If you’re a Toronto homeowner, you can certainly add a fireplace to your home to take the edge off of those cold winters. Indeed, you don’t even need to be a homeowner to add a fireplace. Nowadays, fireplaces can be added to apartments or even houses without chimneys. Here are some fireplaces to choose from:

Traditional Fireplace

The traditional fireplace burns logs in a firebox and has a flue, a smokedome, a damper and a chimney. In this type of fireplace, you’ll need to have a chimney installed. This is a job for a professional because there are safety issues involved. The contractor will need to acquire permits and follow the local building codes before the fireplace is installed. Traditional fireplaces can be made of masonry like brick or fieldstone with facing made out of tile. They can also be made of steel and can be prefabricated. Prefabricated models are a better choice if you already have a home that lacks a fireplace.

Gas Fireplace

There are two basic types of gas fireplaces. One type burns only gas, while the other is a traditional fireplace that’s been fitted with a gas log. The gas log is often made of ceramic and may be perforated or unperforated. In the perforated version, the fire shoots out from the perforations. In the second, real fire blazes over these logs. In both cases, the logs are never consume and lend a coziness to the room even when not lit. Gas logs also put paid to the ashes and other debris that need to be cleaned up after a wood burning fire. Though a gas type of fireplace needs to vent to the outside, it can be placed in more areas than a traditional fireplace. For example, it can be installed in a wall and can be turned on by remote control.

Gel Fireplaces

These are even more versatile than either gas or traditional fireplaces, because these fireplaces don’t need to be vented and can be placed anywhere in the room. If you don’t like the fire in one location, you can move it to another. They can even be placed on a tabletop! These are the types of fireplaces that are used in apartments that don’t have chimneys or vents.

The fuel used in these fireplaces is made of alcohol gel, which has a clean, brilliant flame.

Pellet Fireplace

Pellets can be burned in a fireplace or a stove. The pellets can be made out of a range of products, including sawdust, nut shells, corncobs, and recycled wood. People like pellet fireplaces because the pellets make them more eco-friendly than traditional wood burning stoves. Pellets produce less ash, less smoke and less creosote, a material that can coat the inside of a chimney and create a fire hazard.

Whatever type of fireplace you choose for your Toronto home, if it’s well cared for and properly installed, it should give you years of warmth and enjoyment.