This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

A fireplace is an architectural structure designed to contain a fire for heating, as well as for cooking. Fireplaces are also used for the relaxing ambiance they create. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantel, an ashdump door, a chimney crane, a cleanout door, a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, overmantel, a chimney breast, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, a chimney chase, a crown, a cap, a shroud, or a spark arrestor.

Fireplaces have variable heat efficiency. Organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health risk.^[1][2] The EPA writes "Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you."^[1]

Wood-burning fireplace.

Types of fireplaces[link]

• Masonry fireplaces are made from brick or stone.
• Manufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal fire boxes.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled with wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the US, some states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They must be sized appropriately to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture they release into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials.

Chimney and flue types:

• Masonry (brick or stone fireplaces and chimneys) with or without tile-lined flue.
• Reinforced concrete chimneys. Fundamental design flaws bankrupted the US manufacturers and made the design obsolete. These chimneys often show vertical cracks on the exterior.
• Metal-lined flue: Double or triple walled metal pipe running up inside a new or existing wood-framed or masonry chase.

Newly constructed flues may feature a chase cover, a cap, and a spark arrestor at the top to keep small animals out and sparks from exiting the chimney cavity.

Accessories[link]

Fireplace in home

A wide range of accessories are used with fireplaces, which vary between countries and regions, and historical periods. For the interior, common in recent Western cultures are grates, fireguards, logboxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and reradiate heat, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and toolstands.

Fireplace with tubular grate heater, with a high surface area in its heat exchanger and a lift out ash tray to simplify cleanup.

History[link]

An outdoor fireplace

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five continents. Chimneys, invented much later, partially fixed this problem, venting smoke outside.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Ben Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer area at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

Evolution of fireplace design[link]

Over time the design of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.

Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the industrial revolution came large scale housing developments, obviating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.

By the 1800’s most new fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround and the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance to homes.^[3]

Heating efficiency[link]

Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel.^[4]

The most effective fireplaces in terms of heating efficiency are modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces. Modern masonry fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.

Health effects[link]

In a literature review published in the journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, J.T. Zelikoff concludes that there are a wide variety of health risks posed by residential wood combustion. She writes:

The Washington Department of Ecology also published a booklet explaining why wood smoke can be dangerous. It explains that human lung and respiratory systems cannot filter the particles emitted by wood combustion, which penetrate deeply into the lungs. For months, cancer causing chemicals can continue to cause changes and structural damage within the respiratory system. Young children, seniors, pregnant women, smokers and individuals with respiratory disorders are most vulnerable. Wood smoke can cause disease and even death in children because it is associated with lower respiratory tract infections.^[2] The Families for Clean Air (FCA) organization is a charity that seeks to spread awareness of dangers of wood smoke - partly by collecting studies and other resources.

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Robert Joseph "Bob" Vila (b. June 20, 1946) is an American home improvement television show host known for This Old House (1979–1989), Bob Vila's Home Again (1990–2005), and Bob Vila (2005–2007).

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Vila, a Cuban American native of Miami, Florida, received a Bachelor degree in entomology from the University of Florida in 1969. After graduating, he served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps, working in Panama from 1971 to 1973.^[1]

Career[link]

Vila was hired as the host of This Old House in 1979 after receiving the "Heritage House of 1978" award by Better Homes and Gardens, for his restoration of a Victorian Italianate house in Newton, Massachusetts.^[2] On This Old House, Vila appeared with carpenter Norm Abram as they, and others, renovated houses. In 1989 he left the show under controversial circumstances. Some cite the reason as being a series of conflicts with This Old House executive producer Russell Morash arising from his involvement with outside commercial endorsements,^[3] while others cite a specific instance- Vila's commercial work for New Jersey-based Rickel and the subsequent retaliatory pulling of underwriting from Rickel's competitor Home Depot and lumber supplier Weyerhaeuser- as the reason behind his departure.^[4] He was replaced by Steve Thomas.

After leaving This Old House, Vila became a commercial spokesman for Sears, and beginning in 1990 he hosted Bob Vila's Home Again (known from 2005 on as Bob Vila), a weekly-syndicated home improvement program. The series ran for sixteen seasons in syndication before it was canceled by distributor CBS Television Distribution due to declining ratings.^[5] Vila has also appeared on various episodes of the situation comedy Home Improvement as himself, where main character and cable TV host Tim Taylor (played by Tim Allen) saw him as a rival and went to great lengths to try to beat Vila at things, which he never succeeded in doing. Vila also made a cameo in the 1993 comedy spoof Hot Shots! Part Deux.

Vila has written ten books, including a five-book series titled Bob Vila's Guide to Historic Homes of America. As of 2006, he still appears regularly on television. He can also be seen on the Home Shopping Network, selling a range of tools under his own brand.

Other productions[link]

Bob Vila's less widely known productions include Guide to Historic Homes of America (1996), In Search of Palladio, (1996) for A&E, and Restore America for HGTV.

Historic Homes of America[link]

Guide to Historic Homes of America (1996)^[6] included two-hour segments on each of four major regions of the United States: the Northeast, including New England and the Mid-Atlantic States,^[7] the South, the Midwest and the West.

