Fireplace facelift
Q: Our gas fireplace is mucho ugly. Saw on TV that you completely revamped a beast. Can you give me the options and costs?
A: The “mucho ugly” fireplace I renovated for my clients was originally 15 feet wide with two octagonal columns and floor-to-ceiling brick. We reduced the size to nine feet wide. You can see the full space in the December 2013 issue of Chatelaine (chatelaine.ca).
We could have just painted the brick and installed a gas insert, but when you’re investing thousands of dollars in a fireplace reno, you want to do it once and do it right. You also want to take your time and shop around. The amount of choice on the market is dizzying.
The one we chose (as shown in the photo) is the directvent, zero-clearance Town & Country fireplace from Fireplace Concepts in Toronto. Zero clearance means combustible material can be placed right up against the unit’s top, back, bottom and sides.
“Direct-vent, zero-clearance fireplaces are prefabricated boxes you can place directly onto a wood floor and frame with two-by-four-inch studs,” says Peter Haats of Fireplace Concepts, whereas a standard “gas insert, also a prefabricated box, must fit into the confines of an existing masonry, wood-burning fireplace cavity.”
It’s hard to find a large gas insert because they’re designed to fit standard fireplace openings of 36 inches wide and 24 inches high; these fit homes built between the 1950s and 1980s. In our case, because the family room is a giant 25-foot square with 14-foot ceilings, we made the opening larger. A standard gas insert would have looked like we installed (as Peter describes it) a mini-microwave with a pile of metal trim around it.
The Town & Country fireplace has a clean, uncluttered design. Another feature is that it produces a large and highly coveted rip-roaring flame without producing too much heat.
Yes, it’s a common misconception that the higher the BTU, the better. Too much heat in a home that already has a primary gas or radiator heat source can make your home feel like a sauna.
The cost of a 32-inch-wide Town & Country model is approximately $7,500 for a zero-clearance model including installation (though we used one that was 42-by-42-inches). Gas inserts cost between $3,000 and $5,000 for a 32-inch model including installation.
Most fireplace manufacturers require that an authorized dealer installs and vents your gas insert or zero-clearance unit or the warranty is void.
If you’re starting from scratch, you will need drawings. Again, when you’re making a big investment, you don’t want to just wing it.
Last, about cost, I don’t have a straight answer. The price depends on location, materials and design details. Veneer stone that goes up like tile will cost, according to Peter, less than “a four-inch stone because of increased labour costs, and will require a foundation to bear the weight.”
I surveyed four contractors and one stonemason for quotes on an eight-by-eightfoot fireplace floor-to-ceiling revamp. For stone masonry, the cost ranged from $4,000 to $9,000 for labour only. For “simple” floor-to-ceiling millwork, the cost ranged from $5,000 to $11,000 for labour only.
The fireplace here cost $28,000 including demolition, drawings, materials, labour and design fees. Happy fireplace revamping!