Electric fireplaces

Dawn met with Rich of Fireplace Supply Wholesalers today, and the crew gave her grief for installing electric fireplaces. She told them that if they want to contribute to the project, then they can have an opinion.

We were initially skeptical as well, but when we went to Rich's showroom and saw them in action, the electrics looked better than the gas fireplaces! Plus they're economical, non-polluting, safe, and, best of all, they don't give off heat. If that seems strange, remember this is a B&B -- in the middle of summer, guests can lay in their air-conditioned room and enjoy a fire. How cool is that?

The two cottages will have gas fireplaces, but for a purely practical reason: They're using heat pumps, and during the dead of winter they may need supplemental heat. In the summer kitchen, we're putting the fireplace downstairs; we aren't sure if we're going to put anything upstairs, because of the room layout.

Unfortunately, the electrics don't make noise. There is a pine cone you can buy that crackles, but I'm not sure how far I'm willing to go with these fake fireplaces.

Click here to see a 60-second video of the fireplace in action