How To Add A Fireplace To A Screened In Porch!
Let’s set the scene: The weather has just turned from fall to winter (or if you’re from Nashville like us–from summer to winter). You crack a window in your kitchen and the air smells like fallen leaves, cinnamon, and the promise of the holidays. You pour a cup of your favorite hot beverage and step out onto your screened in porch. It’s cold, colder than you expected, so you light a fire in your fireplace. Immediately you feel the concentration of warmth on your face. You pull up a chair, between the blanket around your shoulders and the light of the fire you can enjoy the crisp winter air without the bitterness of the cold. It’s the perfect combination of cozy and invigorating.
It’s no secret that we love a good porch hang, but there is something uniquely special about a screened in porch with a fireplace. Porch fireplaces can be both a beautiful and functional focal points. Whether it’s a screened porch, an open air porch, or even a patio fireplace, there are several choices to make when deciding which is right for you and your family.
Our top three considerations include:
1. Wood burning vs gas fireplace.
2. Masonry fireplace vs metal fireplace insert.
3. Choosing your exterior finish.
Wood Burning vs. Gas Fireplace
The first consideration for your outdoor porch fireplace is whether it will use gas logs or burn real wood logs. Typically, you will use a metal insert for a gas fireplace; for wood burning, you can use a masonry fireplace or a metal insert. Gas has the advantages of costing less, having a remote control for easy on/off, and you don’t have to deal with the obvious labor and time spent gathering wood and allowing the wood to cool at the end of the evening. The advantage of wood, however, is authenticity. If you want that nostalgic, campfire smell, you’ll only get this from a wood-burning fireplace.
Metal insert fireplace box with gas logs and manufactured stone. PorchCo hand hewn mantel.
If you choose a metal fireplace insert for gas logs, there are two choices: gas ventless or gas vented. Each of these options is self-contained and has no flue which means it does not need a chimney. With a vented fireplace, the heat from the fireplace is typically vented out of the back, but with ventless all that heat comes out the front opening. A gas ventless fireplace inside your house emits too much heat, but for a porch – it’s perfect. You can never put out too much heat on a porch!
Masonry vs. metal insert Fireplace
If going with a wood burning fireplace, then you have to make a decision between a true masonry fireplace or a metal fireplace insert. Both fireplaces have their benefits so let’s compare!
True masonry fireplace with natural stone and hand hewn mantel.
Though masonry fireplaces are incredibly beautiful and have been built for thousands of years, a fireplace does not need to be built brick by brick to have that classic look. Today, most masonry fireplaces are built from a kit such as Firerock or Isokern. There are several styles and sizes to choose from but you will need a mason to assemble these kits. A metal insert fireplace, on the other hand, does not need a mason to install. You do need to buy one appropriate for the outdoors. The sizes are more limited but the cost is less so there is always that trade-off. Some units include a firebrick inside the opening so it looks very much like a true masonry fireplace.
Wood burning fireplace with metal insert and natural stone veneer. Antique mantel adds age to the fireplace.
True masonry fireplace with brick veneer.
Wood burning metal insert fireplace with manufactured stone veneer.
Though these two options may look similar there is a significant price difference. If cost is a consideration you need not sacrifice form for function, a metal insert fireplace can be just as beautiful.
Whether the fireplace is masonry or a metal insert, the size, shape, color, and placement of the surrounding materials can create a beautiful, custom look.
Choosing your fireplace exterior finish (fireplace veneer)
The exterior finish or “veneer” is the outer, cosmetic material that surrounds your fireplace structure. The options for veneering your porch fireplace are limited only by your imagination - and code requirements. Building codes require that the fireplace immediate surround be non-combustible. The most common option is a stone or brick veneer.
Gas ventless fireplace with manufactured stone and PorchCo hand hewn mantel.
Wood burning fireplace using a metal insert, tile surround and wood veneer for a warm rustic look.
Paneled fireplace surround with decorative tile create a beautifully unique vignette.
Fireboxes, functionality, and veneer are not the only components that help determine the look and feel of your fireplace but making these key decisions will inform the bulk of your options. If you’ve decided you’re ready for a new Nashville area porch with a fireplace, we want to help you weigh these decisions and make the best choice for you and your home!
Give us a call for a free consultation at 615.662.2886.