Bluffdale · Salt Lake County
Adding or Rebuilding a Hearth in Bluffdale
Installation work in Bluffdale falls into two jobs more often than not: finishing a basement and wanting real heat down there, or replacing a builder-grade firebox that was never much good to begin with.
Putting a fireplace where there is no chimney
This is more straightforward than most people expect. A direct-vent unit takes its combustion air from outside and exhausts through the same coaxial pipe, so it can terminate through a sidewall instead of running all the way to the roof. On a walkout or daylight basement, which a lot of Bluffdale lots have because of how the ground falls away, the termination is often only a few feet of pipe.
Replacing what the builder installed
Builder-grade fireboxes in the subdivisions here were specified to a price. They look acceptable and they produce very little usable heat, because most of what they make goes up the flue. Dropping a modern insert into that opening changes the appliance from decoration into a heater, and the existing framing and chase usually accommodate it with a new liner.
Choosing the venting before choosing the fireplace
The venting decides what is possible, so we survey it first. Direct vent is sealed and the safest choice for a tight house. B-vent draws room air for combustion and is more sensitive to the negative pressure that modern construction creates. Wood needs a properly sized Class A chimney and a serious look at where the flue can run without violating clearances. Picking a unit from a showroom and working backwards to the venting is how projects stall.
Clearances are not a suggestion
Every listed appliance has a manual with required clearances to combustibles, mantel projection limits and hearth extension dimensions. Those numbers came from testing, they are enforceable, and a beautiful stone surround built too close to a firebox is a fire hazard that no amount of craftsmanship redeems. We build to the manual and we hand you the manual.
Timing the work
Gas line, framing, venting, appliance, then finish. If a remodel involves stone or tile, the finish trades come after the appliance is set and the vent is through the wall, not before. Booking in spring or summer means the unit is commissioned and tested well ahead of the first cold week, which is when everyone else calls.
Questions
Installation in Bluffdale — common questions
Can we put a fireplace in a finished basement that has no chimney?
In most cases yes. A direct-vent gas unit can terminate horizontally through an exterior wall, which suits the walkout and daylight basements common on Bluffdale lots. We check wall construction, gas supply and termination clearances before committing to a location.
Will a new insert actually heat the room?
A modern sealed insert will, in a way an open builder-grade firebox never could. An open fireplace sends most of its heat and a good deal of your already-warmed room air up the flue. An insert keeps combustion sealed and radiates into the room instead.
How much of the existing stone can we keep in a remodel?
It depends on the clearance requirements of the new appliance and on how the existing surround was built. Sometimes the whole facing stays and only the firebox changes. We measure against the new unit's manual before promising anything.
Do we need a permit?
Gas line work and new venting penetrations generally require permitting and inspection through the city. We handle that as part of the job rather than leaving it with you, and we would rather do it properly than have it surface at resale.
Also in Bluffdale
Our other services here
Chimney Sweep Inspection Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All Bluffdale services
Nearby