Actually, I think having a fireplace is a thing of the past. They don't close up well, leaking heat up he chimney when no fire is burning, draw far too much air when there is a fire burning, and cool off other parts of the house where all that excess combustion air must leak into the house in the first place. Then, too, if your chimney is on an exterior wall and not enclosed by the wall framing, then construction of a good air/weather seal between masonry and framing/siding is difficult to get right and have it last for decades. Moreover, fireplaces are a terrible means of heating a house, if backup heat is part of the intent.

Still, a lot of people like to have a wood fire to watch, as I do too. I think a much better option is a good wood stove, with outside air kit to draw combustion air directly from outside if the house is very tight (as any new house ought to be). A good stove with glass door in front gives a good view of the fire, the fire burns cleaner (with less or no smoke to annoy neighbors), and does a far better job of providing real heat to the house, for backup heat or to cut the fuel bill.

If you do go with a fireplace with hearth, my only thought on a raised hearth is that the corners and edges could be a hazard to small children. They horse around and fall, and you wouldn't want a kid to crack his head on an edge.

It might help if you posted pictures of what you would like the hearth to look like.

I have one! It's actually from an addition to the farmhouse in the 1950s, so I don't think a raised hearth is necessarily 1970s. Maybe the reason we don't see them as often, in newer homes...is that it takes more labor to build up the hearth. To me, that would say custom, not dated :)

As for the kids, do be careful with the corners. I'm still trying to decide what to put on ours, just in case the nieces/nephews come over.

Curbs, sidewalks & rocks all have sharp edges, even furniture! You can't protect them from everything...

I do not think raised hearths are out if style! I think it depends entirely on the style of your room which type you use. Our room is kind of "dressy" with lots of trim and an ornate overmantle. I wanted a Carrara marble surround, and it would have just looked wrong to have a raised hearth. I am not even sure what material I would have used, brick or stone would have just looked odd. The marble extends about 2ft or so (whatever code is) on the floor in front of the opening. Anyway, I have friends who have built craftsmen style homes and Nantucket syle homes, all with raised stone hearths, and they look lovely. Oh, they do take up space, though...I would plot it to scale on your plan to make sure it didn't interfere with furniture, walk ways, etc...

Oh, and we did do a raised hearth on our outdoor fireplace on our terrace...it is nice to sit there!

Nycefarm- I don't get furniture with sharp edges, either. All my tables are oval or have rounded corners...same thing with the countertop edges. It's not just kids, but I don't like bumping into sharp edges, either!

Then again, curbs and sidewalks aren't a problem in the country...and with all our clay, the only rock we usually see is the gravel in the driveway :)

We are putting in a raised hearth in our new home! I love them too :) We are having built-in bookcases on either side and a mantle across all of it.

I was inspired by this:
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But I'm using pebbles like these to go all over it:
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Raised hearths come across more casual.

Non raised hearths are more formal.

Raised hearths are great for family rooms, keeping rooms, and casual entertaining spaces.

My concern with your set up isn't the hearth height, but rather its protrusion.

Have you mocked this layout to determine if when one sits on the sides/storage benches you feel part of the room and not like you are sitting in a hole? It appears that the fireplace/hearth protrude into the space much further than the bench seating.

If you look at the hearth/fireplace pictures above, you will see that the bench seating/side bookcases are more or less even with the front of the fireplace and the seating is even with the hearth edge.

Just wondering how yours will feel and function as a seating space.

Mom23Es- Have you considered an Inglenook, rather than the raised hearth? You seem to have the perfect layout for one...just another idea :)
{{gwi:1433064}}From Snow White album
{{gwi:1433065}}From Snow White album

We have a nice looking foam cover for our raised hearth. We love to take if off for parties but it has certainly prevented some injuries for our 2 year old.

Thank you so much for all your ideas and opinions. Thankfully the builder told me we can wait until the house is framed to make a decision on it. Whew. He even suggested using cardboard to mock up our furniture arrangement- for the fireplace decision as well as electrical outlet and air vent decisions. I really do love working with our builder.

As I keep trying to find the fireplace style I lIke, I keep gravitating to more formal white wood mantel and surrounds with matte black tile/stone (not sure what the material is). I guess I like the idea of how a raised hearth functions but I prefer the look of a hearth that's flush to the floor.

Usually that black surround is slate...my neighbor has it...looks wonderful! We did marble, but slate was a very close 2nd.

I would try to avoid designing a raised hearth as if it were an after thought. I believe a hearth should be flush with the flooring or raised enough for sitting and incorporated into the surrounding cabinet work.

In other words, you should be able to walk in front of the fireplace without tripping over a raised obstacle protruding into the room. This can require that the fireplace be partially recessed into the adjoining space or the hearth can be curved to reduce the sense of intrusion into the room but since the hearth has a practical function with minimum dimensions, a curved hearth can get pretty large but that can be a good thing.