When we bought our home, we just loved the giant fireplace in the living room. The stone facade and hardwood mantle and heart are a focal point. The house is surrounded by 20 acres of wooded property so we knew we’d have a ready supply of logs to burn. We looked forward to supplementing the heating system with this free energy source. We imagined a cozy home and nights spent sitting in front of the fire. We’ve now lived in the house for nearly four years and we’ve built one fire. We quickly realized that chopping and hauling wood is a labor-intensive, tiring and horrible job. Dragging the wood through the home creates a big mess. Starting a fire is difficult and causes lots of sparks, soot and fumes. Right up close to the fire, the heat is nearly intolerable. Further away from the fire, the room is downright chilly. Because of the proximity to the thermostat, the fire prevented the furnace from running. The bedrooms ended up freezing cold. My wife and I are not happy with the giant fireplace taking up space but providing no function. We’ve started looking into conversion into a natural gas alternative. We could keep the aesthetics of the hearth and mantle but upgrade the inner workings to support a natural gas heater. The insert would provide the look of a wood burning fireplace but would actually operate from a cordless remote. With the touch of a button we could turn the heater on and off and regulate temperature and fan speed. The fan would spread the heat evenly throughout the room. A natural gas heater would operate quietly, cleanly and efficiently. It would be an asset and add value to our home. We’ve already gotten a quote from a local HVAC contractor who specializes in gas fireplace inserts.