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Close your eyes and imagine the fireplace of your dreams. A chic stone surround, perhaps? A more classic design, trimmed in brick? A sleek, streamlined electric fireplace that can span a wall or corridor? A compact yet powerful cast iron gas or wood stove?
All of these fireplaces—and more—are possible from the knowledgeable team at Complete Home Concepts. Jenny Haughenberry, the company’s vice president, says the family-owned company has been building fireplaces for over 40 years. They understand the specifications of each type of fireplace configuration and can help guide customers to the fireplace that best fits their home and needs.
“People may not realize they can change the look of their fireplace in many different ways,” Haughenberry says. “They can take out an existing fireplace and put in a new one, either to produce heat or for aesthetics. You can also take a fireplace that was built in the ’70s or ’80s and update the look by installing a fireplace insert. Fireplaces have come a long way, especially in the last 20 years. Think of them as efficient appliances.”
That’s an analogy that’s not commonly used, but it makes perfect sense. Fireplaces are a type of appliance and can be built to perform a variety of functions. That includes more efficiently heating your home, thanks to new advancements in fireplace technology. This next generation of fireplaces performs better than traditional, wood-burning ones, which Haughenberry explains can actually minimize heat in other parts of the home.
“Open, wood-burning fireplaces use more heat than they put out and often attract and use heat from other rooms in the house,” she says. “There are ways to make an existing fireplace more efficient, including gas, which is also convenient. Not everyone has time to build and maintain a fire, and the nice thing about gas is you flip the switch and the fire is off.”
Haughenberry says educating customers on what’s possible is one of the best parts of the process. In fact, you don’t even need an existing fireplace to add one. A newer fireplace trend, electric fireplaces, simply requires an electric plug and a gas fireplace typically vents out of the back of the home, and doesn’t require a chimney.
In fact, if energy efficiency is particularly important, you can even work with Complete Home Concepts to install a heat-zone that funnels heat produced by the fireplace to other rooms in the house—or, if you’re in a smaller space, outside. For those who covet the warm glow of fire but don’t necessarily need extra heat, an electric fireplace is an ideal option.
Otherwise, Haughenberry says gas fireplaces continue to be most prevalent throughout the Kansas City area to help take the chill out of cold winter days.
That doesn’t even cover outdoor fireplaces, which Haughenberry says have seen huge growth in recent years.
“We have two outdoor showrooms, including a deck and a patio area, to show customers some of the outdoor options,” she says. “We can make a fire pit as big and bad as you want it. If you want flames that are four feet tall, we can do it!”
Whatever fireplace option you choose—from an insert to a custom creation—you’ll know that when it’s built by Complete Home Concepts, it’s built to last. Fire pits are a prime example.
“You can buy a disposable fire pit that might last a year or two, but we build them from the bottom up,” Haughenberry says. “It’s all in what you want to spend and how much space you have.”
Complete Home Concepts brings another differentiator to the table—a commitment to full service, start to finish. That spans the initial consultation to installation to post-installation service, which some people overlook but is a critical part of fireplace efficiency and safety.
“A fireplace, especially a gas fireplace, is like any other appliance and should be serviced once a year to ensure it’s working properly,” Haughenberry says. “Chimney sweeping is another annual task that people ignore and shouldn’t. We can help customers identify what services they need and provide them.”
There’s still plenty of winter left to get your new fireplace up and running. The first step? Visit the Complete Home Concepts Riverside showroom in person. Once you work with the team to figure out what options work best for you, then a team member will come to your home to ensure your preferred fireplace will work in your space.
Visit http://completehomeconcepts.com for store hours and location. Plus, you can start your brainstorming by exploring an array of fireplaces, including gas and electric configurations, right on the website. Just think—you’ll be curled up in front of a cozy fire in no time!