, which made it the perfect spot for an adjoining family room!

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Make a Room Cozy by Adding an Electric Fireplace

One thing that our new family room needed was a focal point and a fireplace. We love to be cozy in the winter and a fireplace is a must for that (in my opinion). So I started researching how hard it would be to add a fireplace.

Gas Fireplaces Versus Electric Fireplaces

I’ve had gas fireplaces in our past few homes. So the first thing I started researching was what kind of fireplace to build. As I was researching fireplace options I soon found out that adding an electric fireplace would be much easier than installing a gas one. For starters you need to vent a gas fireplace. And since there is a bathroom behind the wall I wanted to put the fireplace on, it would have been difficult to vent it out of that wall. Plus, the walls in our home are super thick with plaster walls and lathe inside of that.

Electric Fireplaces Don’t Need to be Vented Through the Wall

One nice thing about installing an electric fireplace is that they don’t have to be vented. They’re basically cosmetic with no venting, smoke-free, zero emissions and require NO chimney! Don’t fret about needing a fireplace that heats your home. Electric fireplaces can still warm you up and help heat your home. You just need to pick out an electric fireplace that meets your needs.

Research Electric Fireplaces

As you are researching electric fireplaces, think about how you will use the unit and the size of the space you’re heating. Forced fan fireplaces are best for areas around 400 square feet, while infrared quartz units are best suited for rooms around 1,000 square feet. The maximum size for any heater to work efficiently is about 1,500 square feet.

Electric Fireplace Features to Consider

Electric fireplaces have come really far in the past couple decades. They are almost hard to spot compared to traditional fireplaces. There are a few special features that you might want to consider as you decide what type of electric fireplace is best for your home. Here are a few special features you might want to consider:

• Safety Shutoff Switch
• Realistic 3-D Flame
• Multiple Heat Settings
• Automatic Temperature Control
• Different Flame Brightnesses
• Multiple Flame Colors
• Flame Sounds (yes it’s a thing haha)
• Heating Timers
• Remote Control

Freestanding Electric Fireplaces Versus Electric Fireplace Inserts

As you are considering an electric fireplace, research the fireplaces that you can buy that are freestanding. The pros of buying a freestanding fireplace is that you don’t really have to do anything. Just plug it in or have an electrician come and hardwire it into your electrical system. So easy! The cons (at least for me) is that I think most units are very short and/or very small. They don’t look like a built-in fireplace to me. But don’t get me wrong, there are some really pretty freestanding fireplaces you can buy. Here are a few of my favorites:

Classic Wood Fireplace with Adjustable Flame and Remote

Grey Media Cabinet with Electric Fireplace

Marble Tile Fireplace with Voice Enabled Control

Electric Fireplace with Bookcases

Electric Fireplace with Brick Surround and Adjustable Thermostat

Black Fireplace with Shelves and Timer

White Shutter Fireplace with Timer

Freestanding Electric Fireplaces are Versatile

Freestanding fireplaces are excellent if you are renting or will be in your home for a short time. You can take your freestanding fireplace with you when you move. Freestanding electric fireplaces are also great if you think you might want to move your fireplace around. Simply unplug it and move it to a different room or wall.

Hardwired Electric Fireplaces Versus Plugin Fireplaces

When you are researching electric fireplaces be sure to see what kind of power supply are included. Electric fireplaces come in two different power supplies — 120 volt and 240 volt. A 240 volt requires a separate line and an electrician to install, they also produce more heat. 120 volt fireplaces can be plugged into a standard outlet.

Research Electric Fireplace BTU Ratings

Research how many watts/BTUs per hour each electric fireplace gives off. On average, all standard units produce 4600 BTUs per hour. Built-in models which can be hardwired for 240V can produce up to 8900 BTUs. Infrared heaters produce about 5200 BTUs per hour. The higher the BTU rating, the higher the heating capacity. Most United States power outlets are 120 volts and are rated at 15 amps. The standard ratio of watts to square foot heated is 10 watts to 1 square foot. Using this ratio of 1:10, you will get an idea of how much space the electric fireplace you are considering will be able to heat.

