I have a woodburning insert that I use as a backup heat source. It works great but it took me some time to figure out how to keep the heat output just where we need it. Smoke can still be an issue with the insert if you don't operate it properly. In my unit, I found that kindling wood used to get a fast & hot start works much better than paper and keeps the chances of smoke getting into the room down. I also found that letting the fire dwindle too far down at night resulted in a higher chance of smoke getting into the room. In my unit, the catalytic converter must be disengaged (pull a damper rod out) before the doors are opened - otherwise smoke will enter the room. The catalytic conveter is used to help get a cleaner burn. If the converter is engaged when the firebox is not hot enough - that can also lead to more smoke. And if the fire dwindles and the firebox temp falls too low (still hot - but not hot enough) - that can also lead to more smoke. I wish I did not have the CC in there but that was not an option at the time. If I were in the hunt for a replacement, it would not have a CC in it. My unit has a blower fan that is activated by a thermostat inisde the firebox. Once the tstat reaches the hot point (which I cannot change), the blower fan kicks on to draw in outside air. For ambience fires, I wish that i could turn the blower off but that is not possible for safety reasons. The air coming in is to prevent the firebox from getting too hot as well as to serve as a source for more hot air flow. When we use the fireplace as a heat backup (usually during power outages), I found that using portable fans works great for moving air around the house. I can generate a lot of heat with the fireplace - so much so that the room it is in get's too warm. So if you intend to heat with a high BTU output unit, make sure you can get good airflow throughout the house. Another little trick I learned is that when we are cranking the fireplace and the air outside is very cold and dry, the humidity level in the house plumets. Since my humidifiers are connected to my HVAC unit, when the HVAC is out I have no humidification. So I bought 2 portable humidifiers that I run to get some moisture into the house. I also have a gas fired insert. This one can also operate as either a heater or ambience fireplace with the flip of a lever. The nice thing about this one is that it has a hand held remote that also servces as the thermostat. So I can set the temperatue and put the remote wherever i want to, and the fireplace fan will turn on and off based on the remote's tempertaure setting. You can then move the remote around to either a cold spot or a warm spot in the room to keep the room temperature comfortable and stable. The gas unit was much easier to install than the woodburner. Gas unit only had a single 8 inch duct for noth intake and exhaust. The woodburner had a 16 inch exhaust duct plus two 6 inch air intake ducts for combustion PLUS the air intake for the vent fan. It was a beast to install. If you have power outages and use a backup generator - put the gas or woodburner insert on a backup circuit - both require a small amount of power to operate. Check on the fireplace forum for discusions on these types of units. Spend the extra bucks and get a top of the line unit if you plan to use the fireplace frequently and/or as a primary heat source.

I purchased a used Quadrafire Castile pellet stove for the basement. I have a high efficiency heat pump and strips but wanted something for back up that would run off of a small generator if we have an extended power outage. I purchased 2 tons of pellets last winter and when the temps were below 30 or if we were in the basement we ran it on low which is around 1lb or 7500btu/hr. I would turn it to medium when was below 20 and ran it on high when it was in the teens or below and the heat pump was locked out which is 8lbs per hour. The warm floor made the house feel more comfortable which allowed the stat to be a little coolder. It is not hastle free by NO means. It requires regular cleaning and maintenance and the pellets can be a pain for some to deal with. I enjoy going down stairs and sitting in front of it after being outside and freezing all day. I grew up with heat from a wood furnace once you get used to that warmth a heat pump or even heat strips doesn't compare when it is in the teens outside. If the cleaning and maintenance is not kept up then the efficiency will head toward the toilet. There are some models that can go a week or more with no problem and others that need the ashes dumped daily. It isn't horrible by any means but it is not just a pour in the fuel and forget it device. The ability to have a heat source that will operate on stored fuel and less electrical power than a 200 watt light bulb it is pretty hard to beat.

I think brick + marble is such a good classic look. What is the style of your house? If you do brick and decide you don't like it, you could always paint it black. But as far as I know, you can't put a brick facade over a black liner. We just updated our 1980s fireplace and I wanted brick, but we had to stick with black. The fireplace store said you can't just pull out an old insert and put in a new one; it requires redoing the whole fireplace/chimney. So no pressure, but your choice is pretty permanent! :) Here they did herringbone marble tile and straight brick. It would also look great reversed -- herringbone brick and straight marble.

I don't think its too small if no tv. (however, if your tv is larger than 42", and you're mounting the tv on the fireplace, then yes, you want to go larger. look at all these pics w/tv's) (I hope you're not using that stone!) let me show you some examples. These inserts and tiled heights are very similar/identical to yours. here's how yours would look w/large tile I don't really like this look, and I don't like the shorty mantle. I like this. it has a black stone/tile surround and a nice oak mantle. you could do a shiplap or plastered wall above that mantle. photoshop. I'd do some built in benches on both sides Or, use a zellige tile and go all the way up. mantle optional, so is the hearth similar style w/out the hearth. your inset is about this size. I also like this one w/the board and batten above the oak mantle. you could use a gray quartz like this for the surround you asked about a marble surround. it would look something like this. Or this one, which is acutally very pretty and just about identical to your set up. I'm sure this is a 42" insert. there is a quartzite material around it, and the planks are walnut. (you can see the TV outlet. ) from the side so you can see how it's done. this one will have a mantle (see the supports in place?) I would totally do this. or the Zellige tile Here's a large format black porcelain tile that looks like slate. To me, the tv is a tad too large, and the mantle is too short. But I love the overall look w/the cabinets and shelves. this is a good example of the tv being larger than the box. how do you think it looks? what are your plans for under the windows? you could do a bench or something like this: here's another insert like yours (a bit wider) w/the Zellige tile and oak mantle. love this look too Little diff look. I'd rather have the tile around the box, but you could certainly do something like this under your windows and above the mantle. speaking of benches,,floating wood benches on either side please don't do the ledger stone!