Fireplace installation in El Dorado Hills CA - a fire that actually warms the house
Open fireplace sending your heat up the chimney? We fit an insert made for your firebox, so the fire warms the room instead.
Have us look at your fireplace
A quick call to (916) 260-2151 gets me out to see your firebox and chimney, and one look usually tells us which inserts are even on the table.
Is a fireplace insert the right fix for your El Dorado Hills home?
Fireplace installation in El Dorado Hills usually means fitting an insert, which works much like a wood stove but sits inside the masonry or metal fireplace you already have, so you get more heat and less smoke than an open fire gives you.
Most folks who call me have a fireplace that looks nice and does little for the house, and they want to know if an insert will fix that without tearing the wall apart. What moves the price most is what you've got now and how the new unit vents, because using a chimney or vent that's already in place keeps costs down, while running a new vent through the roof or wall is where they climb. The schedule mostly turns on which insert you pick and whether a permit has to come first. I sort all of that out at your house and put it in a written estimate.
Why El Dorado Hills homeowners call P&J for their fireplace insert
I look at your fireplace myself
I come out to see your firebox, chimney and vent setup in person, and I write the estimate. You get answers from the person who checks on the crew while the work is going on.
Fully licensed and insured, liners checked
We're fully licensed and insured. On a masonry chimney we check the flue liner, the tube that carries smoke out, before an insert goes in, since nobody sees it afterward.
Trained where work gets inspected
I learned masonry on a city public works crew, where nothing got signed off until it passed inspection, and started this business in El Dorado Hills in 2013. We still work like an inspector's coming.
On an insert, the fit to your firebox and the way it vents decide how well it works for years, so tell us about your fireplace and I'll come have a look.
How our fireplace installation works
We start with what you've got, whether that's a masonry firebox, the brick box built into the house, or a factory-built unit, the metal kind framed into a wall. I look over the opening, the chimney and how it vents now, then show you only the inserts made to fit what you have, so you don't fall for one in a showroom that can't go in. Once you pick, our crew sets the insert, hooks up the venting and finishes the face around it, following the maker's installation manual the whole way.
Plenty of folks redo the surround while the fireplace is opened up, and stone veneer installation puts a new stone face on the wall without tearing it out. If you need a new hearth wall or a base built up from the footing, we build that with concrete block walls, which give you a solid core to finish however you like.
Gas insert
This suits you if you want heat at the push of a button and little upkeep, burning natural gas or propane. It can vent up your existing chimney or straight out the roof or wall, and since efficiency varies by model, it's worth comparing a few before you buy.
Pellet insert
This suits you if you want wood-style heat without splitting logs. Most pellet units need electricity to run, so you'll want an outlet close by, and most won't run when the power's out.
EPA-certified wood insert
This suits folks who still want the crackle and a woodpile out back. A certified wood insert lets you keep burning wood and get a fire that heats the room instead of the chimney.
How can you tell it's time for a new fireplace insert?
Cold rooms with a fire going
You light a fire and the hearth is toasty, but the back bedrooms feel colder. That fireplace is working against your furnace, and every winter you wait, you pay for both wood and heat.
Smoke drifting into the room
Smoke rolls out the front when the fire gets going, and the smell hangs around for days. An open firebox often lets smoke spill, and waiting means more soot on the face and walls.
Cold air when it's off
You feel a draft by the fireplace even with no fire, or the damper won't close tight. Warm air is slipping out the chimney all winter, and your heating bill shows it.
An old insert wearing out
Your old insert shows rust, warped metal or cracked glass, or the door won't seal. That usually means it's worn out, and keeping it going can let smoke into the room.
What happens after you call about a fireplace insert?
Call and I'll come look
Call or send a message and I'll come out myself to look at your fireplace, chimney and venting with you. Afterward I follow up with a written estimate.
Permit first, then the work
If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before we start. Then our lead mason and crew set the insert and venting, and I stop by to check.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we walk the job together and I show you the parts of the maker's manual we followed. You'll know how it went in and what to watch for.
Questions folks ask about inserts
These are the questions I hear most about inserts around El Dorado Hills. If yours isn't here, call (916) 260-2151 and ask about your own fireplace.
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace insert?
Across the US, installing a gas fireplace insert usually runs about $2,300 to $8,000 per project, with materials and professional labor included. That's a national figure, not a quote, and where your job lands mostly comes down to the venting I mentioned above. Your own number comes in the written estimate after I've seen the fireplace.
Is a fireplace insert better than an open wood-burning fireplace?
For heating the house, yes, because an open fire is a very inefficient way to heat, with drafts pulling warm air up the chimney and leaving the other rooms cooler. An insert closes that off and puts the fire to work. If you only light a fire a couple of times a year for the look of it, I'll tell you straight that the open fireplace may be fine as it is.
How do I find an insert that fits my factory-built fireplace?
Start with the make and model of your unit, because a factory-built fireplace, sometimes called a zero-clearance fireplace, needs an insert specifically designed and tested for that unit. That short list is your real set of options. I find the model on site and only bring you choices from it.
Does my chimney need an inspection before installing a fireplace insert?
A national chimney trade group recommends a Level 2 inspection whenever a new appliance is added, or an old one is swapped for one with a different fuel, efficiency or type. That inspection takes the inspector up on the roof and into whatever attic, basement or crawl space is accessible, so you'll want to clear a path to those before they come.
Can I get a gas fireplace insert that doesn't need a vent?
Some gas models are built to run with no outside vent, but national air quality guidance doesn't support using them because of concerns about the air inside your home. My take is that a vented unit is worth it, since you and your family breathe that air every night.
How do I get a permit for a fireplace insert in El Dorado Hills?
When your job needs one, we handle it, finding out which office covers your address, filing the application and taking care of the inspections. For El Dorado Hills homes that's usually the county building office in Placerville, which takes basic building permit applications online through its e-TRAKiT system and offers in-person appointments for permit types that aren't online yet. We also work in cities across Sacramento and Placer counties, where a different office covers the address, and if you'd like to ask the El Dorado County office something yourself, their main line is (530) 621-5315.
Get a written estimate for your insert
Tell us your fireplace type, the fuel you're leaning toward and whether there's a chimney or vent, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to look it over, and the written estimate is free, with no obligation.
Inserts, hearths and surrounds
Work that goes with an insert
Stone veneer installation
If the brick or tile around your fireplace looks dated next to a new insert, a thin stone facing can make the whole wall look like one piece.
Learn moreConcrete block walls
If you're planning a new fireplace wall instead of an insert, a block wall set on a proper footing gives stone, stucco or brick something sturdy to face.
Learn more