This is the Electric Fireplace We Used

Valuxhome Electric Fireplace Insert

This is the electric fireplace insert we used and built our planked wall around. There are a few reasons we went with this insert:

• Vent-free – easiest type of insert needs no venting.
• Two Heat Options — 750w and 1500w
• Timer – can be programmed to run for different time periods and it has an automatic shut off in case it’s accidentally left on.
• Remote Control
• Different Flame Levels
• Different Flame Colors
• It does have a speaker and crackling sounds (that wasn’t really a deciding factor just a feature)
• Quiet Blower — We have another fireplace with a blower and it’s so loud. This one is very quiet which is nice when you are watching tv or having a conversation.
• Realistic – the unit is all glass and metal, no plastic. It was the most realistic electric insert I found.
• Good Ratings — I did a ton of research and read thousands of reviews. This model and company gets good reviews. This unit has 4.7 our of 5 stars with more than 800 reviews.
• Different Sizes — This insert comes in a bunch of different sizes and shapes. I got the 36 inch model because I wanted a large insert because of the scale of the wall we were building it into.

How to Make Your Electric Fireplace Insert Look Built In

Once you have decided to build a surround for your electric fireplace, how do you make it look like it’s always been there? If you are adding a new fireplace to your home you want it to fit in and look like it goes with the rest of your home. Take that into consideration. Add a mantel and surround that match your home’s aesthetic.

Adding a Full Wall Fireplace Surround

We decided to make a full-length wall fireplace surround. When we were remodeling the kitchen we planked the upper part of the wall with 10-inch wide planked plywood that we painted white. We continued that wall over to the fireplace wall since it was on the same side of the room.

How to Build a Planked Full-Length Fireplace Surround

Thanks for my friend at Frank Smith Renovations, he took my plans and turned them into reality. I will share the full build plans with you on the next post in this series and link it here.

Behind the Scenes 1891 Home Details

Come connect with me on Instagram @tatertotsandjello where I share all of the behind-the-scenes details and moments of our remodel! We are right in the middle of our 1891 apartment we are building on the main floor and it’s so exciting!!

Stay tuned for the full details and plans our fireplace. I will be posting it this week!

More Fireplace Ideas

10 Fabulous Fireplace Before and Afters

10 Unpainted Fireplace Makeovers

Have a Beautiful Day!

xoxo

The post How to Add a New Electric Fireplace to Your Home appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

Hi! Thanks for stopping by! Today I am sharing some fun summer cottage ideas with a little bohemian twist as part of Krista The Happy Housie’s Seasonal Simplicity Tour! Welcome if you are stopping by from All Things With Purpose!! Sarah is just amazing. I love seeing her RV transformations and home ideas!

Cottage Summer Ideas with a Boho Twist

It’s our first summer at our new #1891AvenuesCottage home. We love our new (old) home so much. We are right in the middle of our renovation. The kitchen is about half way done. We built a new fireplace and planked the walls. Added new subway tile, took out the old tile and cabinets and added some little shelves around a new planked hood. The vision I have for our home is to honor it’s history with some turn-of-the-century cottage style but update it to today’s style with a twist of modern, bohemian details!

Bright Bohemian Succulent Porch

One of the first projects I tackled was creating a bright summer porch! The idea came together when I found a vintage turquoise ladder. I LOVED it!! I brought it home and decided it would be the perfect place for plants! I set it up on our porch. The turquoise color went wonderfully with a throw rug that I had in our home’s previous bathroom. I gathered the succulents in our home, put them on the ladder rungs and our plants are SO happy outside!

Bohemian Cottage Swing

I decorated our new porch swing too. It’s our favorite place to sit and watch the neighborhood activities. I added a little table so that we have a place to put our drinks and snacks. I also love working here outside in the warm summer mornings!

Simple Summer Cottage Mantel

Our family room used to be the previous owner’s dining room. I loved how it flowed into the kitchen and decided to turn the room into a family room. We built a fireplace on one wall and brought the planking from the kitchen into that room to tie the two spaced together. Thanks to Frank of Frank Smith Renovations for making my planking dreams come true!

