Lennox Hearth Products Provide Healthy Home Solution At PCBC Show House
ORANGE, CA – For city dwellers who may not have the luxury of extra space in their homes, Lennox Hearth Products (LHP) demonstrates the versatility of today’s go-anywhere hearths as the exclusive fireplace supplier to Home Magazine’s “Settling in the City” showcase home.
With views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, the newly-remodeled Pacific Heights duplex was open to visitors during PCBC® The Premier Building Show (PCBC), held May 31-June 3, 2005. The home will also be featured in Home Magazine’s November issue.
Originally constructed in a French Revival style popularized by local architect Oliver M. Rousseau, the 1930s house was almost completely gutted in the $2 million renovation, says Michael Folk, principle and founder of Ideal Sense Development, who collaborated with project designer/contractor Nova Designs + Builds on the home’s construction. Noted architect and well-known author, Sarah Susanka, also lent her expertise to the remodel. Visitors to the show house will hear Susanka’s voice on a self-guided audio tour describing how her residential design principles were employed in the home’s construction.
Susanka’s design philosophy is to build better, not bigger, homes. She emphasizes creating comfortable and healthy living spaces over square footage and design for design’s sake.
In fact, as the first state-of-the-art “green” show home in PCBC’s history, the “Settling in the City” house incorporates an array of energy-efficient appliances and building materials, as well as sustainable construction materials and healthy home concepts, according to Linda Baysari, PCBC Vice President of Meetings and Convention.
A ‘Healthy’ Home
Future occupants of the “Settling in the City” house can breathe easier in their new home thanks to its environmentally friendly appliances and building systems. For example, the home’s four Lennox fireplaces all burn natural gas – the cleanest burning of all the fossil fuels with almost no emissions – and available in abundant supply in the U.S.
In addition to installing two new gas fireplaces, builders converted the home’s original two wood-burning masonry hearths to gas. Replacing the older fireplaces (virtually the only structures that remained from the original building) with modern, energy-efficient gas units was a must to ensure indoor air quality, said Folk.
“When you remodel a home with occupant health as a priority, you don’t want to rely on an older wood-burning fireplace, because the soot and toxins dispersed into the home may not vent properly,” Folk explained.
In the formal living room, Folk wanted to keep the look of a traditional open hearth, so he ran a gas service line into the original masonry firebox and installed a vented Lennox Elite® Series 18-inch Serene Heat® Gas Log Set. Designed to provide natural “wood-fire” realism, the Red Heartwood ceramic logs deliver a soothing, warm fire with natural-looking yellow flames.
With Lennox Serene Heat gas logs, the fireplace can operate with an open front. Because building codes prohibit open gas fireplaces in sleeping areas, the second masonry hearth, located in a bedroom, was outfitted with the Lennox Elite Series Direct Vent Gas Fireplace Insert (EDV125). Gas fireplace inserts conveniently slide into older masonry fireplaces, increasing the fireplace’s fuel efficiency so homeowners save money on their energy bills.
A new Elite Direct Vent fireplace (EDV4540) from Lennox was installed in the showhome’s large, multi-purpose living space on the third floor. With no walls to divide this area from the adjacent kitchen, the fireplace helps “anchor” the casual family room area. A Lennox Merit® Plus Direct Vent Gas Fireplace (MPD4035) was installed in the master bedroom.
Fire Away
Gas fireplaces offer fire at the touch of a button. Unlike a wood-burning fireplace, they don’t require a traditional chimney, so they can be installed almost anywhere in the house as long as they are properly vented to the outdoors. Direct-Vent gas fireplaces have a sealed glass front and use only outdoor air for fire combustion. Similar to any home heating system, direct vent fireplaces are given an efficiency rating called the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE).
“Our direct vent gas fireplaces are our best sellers,” says Bob Dischner, Director of Marketing for Lennox Hearth Products. “Today’s gas fireplaces look better than ever, and homeowners like the flexibility of having a fireplace in more places.”
A Custom Look
Lennox offers a variety of options so individuals can accessorize their gas fireplace to coordinate with design elements in their home. The newest line of hearth accessories for the Elite and Merit Plus fireplaces from Lennox is the “Style-View” door series, which is available in muted metal finishes including Satin Pewter, Charcoal, Textured Iron and Antique Brass.
Another new décor option is the ability to customize the firebox interior. Lennox offers a highly textured brick interior called Traditional, as well as Herringbone and all-Black interior styles.
Even the Elite Series Gas Fireplace Inserts from Lennox are available with decorative options such as gold-tone or brushed-stainless louvers, the Traditional brick liner, twin-pane screen doors and bay-front window design.
The fireplaces in the “Settling in the City” showcase house were accessorized using many of these options. In the master bedroom, the Merit Plus Direct Vent Gas Fireplace features brickaded Traditional interior paneling, square pane “Style-View” doors in Satin Pewter, and brushed-stainless louvers.
The Elite direct vent gas fireplace in the family room has the Lennox Herringbone interior with brushed stainless metal louvers, eyebrow and door trim. It also features a deluxe remote control with timer, thermostatic control, clock, flame adjustment and fan control.
For more information about the full line of Lennox Hearth Products, call 800-9-LENNOX, or visit www.LennoxHearthProducts.com.
To find out more about the Settling in the City project, go online to http://www.homemag.com/inthecity.