How an Electric Fireplace Instantly Transformed Our Living Space

We’ve been in our house for five and a half years and our gas fireplace had only been turned on twice. Due to the style of the coals it wasn’t suitable for our cats to be around so we’ve had it covered with cardboard for most of that time. But ever since we had our solar installed in 2022 we said we’d like to switch to an electric fireplace.

Our hope is to move away from using gas as much as possible. Partially because we’d rather be using our solar power, but also because even if we take from the grid electric is cheaper than gas. And the project is finally finished.

The building work required for our electric fireplace

Our old gas fireplace was a traditional square in the middle of the chimney breast. But we knew we wanted to have a long rectangular electric fireplace to make better use of the space. This meant it needed some work doing.

The first thing Luke and his dad did was disconnect the gas, block everything up and strip back what we had before. Then it was a case of building out the bottom part of the wall so the new fireplace could be sunken in and not stick out. The wall was built out from the floor to where our mantel would be.

This work was pretty dusty, but so worth it. After that it was a case of doing a lot of filling and sanding to get everything as smooth as possible. Then it was over to me. I painted the whole of the new wall in the same Dulux paint that we used on our chimney breast. And I’m so glad that I did as it blends in seamlessly.

Finishing the fireplace off

Once it was all painted etc we had a few smaller bits to do. Luke bought some wood the right sizing and thickness for our mantle and stained it to make it a deep walnut colour. This matches our doors and other woodwork round the house. It’s quite a bit wider than our older one which is going to be great when the Christmas decorations go up. He added a very slightly overhang on the mantel so we can add screws underneath to hang our Christmas stockings.

Our old fireplace had a hearth which meant when it was removed we had carpet missing. So even if we didn’t want a new one, it was something we needed. We chose a basic slate slab which Luke curved the edges of and cut to size. It’s sunken down and doesn’t stick out from our carpet so it looks seamless.

The only thing we need to do is a tiny bit of mastic along the bottom to tidy it up. Then we need to add a small bit of skirting board on either side where the old surround used to be. But thankfully I can’t see those things from where I sit.

The practical aspect of having an electric fireplace

Our electric fireplace came from Appliances Direct. We’ve actually had it since the end of last year as we grabbed it when there was money off for Black Friday. It being the right size and look was the main reason we picked it, but it has some extra features we love. You can turn on the lights without the heat, so if we just want a bit of atmosphere we can. And you can change the light colours as well which is really cool.

As it’s wifi enabled you can use the remote control or your smartphone. So we can turn it on to heat up the space before we get home which we love. And it has a 24/7 timer with an automatic shut off for safety which is a huge win. It doesn’t get hot to touch which is really important for us with Scarlett and our cats.

Our plan is to use this to heat up our living room without radiators/ heating. And this is where we spend most of our time downstairs. We’re hoping it should work out cheaper as heating can be expensive. As we’re approaching winter this is going to be the big test so I’ll report back on any savings.

Have you ever thought about having an electric fireplace?