You know I have a fireplace that I hate with a passion, right?? It is the first thing you see when you walk in the house (not a bad thing), but it is on an angle in a disproportionate room. Of course I could just plump furniture in there, but I'm looking for practical solutions that will work for us and not just a decorated room. So I've been mulling over different ways to use the family room square footage in a more user friendly and practical way.
One of my thoughts included getting rid of the (wood burning) fireplace completely. Opening up the kitchen to the family room, switching fridge and stove positions (current kitchen floor plan), putting an island in the middle. I could:
Plan A
use the new space as kitchen/dining room.
use the old dining room as an extension of the living room.
put in an electric fireplace in the living room
Pros:
huge table that will seat 16 ppl easily. Something we definitely would benefit from
huge work space for crafts, homework/office
Cons:
ex-to-the-pensive, mucho dineno, etc.
the TV and the fireplace will end up in one space, hello new dilemma
if Baby C is watching TV while I'm making dinner, I won't be able to easily keep my eye on her. boo :(
Plan B
use the new space as kitchen/family room complete with sectional + TV
get a larger table for current dining room and put it across dinning room + living room to host large parties
Pros: will be able to see Baby C
Cons: she'll be watching more TV
Plan C
leave everything alone
ignore the fireplace, put TV in the family room
get a larger table for the current dining room
Pros: $$ for travel, or savings, or furniture, or not go into debt for renos(all good things)
Cons: the f'ing fireplace will drive me crazy every day
So, lovely readers, please help help help.
Would you give up a wood burning fireplace? Will this lower the value of my home?? Would you prefer a more open floor plan?? Would you rather reno or travel? Is there something else I should be considering??
What would YOU do? Have you had to deal with a dilemma like this?? What was the deciding factor?
Source: HERE
PS. We've decided to stay in this house for the long haul, that is why these more involved renos are even being considered! :)
Don't get rid of the fireplace - it's on so many people's wanted list when they look at homes! However, if you hate the look I would suggest spending some money in getting a designer to rethink the fireplace and how you use the two rooms. Having a professional make some changes, without giving up the fireplace.
ReplyDeleteI would also invest in a new insert if you can, there are some lovely ones out there that could give you a much better look. I don't know when your wood insert was put in, but the new ones are extremely efficient and abide by WET standards.
I am not a big fan of rooms that are too open, I like some delineation between them for structure and keeping messes at bay.
And you know I hate my fireplace and will be working on it this year ;)
And lastly, DO keep some money for travel - you love your house, but your life should not just be about the house.
Hmm, tough question. My husband is in love with our wood-burning fireplace so we've spent a lot of time/money/energy into making it more attractive (and it still isn't done!). That said, we live in an area where a lot of the homes have gotten rid of them so it is definitely something people notice when they come to our home. I, for one, think they are great for the resale value of a home. That said - you do live in suburbia, is it safe to assume that many of your neighbours homes are very similar to your own? If so, then the open floor plan you have envisioned in your head may really set your home apart. The first question you should ask yourself is - is it even possible to get rid of the fireplace all together? I know that my furnace uses the chimney...
ReplyDeleteAll that to say - this is your home! Are you planning on being in it long term? If so, then I say GET RID OF IT. You have to live there! If you were planning on flipping this house back on the market in five years, I would say wait on it. But if you aren't, if this house is in the plans for the next twenty years and you plan on growing your family then that fireplace will just annoy you more and more. The best design advice I ever got was "Trust your instinct" and if your instinct is saying "I hate this fireplace" then believe that it is for a good reason. Having demoed a fireplace and a few walls, I can tell you that it isn't as hard as it looks (or as time consuming). My attitude? Try, see where it takes you - call in professional help if you need it.
I agree that the fireplace is ugly in it's current state but it seems like restyling it might make it tolerable. If you changed out the mantle and changed the brick at the foot you could make it look like the one in the pic at the top of this page (it would still be at an angle but that might not bother you anymore if it was pretty).
ReplyDeleteWhat @ ginger said: "this is your home! Are you planning on being in it long term? If so, then I say GET RID OF IT. You have to live there!" Exactly.
ReplyDelete