Holladay · Salt Lake County
Reworking a Large Old Holladay Firebox
Holladay renovates. That means most of our installation work here is not a blank wall, it is a large old masonry opening in a room somebody is about to redesign around it.
Start with what the chimney will allow
The order these projects usually go in is backwards. A designer draws the surround, the tile is chosen, and then somebody asks whether the venting works. It generally can be made to work, but the answers are cheaper if the question comes first. A large existing masonry flue can host a stainless liner sized to a new insert. A direct-vent gas unit needs a specific run and a terminal in a legal spot outside. A wood insert needs a full-height liner, not a stub, and it needs the hearth extension in front of it to be deep enough. Deciding the appliance first and the stone second saves people money in this city every year.
Why an insert usually beats the open fireplace it replaces
A traditional open masonry firebox is roughly a net heat loss on a cold night. It draws conditioned room air up the chimney faster than the radiant heat replaces it. Sliding a modern insert into that same opening, glass fronted and properly lined, turns the same hole in the wall into an appliance that actually warms the room. In a mid-century Holladay ranch with a wide firebox in a big open living space, that change is the one people notice most after the remodel is finished.
Working alongside your builder
Plenty of these jobs run inside a larger renovation, so we are used to coordinating with a general contractor: rough-in before drywall, clearances confirmed in writing before framing goes up around a unit, and final trim once the finishes are in. Clearance to combustibles is the item that causes the arguments, and it is easier to have that conversation with a framer than with a finished mantel.
What we will tell you not to do
We will not put a wood-burning insert into a chimney whose structure is questionable just because the appointment is already booked. We will not hide an unlined flue behind new stone. If the masonry needs repair before an installation, that comes first, and if that changes the budget we would rather it change before the tile is ordered.
Questions
Installation in Holladay — common questions
Can we convert a big open Holladay fireplace to gas?
Usually yes, and there are two routes. A log set inside the existing firebox is the simpler change and keeps the open look. A sealed direct-vent insert is the better heater and the better sealed unit, but it changes the appearance of the opening. We will show you both before you commit.
Do we need a permit?
Fuel-burning appliance installation and gas line work are permitted work in Salt Lake County jurisdictions. We handle the process as part of the job rather than leaving it to you, and we do not do gas connections off the books.
Our remodel moved the fireplace to a new wall. Is that possible?
With a direct-vent gas unit, often yes, because the venting can run horizontally or vertically within defined limits. Relocating a wood-burning fireplace is a much larger structural and chimney project. The distinction is worth settling early in the design.
How long will an insert installation take in an occupied house?
A straightforward insert with a new liner is usually a one-day job once the parts are on site. A full hearth remodel with masonry, new finishes and a gas line runs longer and depends on other trades. We give a realistic schedule rather than an optimistic one.
Also in Holladay
Our other services here
Chimney Sweep Inspection Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All Holladay services
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