A dacha is a traditional place for a family vacation, where you can get away from the bustle of the city, and the stove or fireplace is rightfully considered the heart of a country house. It is enough to imagine a cozy evening by the hearth, in which a live fire is dancing, and the idea of building a fireplace in the country will seem very tempting.
outdoor fireplace option
Meanwhile, many home owners dismiss this idea because of the possible difficulties, and completely in vain! You can install a fireplace in any, even the most modest house, the main thing is to choose the right type of hearth and determine its functions.
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Do you need a fireplace in the country?
Fireplaces for summer cottages can be used both as heating devices and as elements of decoration and decor. Before starting its construction, it is important to understand whether you want to completely heat the house with a fireplace, or just create an additional heat source that quickly heats up the room, or maybe you just need an imitation of a fireplace with lighting or an artificial flame?
Fireplace for giving, as a decorative element of the interior
The type of fireplace depends on the selected functions.A fireplace stove with a long burning function will perfectly cope with heating a room up to 100 square meters - the firebox of such stoves is covered with refractory glass, so they are safe, and the design allows you to burn almost any type of solid fuel with maximum heat transfer. Gas fireplaces are even more efficient, but they require connection to mains or liquefied gas.
With a house area of more than 100 square meters, a fireplace with a water or air circuit can become a source of constant heating: when heated, it heats the coolant, which is distributed through pipes to all rooms of the house.
For quick heating of a small room, a classic wood-burning fireplace with an open firebox is suitable - the heat from the firewood burning in it will allow you to quickly warm the air in the room, but it is not able to accumulate heat for a long time. In addition, it is quite a fire hazard and requires constant monitoring, it is impossible to leave it unattended for a long time.
If the fireplace interests you only as an interior detail, you can not spend money on expensive models, but build fake fireplace from improvised materials, if desired, equipping it with an electric hearth - modern models perfectly imitate not only flames, but also smoke.
Traditional wood burning brick fireplace
The traditional fireplace in the country is a stove with an open hearth, a portal-cladding, a smoke box and a chimney. A brick fireplace is quite heavy and creates a serious load on the floors, so it is usually installed on the ground floor and always on a separate foundation. Another difficulty in the construction of a brick fireplace will be the installation of a chimney - it must be provided at the stage of building a house.
Wood burning brick fireplace - photo
A wood burning fireplace is not easy to maintain. Firewood, pellets or briquettes are needed for its firebox, and an open hearth is dangerous due to sparks and embers. However, this type is very popular, because it gives you the opportunity to enjoy a real live flame, crackling coals and the smell of smoke.
The design of a brick fireplace must begin at the stage of the project at home. If you have chosen a design that suits you, immediately provide a foundation for it. He should not have a rigid connection with the foundation of the house for fire fighting purposes.
The construction of a brick fireplace usually begins after the construction of the box at home, before interior finishing work. On average, you need to buy 2-4 hundreds of solid ceramic bricks and 1-2 hundreds of refractory, as well as up to 3 bags of masonry mortar. You can entrust the masonry to the stove-maker, or you can do it yourself, for this you should stock up on the ordering scheme and perform the masonry in strict accordance with it and recommendations building and fire safety regulations.
Metal cottage fireplace
Increasingly popular are metal fireplaces with a glass door, imitating the look of an open hearth. They are quite safe for placement in the country and, depending on the model and additional functions, can heat both a small house and a large cottage. Fireplace stoves weigh much less than their brick counterpart. Therefore, their installation does not require strengthening of floors, and they can be placed in any room on any floor.
Metal fireplace - photo
Fireplace stoves can be wall and corner, with a water or air heating circuit, with a long burning function.As a fuel for such a stove, ordinary firewood, pellets or briquettes are used, while much less is consumed due to more complete combustion of fuel.
The choice of model is not difficult: each stove is designed to heat a certain volume of the room, and this parameter should be decisive when buying. Appearance and additional features determine the price of the fireplace, there are quite expensive models, but in general you can find a stove for every taste and budget. You can also do everything with your own hands, of course it will not be so beautiful, but it is quite functional.
Gas fireplaces for summer cottages
Gas fireplaces are a relatively new invention. A firebox made of steel or cast iron with a gas burner installed inside, as well as a controller unit that provides automatic ignition and regulation of modes, are installed in a pre-prepared frame made of refractory materials. Gas fireplaces come in all sizes, with an open or closed firebox that burns a live fire.
For a more traditional look, the firebox of some models is equipped with ceramic logs, which are exposed to gas through nozzles. The effect of a real wood-burning fireplace is created, while there is no smoke, soot, sparks. Gas fireplaces are also equipped with interlocks: for example, when the flame goes out, the gas is turned off, and when the air in the room overheats, its supply is reduced.
Gas fireplaces in the country house from a log house
The design of gas fireplaces can be very diverse, from built-in models to free-standing or hanging hearths. A full-fledged chimney is not required for a gas fireplace - combustion products are removed in the same way as for gas boilers, through a wall or ceiling along a coaxial chimney.It is better to entrust the installation of the hearth to a specialist, but the frame and decoration for it can be done do it yourself.
Electrical fireplaces for summer cottages
Not every summer cottage boasts a gas pipeline, but almost every home has electricity. In this case, instead of a gas hearth, you can install an electric fireplace. Electric fireplaces There are several types, they can be generally divided into decorative, heating and universal. Decorative electric hearths are designed for the installation of false fireplaces: they have a backlight with a flicker that imitates fire. Heating models are equipped with heaters, they can have one or more heating modes. Universal models combine these functions.
An example of an electric fireplace
Electric fireplaces are built into the finished frame, while the requirements for materials are lower, because the walls of this electrical appliance almost do not heat up. It is only necessary to observe the ventilation gaps specified in the passport. There are also ready-made models with design that you can simply put and plug into a power outlet.
Biofuel fireplaces
Another type of safe fireplaces is biofuel fireplaces, which use bioethanol obtained from vegetable raw materials. When bioethanol is burned, only steam and carbon dioxide are released, so there is no need to install a chimney, it is only necessary to ensure the ventilation of the house.
The design of biofuel fireplaces is quite wide, while their installation does not require special knowledge and skills, unlike the construction of a wood-burning fireplace. The price, however, is quite high, it will cost you tens of thousands and not everyone can afford such a hearth in the country.
Fireplace for giving on biofuel
Decorative fireplaces for summer cottages
The cheapest and safest way to create a cozy atmosphere is to make a fake fireplace out of drywall, plywood, chipboard and decorate it with colorful lights or candles. In this case, a romantic atmosphere is provided for you, while there is no need for complex construction work and fuel procurement. The device of a decorative fireplace will allow you to show your imagination and make a truly unique interior in the country, and if you do not need a heating source, this option is the easiest and most affordable.
Sample decorative fireplace
As can be seen from the review, in a country house, unlike an apartment, you can install almost any fireplace, because you can change the layout as you wish, arrange a chimney and a heating circuit without agreement with your neighbors. However, before building a wood-burning fireplace or installing gas appliances, you should consult with specialists, because your safety depends on it. The comfort and warmth of a living hearth will be an excellent reward for all the trouble.
Video - How to choose a fireplace for a summer residence
Video - How to choose a fireplace stove for home and garden
