A cold, drafty fireplace, or a room that never had one? We'll help you choose the right type and install it so it heats the room.
Fireplace installation in Appleton covers three kinds of work: building a brick or stone fireplace on site, setting in a factory-built unit, or fitting an insert into the fireplace you already have. Done right, each one brings the fire's heat into the room instead of losing it up the chimney.
Most calls start with a fireplace that looks fine but barely warms the room, or a room that never had one. The first thing that sets the price is which route fits your house. Building a masonry fireplace and chimney is the largest job, a factory-built unit or an insert is usually smaller, and the fuel you pick and how the vent runs move it from there.
The schedule turns mostly on that same choice, plus any permit and inspections the job needs and how soon the unit you pick can be delivered. The finish adds its own time and cost too, from a plain brick face to a full stone surround. When I come out, I write down what we'd do and why, so you can see the plan before deciding anything.
Which fireplace makes sense depends on what's already in your house and how you want to heat the room. These are the three things I talk through with most homeowners.
A traditional masonry fireplace is built of brick or stone right in your house by a mason, and it's the most permanent choice. A factory-built, or low mass, fireplace is made before it arrives and set in place, which is why it's the lower-cost option widely used in new homes across the country.
Most open fireplaces send over 90 percent of the fire's heat up the chimney, and they pull much of the room's warm air out with it. That's why so many homeowners who already have a fireplace end up asking about an insert or a gas unit rather than a bigger fire.
An insert is built to sit inside the firebox of an existing masonry or metal fireplace. If yours is factory-built, sometimes called zero-clearance, it needs an insert designed and tested for that exact unit, so the fireplace you have now decides which inserts are even possible.
Here's how a fireplace job goes with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one you'll meet at the start and at the finish.
Call (920) 454-9038 or use the form, and tell us a little about the room and the fireplace you have now. We'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I look at your firebox, chimney and the wall around them to see what's there and what will fit. Then I write up an estimate that explains what we'd do and why.
If you'd like to go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs and keep the paperwork in order. Our crew does the work, and I check it as it goes.
Before we leave, I go over the finished job with you, show you how the damper or controls work, and point out the space around the opening that needs to stay clear.
I start by finding out whether your current fireplace is masonry or factory-built and which fuel you'd like, because those two answers decide which options fit. There's no sense pricing an insert your unit wasn't tested for, or a wood fireplace when you'd rather turn on gas with a switch. Once that's settled, the rest of the plan follows from your room.
For an insert, we check how the flue liner, the lining that carries smoke up the chimney, is set before anything goes in, because the new insert depends on it. We keep mantels and trim a safe distance from the opening. And if your house would be better served by a smaller job than you expected, I'll tell you so plainly.
The face around the fireplace is where it starts to look like part of the house. We can lay brick or full stone, or set stone veneer around a factory-built unit or an insert for the look of stone with less weight. When a new masonry chimney needs a solid core, we lay it the way we build our concrete block walls, level and plumb, course by course.
Wood gives you a real fire, but it calls for a professional inspection and upkeep of the fireplace and chimney every year, which federal guidance calls essential to safe, clean burning. Gas is simpler day to day and is vented differently.
An insert keeps the opening and chimney you already have and puts them to better use. Building new is the bigger project, but it lets you place the fireplace where the room needs it and choose every material.
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. I'll look at your current fireplace and the room, then write up a free estimate explaining what we'd do and why. There's no obligation, and you're welcome to take your time deciding.
(920) 454-9038Appleton's building permit says, in its own wording, that it leaves out plumbing, electrical and heating installations, and the city's Inspection Division at 920-832-6411 handles the inspections it requires. Whether your fireplace job needs a permit is the city's decision, so we check with that office before work starts, and when one is needed, we pull it ourselves.
Two state rules shape the plan as well. Under Wisconsin's code, a masonry chimney has to rest on a foundation built to the code's foundation rules, not on wood, so a new masonry fireplace starts with a proper base. If your new unit burns propane, whoever installs it gives you a written statement showing the installation meets the state's rules.
We're based in Appleton and do the same work in the cities around it, including Grand Chute and Neenah, along with Menasha, Kaukauna and Oshkosh. Many houses we see around here are older homes where the fireplace has been in place for decades, so the first job is usually finding out what's really behind the firebox.
I've run this business since 2013, after learning masonry under experienced masons around Appleton, and I still come out to look at your job and write the estimate myself. Our crew of experienced masons does the work, and I check it as it goes, so the person who made the plan is the one watching it get built.
We're licensed and fully insured. Our promise is satisfaction guaranteed, and I'd rather explain what your fireplace actually needs and do that well than sell you more than the house calls for. When you're ready, call (920) 454-9038 or send us a message, and I'll come take a look. Thank you for considering us.
A stone veneer surround gives a factory-built unit or a new insert the look of a stone fireplace without loading the wall with full-thickness stone.
Block makes a strong, square core behind a new masonry chimney or a raised hearth, and we lay it with the same care as any wall we build.
We're based in Appleton and install fireplaces in the cities around it. If your city isn't listed below, please call anyway, because we work in many others nearby.
There isn't one price, because building a brick or stone fireplace and chimney on site is a far bigger job than setting in a factory-built unit or an insert. The fuel, the vent route, the facing material and the condition of any existing chimney all move the cost. After I see your room, I write down what we'd do and why.
A direct-vent fireplace sends its exhaust outside and draws outside air into the firebox, where it's heated and pushed into the room. Its vent can run out a side wall or up through the roof, whichever suits the room. A ventless unit heats room air and releases it back with some exhaust, so it's more efficient but controversial over air quality.
Wisconsin's code keeps woodwork and other materials that burn out of the 6 inches around the fireplace opening. That includes a wood mantel and trim, so we plan the mantel and surround around that space from the start instead of fixing it at the end.
For a one- or two-family home, the person getting the building permit holds a dwelling contractor certification from the state, and holds or employs someone with a dwelling contractor qualifier certification, apart from some exceptions in state law. When your job needs a permit, we pull it ourselves and keep the paperwork in order.
An insert or a factory-built unit is usually a much shorter job than a masonry fireplace, which is laid course by course on its own base. Any permit and inspections add their own wait, and the unit you choose has to arrive before we can set it. I'll talk through the timing for your job at the estimate.
It helps to know which fuel you'd like and whether your current fireplace is masonry or factory-built, since those two answers decide which options fit. If you have a label or manual from an existing factory-built unit, keep it handy, because any insert has to be tested for that unit.
Call (920) 454-9038 or send the form, and one short visit will show whether the fireplace you have can be upgraded or a new one makes more sense.
