Living in SoCal we don't need the one we've got. We stopped using it completely when the fake logs were reformulated and started smelling like wax.

adivra, we're also in SoCal. Though their use is limited, I can't imagine being without our fireplaces on chilly winter nights. Fake logs smelling like wax? Yikes.

2 big open fireplaces..... i like my real fires thanks :)

We have a wood burning in the fam room and will be putting in a gas in the basement- but only because it we can't get another chimney built (it'll be a direct vent).

Yes gas is easier but the whole time I'll be worrying about it exploding, and no offense but gas fireplaces are fake, it's not a REAL fire. No matter how expensive they still scream fake logs/fake fire. I sure do like the crackle and the smell of a real fireplace on a cold winter night.

When looking for our first house, a wood burning fireplace was a must- we skipped houses without one.

Something to consider- how to incorporate a TV with the fireplace? TVCoverUps allows you to use your own original art or framed mirror, with the hidden TV beneath.

See how EASY it really is:

Our house was built in 1873 and completed in 1883. It has 7 fireplaces. Here is the one I updated myself. It did not take long to knock the horsehair plaster off and expose the beautiful old brick.

When we were house shopping 8 years ago, I didn't care if we had one or not but hubs was really hoping we would find a house with a fireplace. We did end up with one in the living room and to my surprise, he actually uses it frequently. I can see in his face that it makes him feel cozy and gives him a sense of "home," so if we were to move, I would put it on our must-have list.

We just completed an complete renovation/addition to our home of 17 years which originally had 2 fireplaces (one in the kitchen and one in the LR, both wood burning) and added two more. We added a large stone wood burning fireplace in the corner of the new great room and also a 2 sided gas burning one that is in the wall between the master bedroom and bath.

We just built a house and put in one super-efficient wood stove to use when if the power goes out. My architect suggested gas, because it's so easy, but I absolutely refuse to encourage fracking by having a gas appliance. Climate change is real and so is air pollution - do we really need to be burning hydrocarbons for "ambience"?

Our house was built in 1915 and did not have a fireplace. 20 years ago we added a 2400 sq ft addition that included what most people would call a 'sunroom. It's heated by a forced air furnace, but then it became the 'dog room.' At one time there were 8 basenjis in there at night so we added a gas fireplace that also works as a furnace in the winter.

The last dog will probably die in 7-10 years and the room will go back to being a people room, with fireplace.

Two, but the one in my bedroom is faux. It's a mahogany mantle over a marble insert on a marble slab with a fire screen in front. Everyone assumes it's real, but since it's so hot here in the South most of the year, it's a beautiful design statement with nary an ash in sight. The one in the den has a gas starter, so it's always ready to give a little ambiance on a chilly evening. The best of both worlds!

We have two - family room and living room. Both are gas, and although we live in the warmest part of Canada we turn them on in the winter time. Just leaving the pilot light on sometimes is enough to heat the room and keep the dampness out.

They're rather useless in Southern California, but I've got three in a mid-50's ranch home. There's one in the Dining Room that's up high so it's visible while seated at the table, one in the Living Room, and the third in a den. I love a wood fire. There's something almost primal about a nice crackling blaze, and the dance of the flames is mesmerizing. There's nothing better than curling up with a good book by the fire on a rainy winter's day. Now if only we'd get some rain!

We live in a New Orleans (Irish Channel) shotgun with five fireplaces - non are operable. One in almost every room. They present furniture placement challenges but have their own charm.

I have one in the living room but now I use candles in it instead of wood logs. The only time I light a fire now is when the electricity goes out in the winter.

We have two. The one is the basement (no mantel) is wood burning and very cozy in the PA winter. The one upstairs in the living room (mantel) is not burned, but I put candles in it.

I have 2 one in the front room and one on the lower floor, what many call a basement, but since I planned on make a huge master bedroom with bath down there, I would never call it a basement. Much easier to heat and cool. Both of the fireplaces are original from the 60s, built into an entire wall of brick with a 1.5 foot step in front. I like them and even though I don't currently live downstairs, that one can do a lot to heat the main floor through the wooden floors. I'm thinking of venting the floors so it will even more effective. wood costs less then all other forms of heating. The home before this had an old wood fire box and a fireplace, the fireplace was ok, but barely heated 10 ft of room. the firebox was in an enclosed carport. Would heat the whole room til you could cook in there, we would then open the kitchen window and it would heat the whole house. The 2 story from 1894 had closed up fireplaces with vents in the floors. I used propane gas heaters that were installed where the fireplaces had been. They heated the upstairs bedrooms we used fairly well. of course we also used heating blankets in winter. They all have plus and minuses. a lot seems to do with figuring out how to make them work best.

Alan Brookman, we're in SoCal, too (near Pasadena)...in a 1956 ranch home. I agree regarding "if only we'd get some rain!" Looks like much of it went to Houston! I still love our fireplaces...we use them fairly often on winter nights.

atearse-so burning wood is better? Anyway, I have 2 and love them both and would never live in a house without at least one. I cannot imagine the winters in New England especially around the holidays without them. After all, how would Santa get in to leave presents?! Would love to have one in the master, maybe some day.

We just moved into a farm home that has one but I am scared to use it due to it being propane and "ventless." It just doesn't seem right for fumes to exhaust into a living area. I did have a certified tech come out and inspect the unit(it passed perfectly) but I am still uncomfortable with "ventless" technology so it will only be used in an emergency until I can replace it with a properly "vented" fireplace.

@3golfers. Do you have a gas stove? That's ventless technology. It is an open flame that is being fed natural gas/propane, and there is no vent except what may be above the stove. If the fireplace passed inspection, there should be very little fumes. We had one for years, and loved it. If you want to use the fireplace, I suggest you open a window a crack while using it, there should be no problem with any residual fumes, and we should all have carbon monoxide alarms in our homes.

