Home is more than a word, it's a haven and heaven intertwined. (Or should be.) Shelter and beauty, a retreat and place of calm for the storms of life. Where families grow. A work in progress.

“People entrust their safety and family to us for keeping their home cozy and safe, to do it right,” said Larry Maggi, owner with his wife, Lori, of Fireworks Hearth & Home, Haddam, Connecticut. “Safety is first and foremost. Our customers get the benefit of 38-plus years of experience – up until a couple years back I was on every job, knew dogs by name when I went out on a job. Our crew is licensed, certified, and we've been doing this a long time. Most of our business is by word of mouth referral.”

From simple to artistry in stone, brick, wood – they have built a reputation for integrity and excellence in execution. Since a picture says more than thousands of words – take a look at some of the installations in a lookbook on their site. A flat screen display over a cozy fireplace with custom stone work? Done. A free-standing fieldstone with fireplace insert – and a built-in shelf on the reverse side? Yes. Corner fireplace insert snugly fit in minimum space. All sorts of accessories, too, including some you may not have known about, but are must-haves one you do – such as the one that protects young children from the edges of a stone hearth. They've seen and built out custom designs to simple installations – and every detail required in between. That means stoves, fireplaces and inserts that use wood, gas, or pellets to provide steady heat.

“Everything in here is made in the USA.” (With one exception, and you'll have to ask about that. Hint – is an accessory.)

The showroom inside a steel building has 40 units on display. “That's gas, gas logs, wood pellets,” he said. “The back wall models burn and everything in the middle does, but not all are running at the same time. When Google was here to do our virtual tour, all were burning. It was incredible.”

When the season shifts, they design and build outdoor kitchens, fireplaces; install custom awnings for enjoying warmer weather life – throughout the state. (Yes, all gas products will work without power.)

“When I started we didn't have a lot of money and worked from a small floor space – basically a wood stove, some pipe, a desk. My two sons got involved. Larry, my oldest, worked with me, but it wasn't for him. Anthony, my youngest, has about 14 years in now; one more test to achieve a master level. That's a federal certification; there's only one other in the state.” Milestones and continuing education are valued here. Chris Rode and Dan Stephens along with Anthony recently completed a certified chimney relining workshop with Copperfield Chimney Supply. By the nature of their work, the whole crew works to code – town, state and manufacturers' specifications – with building inspectors. “We had a class recently with building inspectors, good guys, we all had a good time,” he said.

Specialty smokers to grills or pizza ovens, fire starters and steamers, hearth rugs, tool sets, bellows, grates, you name it. Quality outdoor furniture, Big Green Eggs, hardwood organic lump charcoal, gas torches, fire pits; spa chemicals. They even carry Melissa & Doug toys and have an area dedicated to children's play.

Maggi believes in steel stoves. “The life expectantly of cast iron is about 5 years,” he explained. “Steel stoves stay very efficient, depending on how each is used and maintained. We see stoves out there 25 years and service some that are older than that. If the outer shell is good, it may need burn bars, brick retainers, bricks replaced, but the outer portion is still very safe. And the parts are all replaceable. Will a newer model burn better? Yes. Technology has come a long way.”

“Code states that anything that goes into a fireplace has to have a liner in it all the way up,” he said. “Years ago, we used to do a six-foot starter kit with a damper plate and go up into the first flue tile. They no longer do that – because there is no way to clean that properly. When you clean a chimney, you're basically cleaning the liner. It's much easier now; from our stoves we can do pretty much everything from inside. Not that we don't go on the roof, we do; still have to clean the caps and look over everything. The reason for the liner is safety and for a better draft, a longer and hotter burn.” A liner is a stainless steel flex or rigid pipe that goes from the stove to all the way up to the top of the chimney.

“Say you want to put in a fireplace with zero clearance. We can start from scratch, planning, construction, gas lines, electric, we can build, do the masonry, the whole nine yards,” he said. “From start to finish with our own guys, we can keep everything moving, on time, things get done. We will do as much or as little as a customer desires, all according to their own lifestyle and needs.”

Maybe you've seen the custom dragon smoker at the Haddam Neck Fair or at other venues. They also have a traveling show trailer that is smaller version of their showroom, complete with working fireplaces, custom installations and displays that they take on the road and can be seen at the annual Connecticut College home show.

Editor's Note: Visit, walk around the showroom at 112 Bridge Rd., Haddam. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.. to 4 p.m. There are a couple of tractors for the children to ride around inside and popcorn. The atmosphere is homey and inviting. During the holidays, there are donuts and hot cider – it's that kind of a place. The Fireworks Facebook page shares recent work and installs, events such as barbecue demonstrations or tips, year round.

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Chimney repointing, rebuilding, sealing, installing caps. Inspections can be done year-round. Fireworks Hearth & Home is a full Travis Industries dealer for Avalon, Lopi, and Fireplace Extraordinaire lines. Also Regency, Hampton and others; call for details.