I love how simple the planking looks but it also give the room lots of visual interest.I kept the mantel simple for Summer.

Boho Egg Chair

I’ve had so many questions about my Egg Chair! I have one inside and one outside. They are so comfy! Here’s a link to the egg chair!

I added a scalloped mirror, some fresh hydrangeas. At the base of the hearth I added a couple ceramic bird houses and a disco ball. I love the way the light reflects off of the ball when the sun hits it in the afternoons!

Ways to Bring Summer Home Details

I love color, especially for Summer! And I think bright colors go well with cottage style as well as bohemian! To refresh the family room for Summer, I added a new rug that matched pillows I already had. I rearranged the chairs in the room, moving the egg chair over by the fireplace and the smaller chair over to the other side of the room. The fern was on our porch and I love the natural VERY summery element it brings into the room.

Kitchen Shelf Styling

In the kitchen I added a few little summer elements to our shelves.

Fresh flowers on a couple of the shelves and a potted flowering plant at the center of the stove.

Yes, I move it when we cook haha. I just love a bright pretty element to go along with our cutting board on display there.

Summer Dining Nook Update

To update the dining nook for Summer I added a little centerpiece with a vintage crate. Fresh peaches in the center are a favorite of my kids and it’s an easy place to keep them so the kids can grab them as a snack.

Boho Cottage Dining Table Centerpiece

I added candles to the sides of the crate and a faux vine and flowers around the crate. Super simple!

Summer Sayings with Letter Boards

I have a thing for letter boards. I try to update the boards for different seasons and holidays. I asked my kids what words make them think of summer and added those words to the letter board in the family room.

And I created a summer saying for the letter board in our office. I LOVE “golden hour”, especially in our new Avenues neighborhood. The light is amazing at golden hour (dusk). I love taking photos of all of the giant trees and historic home at that time. It’s gorgeous!

1891 Avenues Cottage Remodel

Thanks for stopping by and seeing our simple summer ideas! We are right in the middle of our HUGE remodel. I would love to have you follow along with us on Instagram at @tatertotsandjello, where I share behind-the-scenes projects and all about our Salt Lake City Avenues historic neighborhood and homes!

Next Stop on the Summer Tour

Be sure to hop over to Lucy at Craftberry Bush tomorrow to see her gorgeous home! Lucy is an amazing designer and artist! And be sure to see ALL of the amazing summer ideas by clicking on the links below to go over to each site!

This week, some of my blogging friends and I are sharing our summer home tours.  Just click on the links below the images to be taken to see their full posts.

Sharing with me today....
Wednesday

Setting for Four
Clean & Scentsible
Life is a Party

My Sweet Savannah
All Things With Purpose
Tatertots & Jello
And sharing the rest of this week...
Monday

The Happy Housie
Maison de Pax
Cuckoo for Design

Modern Glam
My 100 Year Old Home
Inspiration for Moms
Tuesday

Sincerely, Marie Designs
Cassie Bustamante
Life is Better at Home

Lemon Thistle 
Grace in My Space
Maison de Cinq
Thursday
Craftberry Bush
Finding Silver Pennies
The Tattered Pew
Rambling Renovators 
Zevy Joy
Two Twenty One
Friday
She Gave it a Go
Taryn Whiteaker
Rooms FOR Rent
This is Simplicite
Dans le Lakehouse
Amber Tysl

30 Inspiring Summer Tours

Pin these Summer Ideas for Later!

Have a lovely day!

xoxo

The post Boho Cottage Summer Home Tour appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

The little 1905 cottage I am working on it coming along. The drywall is all done and we are painting this week. For the last couple of Saturdays we have been working on the fireplace. I wanted a really classic cottage-y look with a planked wall. And I am so happy with the way it’s turning out. Here are 6 tips I have learned as we have created this Cottage Fireplace.

Plus, Lowe’s is giving away a $100 Lowes Gift Card to one of you at the end of the post so you can create something awesome at YOUR house!!

We used MDF for all of the detailing. Why MDF and not wood? MDF is very easy to sand and make smooth. It kicks up a lot of sawdust when you cut or route it, but it looks good.

