Summer is the time of year when many people plan home renovations.
In Victoria, many homeowners and, in some cases, entire condo buildings are wanting to replace their existing decades-old gas fireplaces with higher efficiency models that provide a more cohesive fit with the interior design of their home.
The gas fireplaces that first became fixtures in condos and houses in the 1980s and 1990s are now at the end of their service life, dated looking, and not nearly as functional as modern ones. These mid-efficient vented gas fireplaces were intended as a decorating feature, mostly heating the area just a few meters in front of them, but certainly not the entire living area or surrounding bedrooms. Moreover, many homeowners often rely on electric baseboard heaters to warm their homes, which can be much more costly than gas. The savings are even more significant for those in strata complexes that include natural gas in the strata fees.
However, for most people, style is the driving force behind replacing their gas fireplace.
In fact, Garth White, president at Ark@Home, says “Most of the time, homeowners come to us to replace their fireplace because they don’t like the look of it anymore, or have been to neighbours or friends homes with newer models and were amazed at how warm and comfortable a gas fireplace should be. Also, many may be redecorating and want a new model that fits in better with their décor. With such a wide selection of fireplaces to choose from in our showroom, our customers can select one to perfectly match the interior design of their home whether it’s a classic turn of the century look, a clean modern linear fireplace or something in between. Once installed, they’re always thrilled about how these newer fireplaces heat most of their home, dependent on where the fireplace is situated.”
Our team of energy experts has been helping people choose the right solution for their heating needs since 1978. As well, our certified installation experts take pride in the high-quality service we offer. We can cut out the existing insert, keeping the surrounding stonework and mantle intact, or we can remove the surround and old fireplace entirely so the customer can start with a blank slate to create their ideal fireplace.
Garth says “we’ve installed fireplaces in almost every room over the years. The only limiting factor is your imagination and of course safety. Our 3 and 4-sided models are very popular for separating areas and providing a stunning focal point that’s also energy efficient and functional.”
Our clients are pleasantly surprised by our dust-free installation, expecting a mess to clean up after the tradesmen leave. We cover furnishings as required and use dust collection on our tools. Once we finish, homeowners need only come in, sit down, push a button on a remote to activate their new fireplace and enjoy. There’s no mess to tidy up.
