We have a hideous 70s fire surround and fireplace. The fireplace itself is not very efficient, meaning that we can burn a fire in it but the wood burns very quickly and not much heat is emitted into the room. The chimney sweep advised that this is because the chimney flue is too large.
We're decorating the living room and want to change the fireplace but I am a bit lost as to how to do so. I think the only way to fix the heat from fire problem is probably to install a woodburning stove, as we can't exactly rebuild the chimney flue. Is that right?
Re the fire surround itself, I have seen ones I like on, for example, the Chesney's website, but don't understand how to order. They all seem to be fixed dimensions and obviously all fireplaces are different dimensions. I haven't found anything online that fits the dimensions of our fireplace. Do people alter the shape/opening of the fireplace when installing a new surround? I just have no idea even what questions to ask if I were to call up a fireplace website or shop!