Ha! My dear other person who is helping me do up this bomb-hit of a house and I were just discussing this the other day! He ripped out the old gas heater whilst I was away last year, intending to replace it but alas! he is a ning-nong and had no clue at prices and we now have no heating at all. IN JUNE! Gah!

So we discussed IF I lived on a ground level house that underfloor heating would be best. However the delight at the visual appeal of flames is a doer too. NOW to decide what cheap alternative to hot water bottles and beanies is available would be nice.

Underfloor first. Flames can be 'decorative' or actually heating.

We are in the early stages of considering this for our 1870s (lovely but brrr)cottage where we are planning a renovation early next year. There are two fireplaces - one with a wood burner that has a wetback. It's warmth throwing out prperty is hampered by its diversion of function: it heats water fabulously but could hear the room rather more. The other is a small fireplace in a small area and it is great.

However we are in a place that gets cold in Winter and has frequent snowfalls although the snow may not stay on the ground that long.

We are currently thinking central heating with underfloor pipes wherever we can get them in, radiators where we can't and a woodburning stove as the heat source.

I am a fan of all over warmth; warmth from the feet up and completely not a fan of stand over rub the hands heat interspersed with a freezing draught when you open the door to the next room.

Yes roaring fire to sit next to and sip and read and talk and think and dream, but gentle all over warmth at my back too and no shivery spots in my home please.

You can have both if you wanted. Underfloor heating using resistance cables impended in a concrete slab are generally controlled by an air sensing thermostat. If you set the thermostat to 16 degrees Celsius, you could use a small fireplace to top up the room temperature while providing ambience. If you only want a fire running on weekends, just program the weekdays to reach 19 to 21 degrees C. Why not have the best of both worlds?

A fireplace can be a stunning feature to add to any home from Federation to Modern.

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