Nothing warms the spirits like a cozy fire burning on chilly winter nights. Not only does a great fireplace lend a unique ambience to a home, they offer warmth and a sense of timelessness. Today I’m seeing more and more homes incorporating a much larger fireplace opening–some tall enough to stand in–that lend elegance and drama to the great room.

Homeowners must keep in mind that the scale of the fireplace opening must fit the size of the room, thus an oversized opening works best in larger rooms with high ceilings. Because homes today are extremely airtight, I like to use fresh air intakes in all of my fireplaces to aid in combustion. For proper smoke draw, the flue size must also fit the size of the fireplace opening. A taller chimney also increases the draw of smoke out of the home, and can be enhanced by adding a 3’ or 4’ chimney pot to the chimney flue. Several chimney pots are available today, including ones made of copper, clay and iron. For additional information, Homesaver.com is a great consumer resource for chimney and hearth products.