Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire...in August

Our house is about one hundred years old, has no insulation, and no underpinning around the bottom outside, so needless to say: it's cold in the winter! Even in the mild Texas winters, when it's 19 degrees outside, it can get down to the mid- to low- forties in our house. That makes for some very cold little noses. We start thinking about winter preparations about now to make sure we have plenty of warm jammies, lots of thick blankets, and enough money for the monstrous gas bills.

Despite three years of pleading with the landlord, there is still no underpinning around the house (there's no room in the walls for insulation, so underpinning is our only option), so we have to rely on room heaters. We've considered adding a fireplace to the living room, but decided we didn't want to invest that much into a house that wasn't ours.

But boy, do gas logs look gorgeous! I'd love to have a beautiful mantel and one of those fireplaces that have vents and fans to circulate the warmth around the room.? Desa has nice mantels, all the accesories I want, and prices that look good. I may have to start bugging the landlord for a fireplace instead of the underpinning!