She's hoping to sell the house. I'm not sure if that's the sort of renovation that would increase its sale price or the odds of its sale.
And I don't think a gas fireplace would be as pretty and crackly, anyway. It might be warm, but I rarely just want warm.
My in-laws converted to the gas option, other than the smell it's hard to distinguish from the real thing, to the point of double-take.
Sam Harris, in his recent article called The Fireplace Delusion, tries to make you feel what it's like to react to a cached belief being irreparably destroyed. Just incase you forgot what your apostasy (if you had one, of course) was like in its early stages.
What are some of the Fireplace Delusions you've come across in your days?
EDIT: WOODSMOKE HEALTH EFFECTS