There is no need for us to tell you that moving home isn’t an easy process. Though it has become a lot simpler due to removal companies (giving a more experienced option to the traditional “convoy of friends and family going back and forth”), it is still a very stressful time in anyone’s life.
Most things can be put in boxes, and the worry comes from forgetting what you have and haven’t put in them. But you aren’t likely to forget big items like your sofa or your TV. With these items, the worry shifts to if they will fit comfortably in their new surroundings. What if they don’t match the decor? What if they are ill-suited to the room lay out? And so on.
One item in particular has very unique things to consider, and as you may have guessed, it’s the fireplace. We’re going to look at the considerations you need to think about before, during and after the move.
The other home
When you go and survey your new home, a few simple checks can go a long way. First of all, measure any existing fireplace. This will give you the basics of if your fireplace will fit or not. Then ask a few questions. Are they taking the mantlepiece? Is the chimney blocked? Is there more than one fireplace in the house? Is there a gas line that can be tapped from the fireplace?
You should also find out if they intend to leave the existing fireplace or not. The sellers may be as keen on their fireplace as you are of yours, so they are going to be removing it. You need to ascertain if it is going to leave a hole or not.
Your home
Turning things to your own property, you too need to figure out if removing your own fireplace is a good idea. Some simply can’t be moved, such as those sold already embedded in a wall. You may also be negatively effect the value of your home if you gut the fireplace out, so find out what negative impact this decision could bring.
Then you have to see how much it will cost to safely remove your fireplace. If you have an electric model this won’t cause too much hassle (other than perhaps removing a few wall brackets for wall mounted models), but stoves and gas fireplaces will require a professional.
Set up
Now you have your fireplace, and you know it is OK to bring to the new house, you are either in for an easy or a hard time. For example, it may be as simple as plugging the fireplace in. But the previous owners may have bricked up the mantlepiece, or they haven’t and your wall mounted electric fireplace now means there is a big gap in your front room with nothing to fill it.
And of course, there is the fact that any fireplace that needed a professional to remove will require one to install it again. If you weigh all of this up in advance, you may decide it is too stressful and too expensive to consider. But hopefully that won’t be the case, and you’ll now have all the knowledge you need to make sure no mistakes are made during the house moving process, at least when it comes to the fireplace.