When it comes to choosing a gas fireplace for your home renovation, you might be surprised how many options you have to choose from.

No matter how small or large your renovation is, you’ve got to consider things like cost, looks, efficiency and heat output. You might be updating just one room, or engaging an architect for a full interior rebuild – whatever your situation, we can make the process a bit easier and help you find a fireplace that suits you, your lifestyle and existing style of your home.

If you’re choosing gas, you’ve essentially got four main options to choose from:

1. Keep your existing surround and replace the old fire, with a new gas insert fire (retrofit)

The homeowners of this character villa decided to keep the original fireplace surround but replace the open wood fire with a gas fire insert. Learn more about their fireplace renovation journey here.

If you’re renovating a heritage home, bungalow, villa or terrace house, you will no doubt have at least one brick or traditional fireplace with an ornate, character surround or mantelpiece. Depending on the condition of the surround, it may well be worth restoring. Consider the look you’re going for and if it’s keeping the character features, then a simple replacement of the fireplace itself will be pretty straight forward. If the surround needs updating, then a sand or lick of paint might be all it needs to bring it back to life.

A gasfitter can usually remove the old fire and replace the new one without too much disruption to the rest of the house.

Recommended fires:

• The DF700 is Escea’s retrofittable gas fireplace, designed to fit into the cavity of an existing open fireplace or replace an old in-built fire. The beauty of this fireplace is you can keep your existing surround and because of its smaller size, it fits into most existing cavities too.
• The DF960 was designed with renovators in mind. It’s wider than the DF700 so if you’re replacing an old fire with this one, just make sure the opening is large enough to fit.

Learn more about the process of retrofitting a gas fireplace here.

2. Install a new traditional gas fireplace

The soon-to-be-released Escea DF990 is a modern, square gas fireplace which is perfect for creating a traditional fireplace look in a modern or heritage home. The mantelpiece is able to be purchased with this fire as an optional extra.

If you don’t have an existing fireplace in your home, or you have one but it has seen better days, you can still install a new, modern gas fireplace with a traditional look.

For homes that don’t have a chimney, you will need to build a cavity for the fireplace to go into. If you already have a chimney, then you can simply retrofit a new gas fire into the existing cavity (just make sure the opening is big enough for the fireplace model you choose).

Once the fireplace is installed, you can add a traditional mantel or fireplace surround for a modern traditional look that fits in with the existing style of your heritage home.

Recommended fires:

• The DF990 gas fireplace is perfect for creating a traditional look in both modern and heritage homes. It’s large, square size lends itself to a classic fireplace surround or mantelpiece (coming soon)
• The DF700 and DF960 are also great for creating a traditional looking fireplace. The smaller, square DF700 will retrofit into most existing cavities and smaller spaces, whereas the wider DF960 is perfect for renovations that require a bit more space.

3. Install a freestanding gas fireplace

The DFS730 Freestanding Gas Fireplace doesn’t require a hearth and benefits from flexible flue technology, making it perfect for fitting into unconventional spaces and compact apartments like this.

Freestanding fireplaces are great for homes that don’t have a lot of floor space, or have a tricky layout to work with (think triangular rooms or pitched ceilings). They’re also perfect for replacing existing freestanding wood burners without changing the structural layout of a room.

Freestanding gas fires can also be a cost effective choice too. Because you don’t need to build a structure around the fire, or clad it in expensive materials, you’ll save on labour and material costs.

Recommended fires:

• The DFS730 is Escea’s Freestanding gas fire. The great thing about the DFS is that it doesn’t require a hearth, so it’s perfect for small spaces. Its sleek minimalist design makes it a popular choice for modern and heritage renovations, and makes a great design statement on its own too.
•  The DFS also benefits from Escea’s flexible flue technology which means the flue doesn’t need to be vertical; it can also run horizontally out the wall which makes getting into tight spaces even easier.

4. Go ultra-modern with a linear inbuilt gas fireplace

The homeowners of this Auckland villa engaged an architect to design a modern renovation at the rear of the property. The new living space features a built in linear gas fireplace that both blends into and enhances this stylish renovation. Learn more about this home renovation here.

If you’re undertaking a large-scale renovation, changing the structural bones of the home or building a modern addition, a modern linear gas fireplace might be a good option for you.

Linear fireplaces look great when they’re built into a wall; integrate them into your design by building cabinetry, a bench seat or storage surrounding the fireplace. You can even integrate a TV into your design by placing it directly above or to the side of the fireplace. If space allows, a double sided fireplace might also be something to consider – they’re a great option for zoning areas within a larger open plan space while still making them feel connected.

You also are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a fireplace as most models will work with a large-scale renovation; you just need to consider your budget, space and heating needs. The wider the fire, the more heat you get – but it also comes with the need for more space and cost!

If you’re only doing small renovation but still want the modern linear look, you can still achieve this too – all you need to do is build a structure off the internal wall that’s large enough to fit your chosen fireplace.

Recommended fires:

• With single and double sided options available, the DS Series is Escea’s truly frameless gas fireplace. Their sleek, frameless design means that they can blend into the wall or fireplace surround, making them perfect for any style of modern renovation. The DS Series comes in four sizes, starting at 1150m wide, up to the ultra-wide 1.9m for maximum impact.
• The DX Series linear fireplace is also available single and double sided but the difference is in the way it heats. The DX uses Multi-room Heat Ducting technology which means you can pump heat from this fire out to other rooms in the house, or spread it evenly across a large open-plan space.
• Even though the DF Series is ideal for replacing existing wood burners, it’s just as good for modern renovations too. Its slim design and sleek lines also make it perfect for smaller homes where space is at a premium.