Fireplace
 

So it's of my wife's opinion that every home needs a fireplace. So we are getting a fireplace. We'll proably spend about $2500 when all is said and done I think, maybe a little less. The fireplace salesman said it would add at least 5-6k of value to the home as one of his benefit statements. I just kind of laughed... I hope we just get our money back with the way things are going.

I turned mine on for the first time the other night. We have a gas fireplace, nothing better than flipping a switch.

I remember growing having to haul in wood, and save all the newspapers, clean out the soot. Gas is the way to go.

Hey, at least you get a deduction for capital improvements.

I just looked back at my dorky spreadsheet I used to evaluate houses when I was shopping last year. A gas fireplace rated the same as $20,000 less in sales price. Looking back, I should have reweighted, but it is important to those it's important to.

For sure.. Looking forward to just flipping the switch.

My parents used to have an old farmhouse in the south end of cache valley and we had a wood burning stove so I know all about saving papers and getting wood from outside.

In some large houses, a fireplace isn't necessarily a big deal.. my house is smaller however and it will be something people will notice whether they want to or not, due to the location of it, and they'll have to like fireplaces because it's a 'focal point' in the room (i watch to much HGTV). that said, you're right, some people value fireplaces more than others.

Pride, you fell of the "live within my means" wagon in less than 24 hours?

ha ha.. i thought about that as i was writing it.. i've saved for a fireplace for a while now, so it doesn't affect our monthly budgeting.. still would have been nice to save that for some emergency type thing.