Fireplace installation in Palm Bay FL - the right fireplace for how you'll use it
A blank wall or an old fireplace nobody lights? We help you pick electric, gas or wood and build it to fit your room.
Which fireplace makes sense for your Palm Bay home?
Fireplace installation in Palm Bay puts an electric, gas or wood-burning fireplace into your home, or an insert into the one you already have, so you get the look you want, real heat, or a fire that keeps going when the power's out.
Most people who call about a fireplace have a blank living room wall or an old fireplace that hasn't been lit in years, and they aren't sure which kind makes sense in a Florida house. The price moves with the fuel you pick, whether a chimney has to be built or already works, whether gas already reaches your house, and what you want around it, like brick, stone or a plain hearth. The schedule turns mostly on how much masonry goes up and whether your job needs a permit first. I'll come look at the room, and the estimate I write gives you your own number.
How we handle a fireplace installation
I start with what you want from the fireplace, whether that's the look, real heat or something that runs when the power's out, because that answer points to the fuel. Then I look at whether you already have a working chimney, since that choice steers the rest of the job, from where the unit can sit to how much masonry we build. Once the fuel and the spot are settled, our crew lays out the hearth, builds the surround or chimney the job calls for, sets the unit and leaves the room clean, with any gas or electrical hookup done by the licensed trade that work needs.
Most fireplaces need a wall or a face around them. If you want stone around the opening or all the way up the wall, we do the stone veneer installation as part of the same job, and when a unit needs a chase or a built-out wall to sit in, we build it from block the same way we build our concrete block walls, so it's as solid as the rest of your house.
Electric, for the look without a chimney
This suits a room where you mostly want a fireplace to look at and don't want to run gas or build a flue, since it needs little more than an outlet and wall space. We build the hearth and surround so it looks like it belongs there.
Gas, for heat when the lights go out
This suits a house where you want a fire you can count on during storm season, in a spot that doesn't line up with any chimney, because a gas unit vents outside. We frame it in block or stone and plan around the gas side of the job.
Wood-burning, for a real fire
A traditional masonry fireplace is usually the most expensive to put in, because a chimney has to be built with it, and it suits someone who wants real wood and the full masonry look. If the budget's tighter, a factory-built firebox, an insulated steel box that sends the smoke to the roof, still burns real wood for less.
Insert, for the fireplace you already have
If you have an old fireplace that's drafty or never gets used and the chimney still works, an insert puts a new firebox inside it. I look at the chimney before anything else, because the insert depends on it.
What fireplace installation in Palm Bay involves before work starts
Palm Bay's Building Department issues permits for electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work at any value, and its list names those but not fireplace installation itself, so whether your job needs a permit depends on what it involves and is the department's call. Before work starts I check with the office that covers your address and we handle the permit when your job needs one, because a Palm Bay job that needs a permit and starts without one is subject to code enforcement. You can reach the department yourself at (321) 953-8924 or permitinfo@palmbayfl.gov. If your house runs on propane, the business that installs or hooks up that gas has to be licensed for LP gas work by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, so we sort that piece out with you before anything goes in.
A lot of the houses we see here are concrete block on a slab and were built without a chimney, so many of our fireplace calls start with gas or electric rather than wood. Power going out after a summer storm is part of life on this coast, which is why so many people ask whether the fireplace will still work with the lights off. We see the same houses and the same questions on jobs up in Rockledge and down into the West Vero Corridor.
Fireplaces, hearths and surrounds
Why call us for a fireplace
I come out to every job
I look at every room myself and write the estimate, and a crew led by our lead mason does the work. The person who heard what you want from the fire is the one who sets the plan, so nothing gets lost between the visit and the build.
Running our own jobs since 2013
I ran another mason's jobs and crew for years before opening our doors in 2013, so we've been at this for 13 years. That's long enough to have opened up plenty of old fireboxes and chimneys and to know what's usually behind them.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're fully licensed and insured. The city says anyone you hire under contract for construction work on your property has to be a state certified or registered contractor, and you can look up any license with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at (850) 487-1395.
On a fireplace, the decision that matters most is the fuel, since it decides the chimney, the venting and most of the cost. Tell us what you have in mind and I'll come take a look.
(321) 326-1779Get an estimate for the fireplace you have in mind
Tell us the fuel you're leaning toward, whether you have a working chimney or a gas supply, and which room it's for. We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the room and write your estimate, which is free and comes with no obligation.
Fireplace questions from Palm Bay homeowners
What is the cheapest kind of fireplace to add to a house?
An electric fireplace is usually the least expensive and most flexible to add, since it needs only an outlet and space. It's a good way to get the look on a budget, but it isn't the most cost-effective way to heat a house. If heat matters to you, gas is the usual step up.
Will a fireplace still work when the power goes out in Palm Bay?
A gas fireplace keeps working when the power goes out, and an electric one doesn't. Gas units vent outside, so they can go just about anywhere in the house, which is why people who want a fire during an outage usually look at gas first.
How much does fireplace installation cost in Palm Bay, FL?
Fireplace and chimney installation in Palm Bay usually costs about $2,400 to $13,900 per project. That's what the work runs around here, not a quote of ours. A simple electric unit sits toward the low end, and a masonry wood-burning fireplace with a new chimney toward the high end. The on-site estimate gives you your own number.
Can I put a fireplace insert in my old fireplace?
Yes, if your old fireplace, masonry or factory-built, has a working chimney. In most cases the insert also needs a chimney liner, and the liner's type and size depend on the fuel, so plan the fuel and the liner together. I check the chimney before we talk about units, because everything else rides on it.
What causes gas fireplace prices to vary so much?
Gas fireplace prices vary mostly by design, from a plain unit to a large one with a custom face, and the job usually costs less when your house already has a gas supply. Without one, a line has to be run to the fireplace first. We price the masonry around it once you've picked the unit.
How do I keep a fireplace and chimney safe after it's installed?
Have the flue and chimney inspected every year and fix any cracks or damaged parts, which is the EPA's advice for any home. A blocked, leaking or damaged chimney or flue can let combustion gases into the house, including carbon monoxide at levels that can kill. If an inspection turns up crumbling masonry, that's the kind of chimney repair we do.
Planning a fireplace, hearth or stone surround in Palm Bay?
Call (321) 326-1779 seven days a week, early morning to late evening, or send the form whenever the question comes to you.
