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Page 18, WNhy Free Proe, Wednesday, November 10, 1993 A HOME DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT FEATURE Natural gas fireý»places are cozy, cost-eff icient Few thinge create a greater sense of home and comfort than the warmth of a fireplace in your living room. But now more than ever, at a time when a dlean enviroement and energy conservation are at the top of everyone' Eslita fireplace should have more than just aesthetic value. "Maing more heat with les fuel is the. naine of the game," says Paul Miles, vice-president, marketing of Miles Industries, distributors Of leading energy-efficient gas firplaces in Canada. If he's right, their latest lino of Legend direct-vent gas fireplaces will be a top-scorer. With ita ixnproved gas-burning technology, the Legend only consumes a maximum of 20,000 BTU/hour of natural gas, but the substantial radiant heat is enougyh te keep your living room warm and provide some supplemental heat for the rest of the house. No chmney required A major reason for its energy efficiency is its chimney-less venting syfstem. Valor, U.K manufacturers of the Legend series, introduced the world'e firet direct-vent gas fireplace system ini 1985. The new sealed combustion technology was perfect for modemn airtight homes. It created endiese possibilities for installation, while slashing sometimes prohibitive installation costs. Above aIl, it kept the heat inside the home instead of sending most of it up the chimney as conventional fireplaces do. Benefits of the Legend direct-vent fireplaces combines te offer a powerful economic and environmental argument. settinge. With the growing, widespread use of direct-vent fireplaces, the <laya of chopping wood and These products can deliver heat more efficiently than many central hoating systemns," adds Miles. Not only that, but according te etudies conducted in Canada and the U.S., natural gas je more than 100 times cleaner than burning wood. And operating a natural gas fireplace for an entire winter seasn can cost less than one cord of wood. Before you cozy up te a new gas fireplace, it's important te do some research. Ask your friends and speak te dealers about the reputation and reliability of different fireplace manufacturers. You xight even want te, contact your local gas utility or fire department. You'1l also want te investigate installation proce- dures -- be wary of products that are too, complicated. Above all, your fireplace must be safe, secure and easy te operate and maintain. VALOR'S new venting system. LegUend direct-vent fireplace uses a chimney-Iess Many fireplace systems require electric fans or blowers te spread heat inte the room. Net only do they require frequent servicing Heat& Ar ondiPofi l ar48-33 but they add unnecessary noise. Ini the event of a power failure, when you need effective heat distribution most, you may simply be out of luck. Proper radiant units are so effective that loud fans and blowers have been eliminated. As a result, the system ie appreciably quieter. Mially, maiâe sure the fireplace haF, variable heat LEVL I I 1I a ns o 019 Unque Doubne- Hoeycomb Cel Construction for Supenior Light, Energy anid Privacy Contrai *Wide Arrsy ai Pattems and Colours *Ideal for Arch-TOP Windows and other Specialty Applicatons REG. NOWONLY FE 24'x60 $18900 $9450 36x54- $23800 $11900 INSTALLA11ON i MagicVîew window fashions (905) 430-3192 - 24 HOURS By Pbilip Maguire With teday's real estate market still in the doldrums, and little change in sight, this could ho the. ideal time te consider renovating or putting an addition on your home. This je particularly se if you are happy enough with your present houso but would like te mako some improvemonts. Adniittedly, home renovations coat money. But the current low interest rates make it relatively inexpensive te borrow now. Your present xnortgage lender could arrange the finsucing, which can bo added te the principal amounit of your mortgage. Another plus je that because of the soft economny, thore are plenty of contracters anious for work. Se ho sure te obtain quotes from varieus contractors in order te obtain the host value. Renovating certain roome in a home, such as a kitchen or bathroexn, je usually a very good investment. You are IikelY te recoup Most, if net ail, of the nioney you spend on these two roome when you eventuaily sel your home. If yeu should decide te renovate, there are some issues te ho aware of. For one thing, ho sure te investigate any zoning bylaws if you're considering an addition te your home. Hlowever, the most significant issues have te do wth financing. If you're borrowing more money te cover the coeseof the renovations, ensure that your now mortgage amount does net When planning a gas fireplace, here are some featuree to look for. Fibre-cerainic loge will delivor radiant heat better than cernent loge commonly found in other systems. clearing ashes from your hearth are gone. Today's modern gas firoplace offere most of the saine pleasuree as an old-fashioned caznpflre, but without the work, the epaks and the moot. Aside from heat, comfort and energy savings, natural gas fireplacesoffor a socurity that je especially appropriate for harsh Canadian winters -- heat witho)ut electricity. For those areas not served by natural gas, homeowners can contact the local propane supplier te, have tanks instailed. Remember, your home can get very cold if there je a power failure and you don't have backup heating. For more information about natural gas fireplaces and the line of Legend fireplaces from Valor, cali 1-800-363-3801. exceed 75 per cent of the current value of your home. If it does, thon your mortgage becomes a high-ratio mortgage and you wil have te buy mortgage insurance on the total value of the mortgage as a result. Another thing te keep in mind if youre borrowing money is that it will result in higher mortgage payments. Your budget will have te tako this increase into account. Besides the increased mortgage payments, you should aise budgot for oertain costs that may net ho immediately apparent. For exaniple, there may ho legal and appraisal costs involved in renewing your mortgage. There could also be increased property taxes as well as any charges for permitesud plans. Most buyers are usually willing te pay for good renovations rather than spending a lot more for a new or <iferont home. Consider carefully features that are very bold or <iferont. You may liko them but they xnay detract from the re-sale value of your home. It doesn't malce much sense te spend $50,000 on a fully oquipped gourmet kçitchen if the average buyer is only willing te pay an extra $20,000 for the house. A home renovation or addition, if don. properly, will make you a happy horneowner and alo increase the value of your home. Moneycare iu generaI financiaZ aduice by Canada's chartered accountants. Philip Maguire is an audit manager with Sun 14f Assurance Company of Canada. Proper renovations increase home value a r Mr