For landlords, inexpensive amenities can boost a unit’s appeal to new renters and renters’ desire to stay longer or become repeat customers. One such amenity that many landlords consider is a fireplace — either indoor or outdoor. Should you add a fireplace to your rental property? What can you do to ensure safety and beauty? And where should you start? Read on to learn the answers to a few of your questions.

What Are the Benefits of a Rental Fireplace?

Fireplaces in rental properties may help your bottom line. They give a luxurious feeling to any room and represent the cozy warmth of home. For vacation rentals, a fireplace can be especially important if it looks great in listing photos and sets the unit apart from other competing options.

A fireplace can be a cost-effective way to add an amenity in a unit that does not have much space or many luxuries. Modern fireplaces often require little or no floor space and can be installed just about anywhere. They’re also reasonably inexpensive to operate and maintain. And today’s units are often very user-friendly.

What Are the Drawbacks?

The biggest risk of installing a fireplace in any home occupied by other people is the fire danger. Improper use by renters increases this risk. Short-term renters, especially, will always be unfamiliar with your fireplace and what to do or not do. Tenants may use the wrong materials, fail to keep the fireplace clean, or use incorrect settings. The landlord will be liable both for repairs and for any injuries.

The landlord must also spend money and effort on the fireplace. You’ll need to budget for proper installation, regular maintenance, and fixing issues or replace the fireplace when it breaks — which could be sooner than expected due to tenant misuse.

How Can You Boost Fire Safety?

If you want a fireplace in your rental, you can do several things to keep your residents safe. First, choose a style with lower risk. Gas and electric fireplaces are often the best choices for rental properties, as these are simple to turn on and off and produce the least amount of flammable material. Avoid high-maintenance wood fireplaces if possible.

Make the surrounding area as safe as possible as well. Use proper, nonflammable materials around the fireplace itself. Avoid placing fabrics like curtains and upholstered chairs in the immediate area. The choice of flame-resistant furniture in the room as a whole can help reduce fire danger.

Some landlords put the fireplace outside to better control flammable items around it. Use flame-resistant hardscape materials like stone, brick, and tile instead of fabrics and woods. Install the fireplace in a protected location with less wind. And assess the home’s exterior for durability against fire — a process known as house hardening.

What Else Can Protect You?

Aside from adding physical protection, check your insurance to be certain you have proper coverage for a fireplace. Landlords should require their tenants to have renters insurance, provide a fire extinguisher, and perform routine maintenance on the extinguisher, all smoke detectors, and the fireplace.

Because you chose a simple type of fireplace, renters will have an easier time using it safely. But include written instructions near the unit to demonstrate safe operation — and to spell out what not to do. Put these reminders in tenant communication or contracts as well.

Where Can You Learn More?

Want to know more about adding a fireplace to a short-term or long-term rental property? Start by meeting with the fireplace pros at Alpine Fireplaces. We’ll work with you to identify the right fireplace for any investment property and help you give your renters the best experience possible. Call today to make an appointment.

An outdoor fireplace can be a boon to your patio, providing both warmth and light, not to mention a natural area of congregation. Below are some tips for incorporating a new fireplace so it matches your patio’s style.

Designers favor the two-sided fireplace. The purpose of the two-sided fireplace is to delineate space in an open floor plan, so it serves as a transition between two “rooms.” Sometimes, these fireplaces are visible from two sides of a wall. However, you also see installations in which the back wall of the fireplace offers another design element.

Below are ideas for the room-transitioning fireplace.

Fireplace With Shelf

The fire pit is a focal point for backyard entertaining. Even in the warm months, you can enjoy the light from the fire well into the evening. In the cold months, you have the warmth. No matter the season, if you have a fire pit in your backyard, you have a pleasant and welcoming backyard hangout.

If you’re giving your backyard a makeover, be deliberate in the design of this hangout. While the hangout can take on any shape, round is perhaps the most charming option because curves and arcs create a pleasing visual. They also draw attention to the pit itself. Below are some ideas for a curved fire pit hangout.

Gathering around an outdoor fire is a tradition for many families, and the evenings roasting marshmallows and telling stories provide cherished memories that last a lifetime. When enjoying an outdoor fire with children, however, you must take care. If you get an outdoor fireplace, follow these tips to help the youngest members of your family stay safe.

Keep Fire-Starting Items Out of Reach

Any fire-starting materials you have should be kept up high where small children aren’t able to reach. Lighters and matches, obviously, should be kept out of reach of young children. These aren’t the only fire-starting materials to consider, though.

Fire is a warming and comforting thing for nearly everyone. And it’s often part of outdoor fun both in the summer and in the winter. But if you have kids around your fireplace or firepit, good fire safety is a must.

How can you encourage proper use of the fireplace or firepit that keeps your kids and others safe at all time? Here are a few easy things to do at home.

Beautiful and functional fireplaces are making a comeback as the center of family homes. Interior designers and style-savvy homeowners are placing more emphasis on transforming fireplaces into the centerpieces they were designed to be.

Gas fireplaces come in many different styles, which makes it easy for you to install a gas fireplace that will enhance the beauty of your home. Just as trends are constantly changing in interior design, fireplace trends evolve as the years pass as well.

One of the most attractive features of gas fireplaces is the fact that they produce relatively little soot and smoke compared to their wood-burning relatives. In fact, with regular maintenance efforts, you can keep your gas fireplace more or less completely soot-free. Yet from time to time, a gas fireplace may produce excessive amounts of soot.

This soot not only mars the appearance of the fireplace, but it also signals a potential health risk since soot almost always occurs in conjunction with carbon monoxide. Homeowners should always contact a professional when their gas fireplace begins to produce soot. Learn about three potential causes of this unwanted phenomenon.

1. Rich Air-Fuel Mix

Soot consists of bits of uncombusted carbon released from the natural gas. When natural gas combusts under perfect circumstances, it produces virtually no soot at all. Instead, soot only occurs when combustion does not occur completely.

The key consideration when it comes to combustion efficiency lies in the air-fuel ratio. In order for the gas to release all of its energy through combustion, it must mix with an appropriate amount of air. When too little air enters the combustion chamber, all of the gas present will not combust. This scenario goes by the name of rich fuel.

When you host your own sparkling Independence Day gathering for loved ones and neighbors, you use and enjoy your new outdoor kitchen and fire pit the way you’ve always dreamed of doing. But as you plan the menu and decorations for your Fourth of July celebration, keep the safety of your guests in mind too. The following tips will help you plan for a safe and fun holiday.

When you host your own sparkling Independence Day gathering for loved ones and neighbors, you use and enjoy your new outdoor kitchen and fire pit the way you’ve always dreamed of doing. But as you plan the menu and decorations for your Fourth of July celebration, keep the safety of your guests in mind too. The following tips will help you plan for a safe and fun holiday.