At least in Hamilton, there are very tight regulations around putting in a fire place, so you probably wouldnt be able to get one retrofitted. Also, fitting a fireplace to a house that previously did not have one will affect your insurance value, so maybe call your council first to find out if it is possible , then call your insurance to see what the drawback is.

We have a fireplace, it is one that seals and is recessed into the wall. Each year it must be serviced or it starts to get inefficient and hard to start. The service is about $200 and includes stripping the chimney out. Mess is not a problem as we have exposed hardwood floors, so all it takes is a sweep and if used correclty, most of the ash and dust is vaporised - there really is little clean up if the heat is maintained well.

During the year, I clear the section and stor all wood over an inch in diameter in the basement to dry for the following Winter. Combined with untreated off-cuts from my other projects, I don't buy wood at all as there is always enough even though I'm on a suburban 800sqm section.

Before insulation, the fire would burn double the amount of wood and last until about 10pm on a single tub load of wood form the basement. After insualtion, the fireplace is warm until the next morning and only half the wood is used - also, the lounge is very toasty.