Teach Me About New England Fireplaces

[Darrell Lee]

I'm a life long SoCal investor buying property in Vermont. In Cali, fireplaces are a huge plus, in the NorEast they are rarely mentioned. From reading the forums I guess 100 yr old homes the fireplaces are a negative?

I get they may be a negative from a landlord's POV but what about home buyers?

Are they usually so much a heat loss during harsh winters that owners block them up or what?

Please help me understand... TIA

[Colleen F.]

I would also add gas inserts are a nice backup in a power failure but know what you are buying,  how many BTU s  does it put out etc.    It needs to be sufficient to heat the space if you want it for something other then decoration.  If you are buying an investment in Vermont then I would check the insurance regarding fireplaces. Could be an issue. If you don't us them cap and close the fireplace up in the house. I do like fireplaces myself so  I like a house that has them. We have 2 in our house but I don't let the tenants use the wood fireplace because you never can tell what the students would consider burning.