The Fireplace: Heart of a Log Home

Today, sixty percent of all new homes constructed contain at least one fireplace, up from thirty-six percent of new homes in 1970. And while fireplaces are becoming more commonplace in other homes, they are almost de rigueur in the log home. Without a fireplace or woodstove, a log home just seems incomplete. Of course, just as there are varying log home styles for different buyers, there are also all manner of fireplaces and woodstoves.

Sometimes, the only appropriate choice for a fireplace is a truly colossal stone structure. Frequently, a large fireplace is used to complement an equally impressive great room. Furthermore, a wide fireplace can serve as a divider between various rooms in the log home. Such is the case with the Big River Lodge project we featured in May. This impressive stone fireplace feels right at home in the 540 square foot great room, while also dividing the great room from the master suite.

Occasionally, a fireplace is so impressive that an entire log home is built around it.

The DanceLife Retreat Center was a Real Log Home project that we chronicled in this 2012 post. The owner had hoped to save an existing log lodge on his property, but when that proved impossible he commissioned Real Log Home’s Independent Representative C.M. Allaire and Sons to build a new facility. The owner was able to save and restore two of the original fireplaces on the property, one of which takes up an entire wall of the living room (above) and another, which makes for a very cozy dining room (below).

Although large fireplaces may be gorgeous, they are also inefficient heat sources and thus better used for show rather than warmth. If you are looking for a more efficient fire, then a woodstove or fireplace insert is your best bet. This log home in Carson City, Nevada (shown at right) features a two-sided fireplace that’s the best of both worlds. One side faces the great room with a large fireplace, while the other faces the dining room and kitchen with an efficient insert.

The fireplace or woodstove can also be at home in the bedroom, like this stove in the Littleton ski lodge. Not only does this small stove provide great ambiance to the room, it also gently heats the bedroom and office in the loft above.

Of course, fireplaces are just as at home outside the log home as they are inside. This Real Log Home in Lizella, Georgia has an outside dining room on the deck with an impressive stone fireplace. Outdoor living spaces are very popular and a fireplace is a great way to enjoy outdoor life into the night.

If these images have got you thinking about building a log home of your own, with or without roaring fireplace, then call Real Log Homes today or fill out the form below for more information.