Michael ... excellent advice for all homeowners ... As far as the fireplace goes, we live in a good sized (2900 sq ft) raised ranch ... We have a fireplace in the lower family room and in the upstairs living room (used mostly for effect) The downstairs fp has a glass screen and a 'heat-o-later' unit purchased from Sears ... It takes the air from the room, circulates it through pipes that serve as the 'basket' for the wood in the fp and then blows it back out ... When we have that running we can turn off the heat upstairs (we have a 4 zone system...) ...
t.