(here’s a little progress collage — the before pictures, framed, new drywall and now with new tile and planked)

Fireplace top (above mantel)

We used 5 1/2 – inch MDF, cut into panels of appropriate length. We used a plain base molding and then used a rounded bit on the router to make both the top and bottom look the same. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not —  not much more than a couple of minutes per board. In other words, one of the edges was already round, and we just used the router to round the other edge to match.

Even though we’ve re-framed and drywalled this 1905 house, the walls are still not perfectly plumb, so we found that we had to compensate for that by not cutting all of the boards at once — we couldn’t cut more than a few boards at a time, then we’d need to re-measure. No matter how new your house is, this is a good idea.

To create the paneled look for the back, we used these MDF panels and just lined them up one on top of another. We used a level and started from the bottom. Why the bottom? Because we knew that we would be covering the top with crown molding.

We used a nail gun to pop each board into place.

To finish the trim, we used MDF boards on each side to finish the look and make the sides even with the mantel.

We had originally planned to just caulk the interior corners, which were about 45-degree bends. But that didn’t look finished enough for me, so we got some plastic inside corner molding, used the table saw to “rip” the interior edge off, and then put it in the corners. It was a great fit.

Fireplace bottom (below mantel)

Tile

Our building codes required 6 inches of non-combustible clearance around the fireplace opening — what a perfect opportunity for subway tile! I picked up a bunch of the smaller subway tile at Lowe’s.

I also used some metal edging (it’s professional grade stuff from Schluter) on the edge of the hearth and around the fireplace insert to give it a finished look and protect the edges. How did I find this? My tile expert recommended it (and he has a great tile-it-yourself video you can buy too!).

Underneath the hearth

Underneath the hearth I used the same MDF that I had used above the mantel, but instead I laid them side by side vertically. Since the floor in this old house is not totally straight, I had to cut them each individually. I used a lot of caulk at the top to smooth out the look.

While I haven’t done the base molding in the rest of the house yet (since I still have to stain the hardwood), I’m planning to use the taller molding — so I used a smaller piece in front of the fireplace and used my compound miter saw to cut 45-degree ends for now.

Between the hearth and the mantel

I wanted to try something simple on the sides of the fireplace, so I used the same MDF that I used for the hearth and cut pieces to build up each side even with the tile.

I had to do a lot of manual trimming to accommodate a wall that wasn’t perfectly straight, but by doing so it straightened the look a lot.

I then did simple molding frames using the same kind of MDF trim — but this time in the smallest size. I routed both sides of these to give it a uniformly rounded look, too, and used the compound miter saw.

Of course, all of this was attached with my handy nail gun.

Fireplace mantel

I could not find sheets of MDF that matched the exact thickness of the MDF molding I was using, so I instead bought the closest I could find — slightly smaller. We cut the top to size, using two pieces of MDF. To join the pieces, I used wood glue and screwed the seam in place with another (scrap) board overnight to hold it in place while it dried.

I cut another piece of MDF to fit underneath the mantel overhang (I cut the mantel to overhang a bit), and glued it in place, holding it together with clamps overnight.

I used my birthday router again to round the edges to match.

We slid the mantel into place after we’d finished the top and the bottom of the fireplace.

Caulking

Just one comment about caulking — not only does it make everything look better .. but in this case, I purposely did not caulk between the “panels” above or below the fireplace to give it a more cottage-y look.

Other thoughts

the primed MDF saves paint time later.

Don’t be in a rush to finish; it takes some time to get everything right, and it’s okay if you miscut something or mess up. We all do.

Don’t forget the spray grout sealer!

I’ll talk more about the fireplace insert I chose — and why — in another post

And now — the awesome Lowe’s folks are giving a $100 Lowes gift certificate to one of YOU — so you can tackle a project on your DIY list! Here’s how to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join Lowe’s on Facebook for more great ideas and sign up for their FREE Creative Ideas Magazine with TONS of great IDY ideas and instructions!!

xoxo

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!!

The post 6 Tips to make a DIY Cottage Fireplace and $ 100 Lowes Gift Card Giveaway appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.