A Hvac Contractor's Guide to Decor
Yeah, you heard me! Just because I work with tools doesn’t mean I don’t like a good-looking room. We’re going to cover a few topics today about painting, thermostat choice, and fireplace choice.
When renovating, remove your thermostat from the wall and paint behind it! While we make an effort when we change a thermostat to cover whatever we can, we can’t always match it up perfectly. Murphy’s law states that if you don’t paint behind it, someone’s going to throw away the leftover paint, and you’ll be stuck trying to recreate that colour at a later date.
Speaking of thermostats, if you’re extremely design-conscious, more and more thermostats are coming out that give you the ability to change the colour of the screen to your liking.
Most hvac appliances are not made to look good, although companies have begun to realize that a slick design does help sales ever so slightly. One appliance that is absolutely made to look good is the fireplace. There are piles of models available for every style and taste. As they’re becoming more popular, manufacturers are trying to outdo each other in options, styles, and the realism of the flames and log sets. There are fireplaces with faux brick backing in multiple colours, as well as, chic black gloss panel finishes. You also no longer have to choose fake wood logs, although this works well in a lot of rooms. I’m particularly fond of the newer rock log sets and beach fire kits. Also available are the very flashy glass media sets available in all sorts of colours. Some also include an LED that can flavour the colours further, making your fireplace more glamorous than a Las Vegas limo. In fact, there are builder's model fireplaces that can also be upgraded to change the look of the log set, without changing the entire fireplace. Which is a very economical way to change the look of the fireplace. So if you don't like the look of your log set, give us a call and we can see what's available for your model.
Check out some more designs and options at https://www.continentalfireplaces.com/. Although we can get almost every manufacturer, we get some very reasonable prices on these.
A word of caution though: don’t get too attached when picking out a fireplace. Some are not approved for installation in Canada. Pick out a few you like on various websites. Since they’re decorative, and not a necessity, the various features and models can become very expensive. Residential fireplace installation can range in price from $2500-$7500 plus tax depending on the model chosen and the various options. If budget is an issue, you’re unsure of the look you want, or you change your vibe often, pick something simple with flat panels instead of a grate panel. When you do that, the fireplace’s look depends almost entirely on the mantel you build for it and the finishing options you choose.
I bet there aren’t many décor blog posts from heating contractors.
