When I headed off to the office this morning, the temperature inside the car read 16 degrees, so it seemed like a good idea to re-post a previous post about fireplaces.
The first fireplace dates back to the 16th century. A simple hole in the ground surrounded by local stones and rock and a hole in the roof to vent the smoke. The fireplace was created out of necessity for heating and cooking. In the 1800′s, the fireplace became an aesthetic as well as a practical fixture.
Today’s fireplace ranges from wood to electric with stone or custom mantels. The appeal of a “real” fire, smell, crackling sound and dancing flames immediately draw you in after being out in the cold, but the messy clean up and lack of uniform heat from wood burning fireplaces usually outweigh the pros.
Gas stoves are cleaner burning than wood, easier to start, put out more uniform heat, can be used as a supplemental heat source and don’t require clean up. A pellet stove is clean-burning, easy to store, economical and fuel is renewable, environmentally friendly and domestically grown.
The fireplace surround and mantel is what makes your fireplace a show piece. Our fireplaces range from custom hand-picked stones chosen from a local quarry to hand-crafted millwork. From the modern fireplace with a simple mantel to an elaborate stone fireplace that soars to the ceiling, the fireplace is sure to get everyone’s attention.
It’s no surprise that the room with the fireplace is where friends and family will want to gather, especially if your home is in Maine. 
There isn’t anything more tempting than coming in from skiing, snowmobiling or shoveling and seeing the light of the fire and feeling the warmth. The room beckons you to come in. It doesn’t just warm you on the outside, it warms the soul.
