Fireplace Remodel in Hastings Ranch: Surrounds, Mantels and Conversions

The most common remodel mistake we see is new stone or tile installed over a fireplace that has a problem inside it. The surround looks great, and a year later there is a crack running up through it, or a smell after rain, or smoke staining the new face. The cause was there all along: a cracked firebox, a rusted damper, a flue full of old nest material, or a chimney with no cap letting water in from the top. Fixing those after the new finish goes on means pulling some of it back off. So every remodel we do starts with an inspection of the firebox, smoke chamber and flue, and a look at the top of the chimney.

If we find something, you get photos and a written price, and you can decide whether to deal with it as part of the remodel or separately. Often it is small: a few firebricks, a new damper, a cap. Sometimes it changes the plan, for example when a cracked flue means a gas insert with a new liner makes more sense than reopening the old fireplace for wood. Either way, you decide with the full picture in front of you, before anything is ordered.

Once the fireplace itself is sound, the finish work is the fun part. Tile surrounds can be anything from handmade Craftsman-style tile to large modern porcelain. Stone ranges from thin veneer to full stone. Mantels can be reclaimed wood, painted millwork or stone. Every one of them has to respect the code gap between the opening and anything that burns, such as wood trim, and a deeper mantel shelf has to sit higher up. We measure that before design starts, not after, so you do not fall in love with a mantel that cannot legally go where you want it.

Many remodels also change how the fireplace burns. Converting an open wood fireplace to a gas insert or log set gives you heat on a weeknight with no wood to carry and no ash to sweep. An electric insert gives you the look with no venting at all. We walk you through what each one involves, including any gas line work, and price them side by side. Every remodel quote is written, with the work, the materials and what is not included listed out, before work begins.