While many people around the world may presume that the most dangerous aspect of a fireplace is the flames, smoke inhalation is often much more dangerous and life-threatening. Statistics from the United Kingdom Fire & Rescue Services stated that the foremost common explanation for fire deaths and injury between 2018 and 2019* was ‘being overcome by gas or smoke.’ That shows how daunting the issue can be, and that’s why smoke vents are so popular and necessary.

As a fireplace develops inside a building, it burns the oxygen within the air, removing most of the available oxygen as a part of ‘incomplete combustion’, which successively produces toxic and potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas. This is where lives are at great risk. When a fireplace ignites in an indoor space, the smoke rising from the hearth gets trapped by the ceiling, so it has nowhere to go but to circulate the room. It then begins to spread, forming an expanding layer that leaks into any gaps within the floors or walls. This will cause individuals to feel disorientated, with their vision becoming increasingly clouded, hindering a safe evacuation.

The installation of smoke vents in appropriate locations around a building will protect occupants within the event of a fireplace causing excessive smoke and noxious fumes. This issue subsequently reduces the danger of smoke inhalation, horizontal fire spread and secondary ignitions because the smoke is quickly exhausted, enabling fire-fighters to securely enter the building to tackle the blaze and building occupants to exit quickly.

Of course, smoke vents are very important for a number of other reasons. For example, they also provide suitable access to the building for the fire services, allowing emergency responders to deal with any issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. This does, however, depend on design of smoke vent. For example, a stairwell smoke ventilator is an automatic opening ventilator (AOV) which provides a minimum of 1.0m2 of free area when open. It always serves two main purposes;

• To evacuate any smoke that gets within the stairwell of small buildings
• Or more commonly it provides replacement air for a lobby smoke extract system in large buildings

There are two main sorts of smoke ventilators, used at the top of a stairwell – louvred vents and hatch vents. Both are ready to perform the expectations of an AOV, yet each has specific benefits which can influence the choice process, so this is why choosing the right design is essential. This will depend on your building and the room you have available, while you should read the requirements set out in your building plans. 

If you want a fireplace in your home, you should consider a wall mounted electric fire. While these are not the traditional fires that many people want, they offer a range of benefits. Understanding these benefits will help you see the beauty of these fires.

Modern Style

A fireplace is often used for aesthetics and not for heating. If this is one of the reasons you want a fire in your home, a wall mounted electric fire will provide a modern style. These are the types of fires you often see in design magazines and complement modern interiors.

When it comes to choosing your fire, there are many different styles on the market. This variety on offer ensures you are able to get a fireplace that matches the rest of your interior décor. There are some modern styles that have a traditional feel if you want a wood-fire feel without the need for wood.

The Safety

Safety is one of the reasons why many people are worried about a fireplace. This is particularly true when looking at wood burning fireplaces. Wood burning can cause sparks which could cause a fire. There are also dangers if you have pets or small children.

Wall mounted electric fires will generally have cool touch safety glass. The use of glass stops any potential interaction with the naked flames. This is important if you have small children as they are curious and could hurt themselves.

Easy To Install

A lot of people do not realise how easy wall mounted electric fires are to install in any room. They do not need any chimneys and can be hung on almost any wall. As long as the wall has a mount installed and access to an electric power point, the fire can be installed.

The Heat Provided

As these fires are flueless, they are better at heating a room. None of the heat from the fire will be lost through the chimney which increases the heat in the room. If heating the room is the goal of the fire, this will occur much faster with an electric fire.

Wall mounted electric fires can provide a range of benefits that you need to know about. These fires are easy to maintain and install. They also provide more heat and will be safer than wood burning alternatives. They also have a modern style which matches most modern home décor.

