Deciding that you want a fireplace in your home is the easy part, the more difficult decision is the type of fire that's right for you. There are so many options on the market it makes it really difficult to decide which type of fire is best for you and your budget - especially if you have no idea of the difference between them.

Wood burning stoves will provide you with the luxury of having a real fire in your home. Wood burning stoves have a huge appeal and are a real conversation starter, there's no denying the difference that a real fire could make to any home but don't forget that it could mean a lot of work if you don't currently have a chimney. You also need to be sure that there are no smoke restrictions in your local area as they might not permit any kind of real fires in homes.

As well as thinking about the practicalities of choosing a real fire you should consider the overall advantages and disadvantages as it is these that will ultimately sway your decision.

The advantages of having a wood burning fire include the fact that it's a real fire and you really can't beat the look or smell of a healthy fire; they can still be used during power cuts and you can control the costs because you choose the wood that you burn and how often you use it.

The disadvantages however includes the fact that you'll have to actively purchase your own fuel and find somewhere to store it; you shouldn't ever leave a fire unattended so you'd have to stay with it until it goes out completely and it's needs to be maintained and cleaned.

Gas fireplaces are a great alternative to a real wood stove and nowadays they look like real fires anyway. Gas fireplaces are really easy to install into existing fireplaces so there's no need to worry about the hassle of a complete over haul of your living room.

The advantages of a gas fire include the fact that they turn on and off really easily and it provides instant heat; there's no need to clean up any ash and it can still be used during power cuts. However, it's not a real fire so you won't get the wonderful smells or sounds and it can be expensive if you don't already have an existing gas line.

Finally, electric fireplaces have no flame at all; instead it is just a digital image that can be used alone or alongside the heat setting. Electric fireplaces are perfect if you don't have a chimney and they can be simply plugged in wherever you want to use them so their simplicity is really attractive to a lot of people.

The advantages of an electric fire include the fact that the unit is cheap compared to alternatives; it's really easy to pick on up from a store and take it straight home yourself; it doesn't require any installation at all and they're portable. The disadvantages however include the fact that you can tell that it's not real; it won't work if there's no power and they're expensive to run as they're inefficient and run off the mains electricity.

Maureen Cooper has wanted a fire in her home for years and when she saw the perfect gas fire at Creative Fireplaces she couldn't resist buying it.