Fireplace dilemma - are electric fires any good?

[DoingItUp]

I’ve posted about my awkward living room before. Work has since commenced and I’m now at the point where I have to make a decision on a fireplace. The room gets very cold having two outside walls so I’d like a secondary heat source.

I was leaning towards building a corner ‘chimney breast’/media wall with an electric fire and the tv mounted above. Or possibly a square fireplace in the corner but then there would be no obvious place for a tv. The room is quite big with awkward corners so it would be helpful if the tv could be viewed from all corners.

What puts me off is the worry that electric fires aren’t that great and don’t look realistic. I really like the freestanding, modern looking wood burners but I’m not keen for environmental reasons and then the tv placement would again be an issue. Gas is a possibility but it will be expensive to have the room supplied with gas and it raises environmental concerns too.

Has anyone got an electric fire they rate and does it heat up the room sufficiently? I’d love to hear ideas on what I can do in this space if anyone has any please? TIA

Have you got a floor plan and dimensions?

To be honest, if the room is big, an electric fire stick in the corner is going to be more of an ornament.

It seems odd to me to have any fireplace in a corner but hard to tell without floor plan.

@SquishyGloopyBum here’s my previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/4813558-my-living-room-has-me-stumped-please-help-with-layout-suggestions?reply=126423827
The layout seemed to confuse though! Since I drew it, I’ve had the wall removed by the stairs (well, they’ve started) and a box oriel window put in. This gives a really great view and is the focal point so I wouldn’t want to distract from that.

This is the updated floor plan. I can’t take pics of what’s there right now as there’s acroprops (sp?) holding up the ceiling. I think they’re going to start plastering Friday so I need to make some urgent decisions on plug socket positions etc. Also added a pic of box oriel which still needs finishing.

How about a Bio ethanol ‘wood burner’ they are more decorative rather than a proper heat source but are real flames, they do get mixed reviews but might be worth looking into.

Have look here

Thanks got the link to the previous thread.

This is unhelpful but I wouldn't have removed the wall to the stairs. You'll loose even more heat up there.

If that's the way the room needs to be orientated with the window focal point, to be honest, I'd not have a fireplace and just use the space for the TV.

Or I'd turn the sofas around and use the opposite wall for a fireplace.

Most electric fires have a max output of 2kw. That will give off some heat but the room will cool quickly after turning the fire off. They are an expensive form if heating and in my opinion look very unrealistic. Bio ethanol fires have a genuine flame and I think they look much better but have a similar output and are also relatively expensive to run. There have also been reports of some bio ethanol fires emitting an odour.
Sorry but if you could have gas fitted I would do so. I haven't ever looked at LPG though so could that be an option?

Not answering the question but as you’re having work fine could you not add some insulation to the exterior walls? You’d lose a few inches of floor space but it would make a big difference. We’ve done this and it’s much much warmer.

Another one chipping in with are your walls not insulated? What is the construction of the house? To make the room warmer, insulate those walls before the plasterer comes.

Also we made the mistake of having a house with stairs open to the lounge, never again, the upstairs becomes really hot because all the heat escapes upstairs and you can't keep the room downstairs warm so you are constantly heating it. Sorry but it is just fact.

The new gas supply won't be as much as you think. We have just had gas put into a room, it was so awkward for the fitters, they had to go under the floor and crawl right under the house with limited headroom. I was braced for a huge bill, but it was under £200. We now have a gas fire fitted flush into the wall, it has a glass front, and warms the place up so fast. I really recommend it.

Insulation snd reducing drafs would be my first option too
Also as its on a hill planting wind breaks in the garden and other outside areas.
Then have the rad for that room on its own circut so that it can be heated on its own.
I would work with the plumbet to see if the heat from a stove backboiler can be looped into the heating system too.

IMO The modern box look is not going to look good in a cottage look house so if you put in a stove go with a traditional open pipe.
Plus if you block the heat by boxing out to put up a tv you loose the benefit of the stove.

In terms of heat management you should not be placing the stove and outlet pipe in a high traffic area and will need floor space for fuel.
I would be looking at having the stove door at 70 -90 cm high on a stand for ease of cleaning and loading.
Unless you can pipe up through the second floor the corner at the kitchen (?) away from the stairs looks like the best option as its bigger space.

Your circulation space and travel path is the middle of the room for the door and stairs to the other room.

Full lenght curtins on the window to match the door. and seating can be place in front of the window and at an angle along the inner wall. The TV goes on the inner wall as far from the stair as possible to stop noise and there is no glare from the door/window

Thanks so much for the suggestions, I’m finding it really helpful to have different ideas.

The property is Victorian so solid stone wall construction. I have thought about having it insulated but I’ve read that can cause damp in this type of property because the stone needs to breathe. Having said that, the pointing is concrete which is probably even worse than insulating. The builders have already bought the plaster board so not sure if it’s too late to get insulating plasterboard or wether they will have to use another material - I will ask them.

The wall wasn’t keeping any heat in as it has a big ‘window’ in it and also made the layout even more awkward. I plan to insulate the floor below the room, install curtains at the top of the stairs and put in internal French doors to close the space off. It previously had two small radiators which will be replaced by much larger double radiators so hopefully this all should help.

My worry with gas and wood burners is the environmental and health impacts although I know these are much better at putting out heat. I love the look of bio ethanol but I’d probably go electric if they give off the same amount of heat.

pointing is concrete

you need to get this resolved before you do anything. The wall is dealing with 2 types of water. The movement of water from living in the house moving into the fabric of the building and out and the rain water getting into the wall then draining down and drying out. Concrete drys out as a different rate to stone which may be some of the reason for the dampness in the wall.

I would look for advice from a local stonemason before doing much more having him come in and explain how to add insulation properly will be a cost saver in the long run. Or phone the insulation company directly and ask for a recomendation. Your builder if local should have renovation experience with other local stone buildings what are they suggesting re making the room warmer.

Curtains are a massive trip hazard so before you opt for that make sure your landing has room to manage the fabric away from the opening and off the floor.

If you are in the country plan to loose electrical heat for at least a day or two in bad snow storms. Eco friendly is great but feeezing to death over winter needs to be ruled out🤷‍♀️ as a possible option and spending now can save you money and heat in the long term.

How does a thread go from op asking about electric fires to tripping down the stairs on curtains 🤣. Love it.