@lake1114, Santa is magic, he doesn't need a fireplace!

@3golfers The efficiency rating on ventless fireplaces is almost 100% so gas is totally consumed with no "fumes" released into the home with one exception. One of the products of combustion is water vapour. In tightly insulated homes, the water vapour cannot escape and condenses on cold surfaces. Ventless fireplaces are illegal in Canada for this reason. The water will permeate insulation and cause mold.

3golfers, being from FL I was even more afraid, all those gas lines running under my house and all, but I lived with it for 8 years, and it was fine. I believe that if your home is old , farmhouses usually are, you are never truly air tight. If you are, they do tell you to crack a window. try it, you'll like it. Though not right now when it is 90 degrees out!

Gas one in the Living Room and 3 electrics-master bedroom, guest bedroom and Mancave -spend most of our evenings in the Mancave and it keeps it nice and cozy -unfortunately the electric bill is high!

Our folk Victorian house was built in the early 1900's and has 5 fireplaces: three in the common areas, which back up to each other in a triangular shape and share a central chimney, and one in each of the two bedrooms. The fireplaces are small and not deep and originally burned coal. Katrina took our chimneys, so we haven't been using them. We plan to convert them to ventless gas using ceramic coals instead of logs.

Ibilancia, what is a folk victorian, sounds fascinating!

both our fireplaces and the boiler share the same chimney too

Having a wood-burning fireplace was a selling point of my 1930s cottage. I love having a fire on the grate in winter. And it's helpful (and cheaper) to light a fire in late fall or early spring rather than reach for the thermostat.

Havingfun, this is our folk Victorian home. The first picture is before renovation four years ago and the second picture was taken this morning (we have done most of the work ourselves...a true labor of love). Ours is less ornate than many of the folk Victorians in our neighborhood. Many have gingerbread work and railings that ours does not have.

thank you for info, lovely house, I assume it is the shape that makes it a "folk" victorian? It is not a normal victorian shape? It is the folk that I do not understand, gingerbread is common victorian.

I must be the winner with EIGHT!!! one in every room of my 1911 home, except the two kitchens, and two bathrooms. mostly no longer functional, but gorgeous marble and interesting--each one of its own design.

Three inside inside and one outside.

Including outside on the patio

We live in Ontario, Canada and some winter evenings can get pretty damp and chilly. We have one regular fireplace in our family room which we couldn't imagine living without. We recently re-bricked the front to update the room but still need to install a mantle - a straight line 10 inch maple is planned.

During the ice storm a few years ago, power lines were downed. We were without power and heat for three days. We just kept throwing logs on the fire and camped out in the family room. We set up a camp stove outside for warm drinks and meals.

During the winter we have about three fires a week...it takes the damp chill out of the air and we love the ambient lighting. The flickering flames are mirrored across the hardwood floor.

We wouldn't buy a house without at least one fireplace and plan to install a double sided gas or electric fireplace in our master bedroom on the wall between the bedroom and master bath.

To Sharon Ellies Go with gas. As you know electricity rates in Ontario are obscene. With the rates so high you would never turn on an electric fireplace.

One, it separates our family room and formal living room so it is a "see through" from both sides. We love it. The focal point of our house when you walk in, especially in the winter.

"We wouldn't buy a house without at least one fireplace..."

So, I guess that is why Houzz installed three in your post. ;-) It is pretty fireplace.

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We have one, that we very, very rarely use since we found out 8 hours equaled about $25 added onto on our gas bill. SoCal doesn't really need one for heat, but it was nice to sit around on chilly days.

Living here in Ohio in my 1920 home with one fireplace. The beauty of a wonderful snow day and being at home with my wood burning fireplace are my most treasured days. Oh the comfort of my home, just so warm and cozy and comforting! And don't forget the scented burning candle!

Except for my allergies to scented candles, they are all pearls on my necklace too. Tea, and good books, oh and not to forget running from window to window in my warm socks, with the pups and the kits chasing bunnies! What is it bunnies like so much about snow?

Had to remove the clunky wood stove from the kitchen of my new place (I've lived with leaky old wood stoves before - never again) and got the radiant floor heat hooked up instead. So no fireplace right now. But we need a bit more heat for the winter, so I will be adding a direct vent propane fireplace upstairs. Being a northerner (in California now) i do love a cozy fire, and if it ever rains again here I know a sweet fireplace will be our favorite spot to hang out.

Recommend gas fireplaces. I have a regular one and it never actually gets used, ever.
Anyway 2 it good as long as you want it! It's your house its your idea! Have fun! If you don't like what you picked make the best out of it!

We have two in a 3 bedroom home in Southern California. It is a waste. One has never been used and the other maybe 2 times a year just for kicks.

We have a gas heater, would really love a fireplace but not up to us, up to the landlord haha

Have one in the living room and have never used it in the 2 years we've lived here. Picture is from just before we moved in.

We have 3, original victorian marble ones, not in use though, but I light big candles in there and it is cozy in winter.

I have zero. And I prefer it that way. To me, fireplaces are too much work for the "ambiance" you get, and you must design around them. Sometimes there is just no good layout for the furniture depending on where the fireplace is located. I'd much rather have the wall space.

Oh, I guess I should mention, I like my house to be on the cool-ish side....like 65 degrees F.

1 in great room, 1 in library and 1 on covered porch. When we built the house we designed the screened porch one to be wood burning. I quickly learned how messy that is with the wind blowing ash everywhere on windy days. Also, I like to be able to just turn it on and sit for a few minutes instead of a few hour fire maintaining ordeal. So I converted the porch one and now all three are gas! Nothing more relaxing then relaxing by a fire.