A chimney sweep shares the cleaning and maintenance habits that keep your home safe all burning season long.

Every winter, I get quite a few emails from readers who suffer from smoky fireplaces. Just a month ago, one of my amateur radio friends reached out to me with the same problem. After asking him some ...

It’s the time of year when folks start migrating towards their fireplace in the evening, if they’re lucky enough to have one. There is something deep in us that finds warmth and comfort, not just in ...

I’m departing from my usual question-and-answer format this week because I was blessed to have an interesting email exchange with one of my newsletter subscribers. I want to share it with you as an ...

When homes change hands, new owners often want to bring a fireplace back to life, and it is easy to do with today’s gas fireplace inserts. This makes perfect sense. Gas inserts are convenient, safe, ...

Should You Install a Fireplace? We analyze millions of real estate transactions to compare agents near you. A fireplace is the epitome of ambiance and warmth for some ...

Every winter, I get quite a few emails from readers who suffer from smoky fireplaces. Just a month ago, one of my amateur radio friends reached out to me with the same problem. After asking him some ...

As Monterey Bay property owners prepare for winter rains, attention shifts to wall stability, water intrusion, and ...

Q: I would like to paint the brick and tile around my fireplace, which has a gas insert. I suspect it might involve different prep work and paint for each surface. How should we proceed? A: You face a ...