Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: fireplaces

[Joanie Connors (jvcphd]

I agree with both of these comments. An efficient wood stove with a
window is much better than a fireplace, and a gas fireplace is better
still.

Burning wood for heat (or aesthetics) is messy, requires maintenance
(chimney and stove cleaning) takes up space (for storing wood inside
and under cover outside), and makes the insurance guys very nervous...

A gas fireplace (or windowed gas stove) provides the ambiance and
hypnotic relaxation without the bother.

On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 8:36 AM, Sharon Villines
<sharon [at] sharonvillines.com> wrote:
>
>
> On 8 Mar 2012, at 10:10 PM, Carol Agate wrote:
>
>> We are considering adding a fireplace to our common living room, but there 
>> is concern about the risk of people being careless. Do you have a community 
>> fireplace? What have you done to be sure people who use it aren't careless?
>
> Unless the cohousing community is in an area where it is common for people to 
> have wood-burning fireplaces at home and thus have good habits, I wouldn't 
> advise it. It would require a lot of education. There are various 
> safe-guards, I'm sure, but from 12 years of experience with people moving in 
> and out, it's hard to keep everyone educated. It takes constant effort.
>
> We have a gas fireplace, which I resisted because I thought we should have a 
> wood-burning fireplace if we had one at all. Why have a fake one? But the 
> fake ones are very nice and it is much loved. It recently needed a part that 
> the repair person said was not available. We were faced with replacing the 
> whole thing or removing it or just leaving it sit there. The only question 
> anyone raised (at least out loud) was, "If we have to replace the whole 
> thing, can me move it so it is better centered on the wall?" No discussion of 
> removing it.
>
> So I would say, put in a gas one. People will love probably love it.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> http://www.takomavillage.org
>
>
>
>
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