Oak beams are incredibly popular these days, but they have been for centuries. With a quality oak beam, you can create a variety of exquisite items for your home or garden, including:

• Fences
• Outdoor Tables
• Outdoor Chairs
• Borders
• Planters
• Feature beams
• Fireplace mantels
• Coffee tables
• Doors
• Sheds
• Summerhouses
• Decking

With so many possibilities, it’s no wonder why oak beams are in high demand, but why should you opt for oak over another material, such as softwood like pine? Well, the main reason is strength. With oak, you’re guaranteed exceptional durability over years. Okay trees are slow growing, so when the wood is finally cut and formed into beams, you’re guaranteed wood that’s well established and strong all the way through, meaning it will eventually last for decades if not centuries to come, depending on the weather conditions in your local area.

Oak also delivers plenty of character. Let’s not pretend it’s boring to look it. Oak is packed with personality and you are also guaranteed beautiful graining, whilst you’re able to choose a set of oak beams with just the right amount of character for your home. We all know that spring is the main period for carrying out some gardening work, but if you have lots to be done, it may be essential you buy strong timber at an affordable price. But isn’t oak expensive? Well yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s not cost effective. For example, if you invest in oak, you’re guaranteed a quality product that’s cut out for the harsh British weather conditions, and capable of lasting decades when finished appropriately with oil, wax or paint.

You will have probably heard of green oak beams and air dried oak beams, so what about these two types? Well, with green oak beams, they have been felled in the last 18 months. As such the wood has relatively high moisture content: typically 60-80%. In other words, it will still be drying. With air dried oak beams, they are dried, and either by spending some considerable time exposed to air or by accelerated drying inside a kiln – but this oak, too, could have a moisture content of 30% or more and still be drying. The less moisture the beams have, the better equipped they are to deliver exceptional durability. So we’d always recommend you dry out your beams if you buy them with high moisture content.

There are many oak beams for sale, but green oak beams are also strong and less expensive than air dried, but you’ll often see them used for oak framed buildings, whilst it’s much easier to work with in terms of cutting and shaping with precision. The wood will continue to dry though, so everything should be fixed in place otherwise warping can occur, compromising your structure. Every wood is different but oak is one of the best, especially when it comes to buying timber beams, so do make sure you read through the pros and cons in more detail.

It’s a good question, but to ensure we’re offering a concise answer, we’re going to be focusing on oak in terms of interior design, such as doors, coffee tables, kitchens and flooring. There are some obvious advantages for choosing to add oak to your home, and as a natural material, there are many different types of oak, so having an understanding on the advantages and disadvantages of each is always handy. But generally speaking, oak is strong, durable, and easy to work with, weatherproof, beautiful and packed with character. So these are just a few of the main reasons!

Let’s say you decide to invest in oak doors for your home. You will immediately notice the quality of the doors, even if they have knots and splits, which often add even more character. They are usually heavy but brilliant at preventing a draught coming into the room, yet they are built to last decades. With oak, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the wood deteriorating over time. As long as you provide a coating of wax or oil and ensure the wood is well protected throughout the course of the year, it will remain strong, dependable and beautiful, whilst wood generally looks better with age as you get a more rustic finish.

It seems that coffee tables have always been around, but they’re certainly now a must have item in a living room. We’re now a world of coffee lovers, so what better place to rest our mug of coffee beside a magazine, newspaper or the remote control? Solid oak is the most popular material for a coffee table and it’s easy to see whey when you browse the many designs online. 5 minutes scanning through Pinterest is enough to show you the possibilities that exist for your coffee table, and whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or have never picked up a saw in your life, it is possible to create your very own personalised coffee table just from rummaging for various plans and equipment lists online. You then simply buy the oak, fixings and tools to complete the job and you have a solid, dependable and unique coffee table for your home. It’s actually a lot of fun to make your own coffee table too.

Though oak is extremely popular for general pieces of furniture such as bookcases, tables, chairs and shelving, it’s not the most popular option for flooring these days, so why is that? Well to be frank it’s probably largely due to cost, as well as environmental impact. With solid oak flooring, it can warp and cause problems, whilst cheaper options are easier to fit with minimal maintenance, such as laminate flooring or carpets. Having solid oak flooring doesn’t exactly protect our forests either, because for a large job you could be using hundreds of oak boards, all cut from beautiful trees, whereas with furniture is a lot easier to use small amounts, or even choose recycled oak, which is a big trend right now!