Fireplace installation in College Station TX - a fireplace built for how you use it
A drafty old fireplace, or a room with none? We help you pick the right unit, then build solid masonry around it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does it take to put in a fireplace in College Station?
Fireplace installation in College Station means building a traditional masonry fireplace, setting in a prefabricated one, or adding an insert to the fireplace you already have. For most houses, a fireplace is mainly about the look and some extra warmth, not the main heat for the whole house.
Most calls I get start with an old wood fireplace that leaves the room cold, or a living room that never had one at all. The price turns mostly on which of those you've got, whether you go gas or wood, whether a gas line has to be run to the spot, and how much brick or stone goes around it. The schedule turns on the city's permits and on when the licensed gas trade can get out, and if your chimney turns out to be cracked, we'd take care of that with chimney repair before anything new goes in. Your written estimate lays all of that out for your house.
How do you know your fireplace needs more than a cleaning?
Room stays cold by the fire
You build a good fire and still need a blanket ten feet away from it. That usually means the fireplace was never set up to heat the room, and every winter you wait you're buying firewood for the look and not much else.
Smoke drifting into the room
Smoke curling out under the mantel, or a smell that hangs around for days, usually points to a draft problem in the firebox or the flue. Left alone, it stains the brick and the ceiling, and most people end up just not using the fireplace.
Cracked or loose firebox brick
Open mortar joints, chipped brick or brick that shifts when you push on it usually mean years of heat have worn the firebox down. The longer it goes, the more a patch turns into a rebuild, and I won't set an insert into a firebox that isn't sound.
How we handle fireplace installation
I start by working out what kind of fireplace you've got, whether that's a brick firebox, a metal one, or a factory-built "zero-clearance" unit, the kind builders set into a framed wall, and how you actually want to use it. That matters because an insert goes inside the firebox you already have, and a factory-built unit can only take an insert designed and tested for that exact unit, so I want to know what's in your wall before anyone shops. Then our crew builds the masonry, the firebox, hearth and surround, and we bring in licensed trades for any gas line, since that piping isn't a mason's work.
A lot of folks want the face of the fireplace dressed up, so we often finish it with stone veneer installation, which gives you the look of stone without the weight of full stone. When a new fireplace needs a solid core or a chase built from the ground up, we lay that up as concrete block walls and face it once it's standing.
Insert in your existing fireplace
This suits you if your fireplace is sound and you mostly want it to put more heat into the room. It goes inside the firebox you already have, so there's far less tearing out.
New gas or wood fireplace
This suits you if the room never had one or the old one is past saving. We build the hearth and surround in brick or stone around a direct-vent gas unit or a wood firebox, whichever fits how you'll use it.
Your fireplace, priced in writing and on site
Fill this out and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come by. The estimate is free, done at your house, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(979) 393-7020Fireplace installation rules in College Station
The City of College Station requires a building permit to remodel or add to a house, a plumbing permit to install or change gas piping, and a mechanical permit to install, alter or replace a mechanical system, with exceptions such as portable heaters. A gas fireplace always means a plumbing permit for the piping, and which of the others your job needs is something we confirm with the city before we start. When a permit is ours to pull, we pull it and set up the inspections.
Around here we see both brick fireboxes and factory-built metal units, and which one you have decides whether an insert is even an option. We're based in College Station and do the same fireplace work across the cities around it, including Bryan and Navasota, where we check what that city asks for before we start.
What happens after you call about a fireplace?
Call or send the form
Call (979) 393-7020 or send the form, and tell us what you have now and what you're hoping for. We set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I look at your firebox, chimney and where gas would come in, and talk through what I'd fix and what I'd leave alone. You get a written estimate that spells out the work and the materials, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
Sort permits, then build
We sort out what the city wants before anyone starts, then our crew builds the masonry while I check it as it goes. The licensed gas trade comes in for the piping and hookup.
Walk the finished fireplace together
At the end we walk it with you and answer anything you want to know about running it. We leave the room clean.
Frequently asked questions
Should I get a fireplace insert or a new gas fireplace?
If you mostly want heat, an insert usually makes more sense. EPA guidance calls an open wood fireplace a very inefficient way to heat a home, because its draft pulls warm air up the chimney, and it points owners to gas, pellet or EPA-certified wood inserts for more heat and less smoke. A new fireplace makes sense when you want one where there isn't one.
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace in College Station?
Across the US, installing a gas fireplace insert or a direct-vent gas fireplace usually costs about $1,500 to $10,000 per job. That's a national figure, not our price. Inserts set into a sound firebox tend toward the lower end, and new units with a gas line and a full masonry surround tend toward the upper end. I'll give you a figure for your house once I've seen it.
Can I pull my own permit for a fireplace in College Station?
You can get a building permit yourself for your own homestead in College Station, but licensed contractors have to obtain all electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. That means the permit for a gas line goes through the licensed trade. If you'd rather handle the building permit yourself, I'll tell you what the city will want to see.
Who can run a gas line to a fireplace in College Station?
Any plumbing, mechanical or electrical work on your house needs a contractor licensed by the State of Texas and registered with the city, and that includes the gas line. If your house runs on LP-gas, a licensed master or journeyman plumber, or a Class A or B air conditioning contractor, can register with the Railroad Commission of Texas to do that work. We don't run gas ourselves, so we bring in a licensed trade and build around their work.
How do I choose gas logs for my fireplace?
Pick a set that vents outside. Some gas logs need no outside venting, but the EPA doesn't support those models because of indoor air quality concerns, and it suggests asking for models that vent outside. We'll look at your firebox with you before you buy.
How do I get my wood-burning fireplace to burn cleaner?
Burn dry wood, and if you're ready for a bigger change, move to an EPA-certified unit. EPA guidance says an open fireplace puts out 20 times the air pollution of an EPA-certified wood heater, and that wood reading 20% or less on a moisture meter burns best. If you'd rather keep the open fireplace, a gas log lighter kit can help it burn more efficiently with less smoke.
College Station, TX
Find out which fireplace fits your house
Call (979) 393-7020 or send the form with your fireplace type and whether you burn gas, LP-gas or wood, so I can bring the right questions to the first visit.