having lived with both wood and gas log fires we've discovered that the gas is much cheaper than wood and easier to manage for regular heating and our council paid a rebate when we removed the wood fires to reduce air pollution

I love the idea of log fires, but then reality kicks in with cost and clean-up... If you've not got a good supply of free logs and someone else to clean the fireplace - I'd opt for an open gas fire every time.

Thank you for your comments. We will look into the gas option and hopefully we won't need to extend the chimney.

We had the same problem choosing between gas and real log fire. In the end we chose gas. With wood now being around $140 a load it can get pretty expensive, especially in the Snowy Mountains! While our gas heater was a larger outlay in the beginning we save around $600 - $800 dollars each winter. And we don't have the inconvenience of cleaning it. Ours looks like a real fire without the mess - and is super efficient too! Just a flick of a switch and it's on and toasty in a matter of minutes! Great investment and looks good too!

If you get good dry wood and for the right price I'd go with wood everytime. It burns hot, dry and clean. However not everyone has the ability to get the wood, nor has time to stack, bring it inside, etc..

I'd have a wood fire for the look and feel but just use it occasionally if regular wood supply is not possible. Electric reverse cycle is very efficient now and even better when used with solar power. Gas was the way to go for heating up until a few years ago now its back to electric again.... Keep the open fire and have electric reverse cycle as well!

I'd keep the chimney but add some corbel's to it. Maybe the blue feature brick like on the window sills. You could make the chimney a feature rather than trying to do the opposite.

The dust a wood fire creates is unbelievable. We have recently had a gas heater installed. Will never, ever light the wood fire again.

If you love an open fire and the wood in your area is affordable then it is a no brainier. The chimney does however look a little narrow and as I live in New Zealand I would be worried in relation to earthquakes and storms but your area may not need to consider such things. I have a fire / wood box and I love it. Gas is great it heats the house fast but the heat doesn't stay for long after the gas is turned off.... a fire continues to warm the house as the wood turns to embers etc. If gas is cheaper than wood then that is a financial decision to consider.