Hearth Remodels and New Fireplaces in Highland

That changes the order the design happens in. On a new build you choose the appliance and then run the vent wherever it needs to go. On a remodel the vent path already exists, it runs up through framing you cannot see, and it is the constraint that decides which appliances are even candidates.

What we establish before showing you anything

The existing vent type and diameter, whether the chase can take a larger unit, how much depth is available behind the finished wall, where the gas line comes in and whether it can carry the input rating you want, and whether there is power at the fireplace for a blower and an ignition module. Those five answers narrow the field fast, and it is far better to narrow it before you have fallen for something that will not go in.

Three directions people go

An insert into the existing opening is the least invasive and often the best value. The old firebox stays, a modern sealed unit slides in, and a new liner runs the full height. You gain real heat output and lose almost nothing in construction mess.

A full appliance swap replaces the metal firebox itself. More work, more options, and the right call when the original unit is beyond parts support or you want a substantially different opening size or shape.

A hearth remodel is the whole wall: new surround material, new mantel height, sometimes the television relocated off the chimney breast. Worth saying plainly, because it comes up on nearly every job of this kind: mounting a screen directly above a working fireplace exposes it to more heat than most manufacturers allow. There are ways to do it, and they involve a mantel shelf that deflects the heat plume or a unit designed for it, not hope.

Outdoor hearths

Lots up here are generous and covered patios are common, so outdoor fireplaces and fire tables come up often. The rules are different outside: the appliance has to be listed for exterior use, gas runs need proper burial and protection, and clearance to a wood soffit or a covered ceiling is a real constraint rather than an afterthought. We are happy to design one, and we will not put an indoor unit outside because it looked right in a photograph.