There is nothing better on a cold winter evening than a warm and inviting fire in your own home fireplace. If you don't have a fireplace already, you can have one installed in your home to enjoy on a regular basis. Here are some recommendations to help you look for a fireplace to install within your home.

Buy a Quality Fireplace

As you begin the search for a fireplace for your home, there are several options. You can buy a wood-burning fireplace or one connected to natural gas or propane. A gas-fed fireplace won't require wood as a fuel or a chimney up through your home's roof, but it will need proper ventilation and a connection to a gas line into your home. 

However, if you are looking for a wood-burning fireplace, be sure you check out the age and quality of the fireplace before you choose it. A new fireplace is a good option as it won't have any damage from prior use. If you are looking to buy a used fireplace, ensure that it has a solid structure so as to not allow any carbon monoxide or other dangerous elements into your home. Even a small amount of soot escaping into your living room instead of going up the chimney flue can lead to breathing difficulties and related health conditions.

Hire a Professional Installation

After you have selected your home's fireplace, be sure to arrange for a professional installation. This is to make sure the gas lines are connected if it is not a wood-burning fireplace. The professional will also check that ventilation to the outside is set up properly. For a wood-burning fireplace, you will need a chimney flue with a liner that extends up through the roof of your home to vent the CO2 gases safely to the outside. 

You may also want to install a fireplace fan to help blow and circulate air into and out of the fireplace, which will help it warm your home. Your fireplace will also need to have fireproof materials set around the fireplace and below its foundation if the fireplace is a standing unit. If the fireplace is built into the wall, you can add in a decorative mantle onto the wall and surrounding area. 

Be sure you look at air circulation through your home, especially if you want to use your fireplace to help heat your home. You can install pass-through vents to warm upstairs rooms and circulation fans through the rest of your home to help with this.