The Northeast

• Morris-Jumel Mansion overlooking Yankee Stadium in Washington Heights, Manhattan
• Dyckman House on Broadway in Upper Manhattan
• Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts.
• Strawbery Banke restoration in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
• Olana - "a palatial amalgam of Middle-Eastern and European influences."^[6]

The Mid-Atlantic States

• Chesapeake Bay and Annapolis, Maryland - William Paca House and Hammond-Harwood House
• New Castle, Delaware - George Read II House, built by the son of George Read
• Baltimore, Maryland - Homewood House on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus
• Washington, D.C. - Decatur House on President's Park and Tudor Place in Georgetown

The South

• Thomas Jefferson

• University of Virginia - ten residential pavilions surround the great, terraced Lawn.
• Ash Lawn-Highland
• Poplar Forest - octagonal house filmed while undergoing complete restoration
• Monticello - includes Dome Room at top of building (not open to the public) and Honeymoon Cottage.

• Natchez, Mississippi

• House on Endicott Hill - early trader's house
• Rosalie - Federal architecture mansion^[8] with John Henry Belter^[9] furniture and a panoramic view of Mississippi River.
• Stanton Hall - "perhaps the grandest Greek Revival house anywhere."^[6] Designed by Captain Thomas Rose.^[10]
• Longwood - begun in 1860 by Samuel Sloan. Never finished: construction halted in April 1861.^[11]

• Texarkana, Texas - the Ace of Clubs House.^[12]

The Midwest and West

• Ellwood House - built by barbed wire entrepreneur Isaac L. Ellwood in DeKalb, Illinois.
• Frank Lloyd Wright

• Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, Illinois. "It's richer in detail than any other Wright home."^[6]
• Fallingwater in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains

• Cooper-Molera Adobe - early Spanish Colonial owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Monterey State Historic Park.
• Filoli - Woodside, California in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Designed by Willis Polk.
• Tor House^[13] - stone house and tower overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, built by Robinson Jeffers.

In Search of Palladio[link]

In Search of Palladio (1996) is a three-part, six-hour study of the work and lasting influence of the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio. Palladio designed various types of buildings, but the series concentrates on his domestic architecture. (See also: Palladian Villas of the Veneto).

I. Villas of the Veneto

• Villa Giustinian, Roncade. - For Vila this building (not by Palladio) provides the context for Palladio's innovative thinking - gothic battlements, portcullis and stone walls concealing a Renaissance palace and farm buildings.
• Villa Pisani^[14] in Montagnana - a descendant of the original owners served as Vila's guide.
• Villa Cornaro - A suburban villa on a town street, a palatial residence which was also an on-site place of business for running a large farming enterprise.
• Villa Barbaro.
• Villa Emo - For Vila this is "perhaps the most dramatic farmhouse ever built".
• La Rocca Pisana - spectacular hilltop belvedere by Palladio's pupil Vincenzo Scamozzi.

II. The Palladians in England and Ireland

• London: Chiswick House, Marble Hill House and Stourhead.
• Bath, Somerset: Queen Square,^[15] The Circus and the Royal Crescent.
• Republic of Ireland: Casino at Marino - "the architectural equivalent of a Fabergé egg".
• Northern Ireland: Castle Ward - overlooking Strangford Lough with both Palladian and Gothic facades and interiors.

III. The Palladian Legacy in America

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Mount Pleasant.
• Marblehead and Waltham, Massachusetts: Jeremiah Lee Mansion and Gore Place
• Hudson Valley, New York: Boscobel House Museum - purchased in 1955 for thirty-five dollars. Meticulously restored, situated on a bluff on the east bank of the Hudson River opposite the United States Military Academy at West Point.^[16]
• Hartford, Connecticut: Austin House - built for Wadsworth Atheneum director Arthur Everett Austin, Jr.
• South Bend, Indiana. In Indiana Vila looks at University of Notre Dame architectural school "where Palladio and classical architecture are taken seriously indeed", Vitruvian House^[17] designed by Thomas Gordon Smith and Villa Indiana designed by Duncan G. Stroik.^[18]

Restore America[link]

Restore America consists of fifty one-hour segments which explore historic preservation and building restoration in each of the fifty U.S. states. Anticipating the turn of the 3rd millennium, it was first broadcast on HGTV between July 4, 1999 and July 4, 2000.^[19]

Bibliography[link]

Bob Vila has written two dozen or more books, which include:

• 1980: This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-17704-0.
• 1990: Bob Vila's Guide to Buying Your Dream House. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-90291-8.
• 1993-1994: Bob Vila's Guides to Historic Homes of America. New York: Quill (HarperCollins imprint).

• Historic Homes of New England. ISBN 0-688-12493-3.
• Historic Homes of the South. ISBN 0-688-12492-5.
• Historic Homes of the Midwest and Great Plains. ISBN 0-688-12495-X.
• Historic Homes of the West. ISBN 0-688-12496-8.
• Historic Homes of the Mid-Atlantic. ISBN 0-688-12494-1.

See also[link]

• List of Famous Cuban-Americans

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bob Vila's Official Website
• Bob Vila Video Channel on BobVila.com
• Bob Vila Biography at bobvila.com
• Bob Vila TV Show at bobvila.com
• Bob Vila's Home Again at bobvila.com
• Bob Vila Contractor Referral Website
• Bob Vila's Profile on LegendaryLife.com
• Bob Vila at the Internet Movie Database