Fireplace Installation in Tallahassee FL - a fireplace sized and vented for your home
An old fireplace you rarely light, or a room with none? We fit an insert to what you have or build new, vented properly.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Should I build a new fireplace or put an insert in the one I have?
Fireplace installation in Tallahassee means one of two jobs, building a new fireplace or fitting an insert into the firebox of the masonry or metal fireplace you already have. An insert works much like a free-standing wood stove set into that opening, so it can turn a fireplace you rarely light into one you'll use.
Most people who call me either have an old fireplace they hardly use or a room they wish had one. The price moves with which of those it is, whether it burns gas or wood, how it will vent, how much brick or stone goes into the surround and hearth, and the condition of any chimney already there. The schedule turns on the same things, plus any permit and inspection the job needs, so I'd rather not guess at either over the phone, and your written estimate puts your own figure on paper.
How we handle fireplace installation
I'll be honest with you first. A fireplace is mostly for comfort and the look of a room, and the EPA's guidance, on an older page they no longer update, calls most fireplaces very inefficient heaters, so plan on yours alongside your main heat rather than in place of it. For a gas unit, we settle how it will vent before anything else, because the EPA doesn't support gas units built to run without outside venting, given concerns about indoor air, and some places don't allow them at all. For an insert, we start from the fireplace you already have, masonry or factory-built, and choose a unit that suits it. Then we build the firebox or fit the insert, set the surround and lay the hearth extension, the noncombustible apron over the floor just out front, to whatever the fireplace maker's installation instructions call for.
A fireplace is often the start of a bigger wall. Many owners want the chimney breast or surround faced in stone, which we do through our stone veneer installation work, and a new masonry fireplace usually begins as a block core that we then face, the same skills behind our concrete block walls.
An insert for the fireplace you have
This suits you if you already have a fireplace, masonry or factory-built, and want to use it more than you do. We work from the firebox that's there, so the opening and surround can often stay as they are.
A new gas or masonry fireplace
Gas suits owners who want a flame at the turn of a switch without hauling wood, and the venting route comes first, as I said above. A new masonry fireplace suits a main room where you want real brick or stone and a wood fire, with the firebox, hearth and chimney built by hand.
Planning a remodel or addition? Call before the walls close in, since venting is easier to plan early. We answer calls and messages within one business day.
What happens when you call us about a fireplace?
Here's how a fireplace job runs with us, from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each stage. It's the same small crew from start to finish.
Call or send the form
Ring (850) 391-6065 or use the contact form and tell us what you have in mind, a new fireplace or an insert. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look it over with you
I come out myself, look at the room, any fireplace or chimney you have and where a vent could run, and explain what I see before I write anything down. You then get a written estimate in plain words, so you know what the work covers and what it costs before you decide.
We build and walk it through
If you go ahead, we set a start that suits you and take care of the permit side where one applies, then the small crew I trained and I do the work, cleaning up as we go. We walk the finished fireplace with you before we call it done.
Get a written estimate for your fireplace or insert
We'll reply within one business day to set a visit. The estimate is free, done on site and carries no obligation. It helps to note whether your fireplace is masonry or factory-built, and whether your home is in the city or the county.
(850) 391-6065Fireplace installation permits and homes in Tallahassee
In Tallahassee, the city's Building Inspection Division handles the permits needed to build, renovate or expand a structure, and it answers questions about specific permit types at 850-891-7001, option #2, then option #1. Whether your fireplace needs a permit is theirs to say, and I won't guess at it for you. Permitting and inspections also differ depending on whether your property sits in the city or the county, so the first step is finding out which, and you can check that on the Tallahassee/Leon County permit portal. Where a permit applies, we help you find out which office handles your property and take care of the paperwork for our part of the work, since a licensed contractor applies for trade permits and requests inspections through that same portal, gas permits included.
Many of our calls come from owners of older brick homes, where the brick and mortar around an old firebox sometimes need care before an insert goes in, so I look at the masonry first and match any repair to what's there. We're based in Tallahassee and work across the cities around it, and we do the same fireplace work on jobs in Bradfordville, Crawfordville and Quincy.
Fireplace installation questions from Tallahassee owners
How much does a fireplace installation cost in Tallahassee?
There's no honest number until I've seen the room, because an insert in a sound fireplace and a new masonry fireplace with its own chimney are very different jobs. Keeping your existing opening and surround keeps the cost down, while a custom stone or brick surround, a long or awkward vent route and repairs to an old firebox or chimney push it up. Your written estimate puts a figure on your own job.
Can I put an insert in my factory-built fireplace?
Yes, as long as the insert is one designed and tested for your particular unit. A factory-built, or zero-clearance, fireplace only becomes more efficient and less polluting with a matched insert, according to the same EPA guidance. If you can find the maker's label or manual for your fireplace, choosing goes much quicker.
How does a gas fireplace vent if my home has no chimney?
A gas unit can vent straight through the roof or through the wall behind it, so a house without a chimney still has a way out for the exhaust. If you do have a chimney, a gas unit can vent through that instead. Which route fits depends on where the fireplace sits and what's above and behind it.
Who licenses gas fireplace installers in Florida?
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services licenses the businesses that install, service or repair LP gas, or liquefied petroleum gas, systems and appliances. If your fireplace will run on propane, it's fair to ask whoever handles the gas side to show that license. We're licensed and fully insured.
How do I check if a contractor's Florida license covers my city?
Ask whether their license is certified or registered. A certified Florida contractor license allows work anywhere in the state, while a registered one is limited to the cities or counties where the contractor holds a certificate of competency, so it needs to include where you live.
How long does a fireplace installation take?
An insert in an existing fireplace is the quicker job, and a new masonry fireplace takes the longest, because the firebox, hearth and chimney are built by hand. Any permit and inspection the job needs also sets the pace, since parts of the work wait on them. I'll give you a straight answer once I've seen the room.
Masonry work that often goes with a fireplace
If you'd like the chimney breast or surround to look like real stone without the weight of full stone, veneer gives that face over a sound backing.
A new masonry fireplace often stands on a block core, and the same skills build garden walls, planters or a privacy wall if you're planning more.
Talk to us about your fireplace
We're open until 10 PM every day, so you can call (850) 391-6065 after work or use the contact form and tell us whether you're after an insert or a new fireplace.