Fireplace installation in Vacaville CA - a fire that fits the way you use it
A drafty open fireplace that eats wood and barely warms the room? We put in an insert or new fireplace built for the heat you want.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Should you put in an insert or a whole new fireplace?
The short answer: Fireplace installation in Vacaville means putting in a new fireplace or an insert, a unit built to sit inside the firebox you already have, so you get real heat for the room or a cleaner fire to look at. Most jobs come down to which of those you want.
At Brickline Vacaville Concrete and Masonry we're based in Vacaville and work in the cities around it, and a lot of fireplace calls start with an old open fireplace that looks nice and does little else. The price moves with what you're starting from, gas or wood, an insert or a fireplace built from scratch, the venting it needs and the finish around it. The schedule mostly turns on getting the unit in hand and on any permit and inspection the job needs. When I come out, I write down what I saw and what I'd do about it, so your own figure comes from that estimate.
How do you know it's time for a new fireplace?
Cold room, fire going
You've got a fire going and still need a sweater across the room. An open fireplace sends most of its heat, and a good share of your warm house air, up and out, so every fire you light keeps costing more than it gives back.
A draft from the fireplace
When it isn't lit, you can feel cold air coming in at the fireplace opening. That's outside air finding its way in, and until the opening is closed up with an insert or a sealed unit, your furnace works against it all winter.
You've quit using it
The fireplace hasn't been lit in years because of the smoke, the ash and the hauling. A gas insert gives you a fire at the flip of a switch, and putting it off just leaves a dead corner in the room.
How our fireplace installation works
I start by finding out what kind of fireplace you have now, masonry, metal or factory-built, and whether you want real heat or just a fire to look at, because that narrows down what will fit. If you're leaning gas, we'll talk about direct vent units, which pull the air they burn from outside through the vent so the fire isn't using up air you already paid to heat. Once you've picked a unit, our crew sets it, runs the venting the way the maker's instructions call for, finishes the face around it, tests it with you and cleans up.
The finish around the fireplace is usually where the room changes the most. A lot of people pair a new insert with stone veneer installation, thin stone set over the old face so it reads like a full stone wall. If you want a fireplace where there's never been one, indoors or out, the structure behind it is often block, and that's the same work we do on concrete block walls.
An insert for the fireplace you have
This suits most people with an open fireplace that's still sound, because the insert drops into the firebox and turns a drafty opening into a real heater. Gas is the cleaner, easier one to live with, and wood suits you if you like tending a fire and have the wood.
A new fireplace built in
This suits a room with no fireplace, or one where the old unit isn't worth keeping, because we build the structure and set the new unit where you want it. It's the bigger job and costs more, so it makes the most sense when you're already redoing that wall or room.
What happens when you call us about a fireplace in Vacaville?
It's three steps, and you deal with me from the first visit to the walk-through. Here's who does what, and what you have in hand before you decide anything.
- Step 01
Call, send the form or email
Reach us at (707) 452-3329, through the form or at sales@vacavilleconcreteandmasonry.com, and tell us what fireplace you have, masonry, metal or factory-built, and whether you're thinking gas or wood. If you don't know the type, that's fine, I'll figure it out on site.
- Step 02
I look and write it up
I come out myself, look at the fireplace and tell you straight what I'd do now and what can wait, including when an insert will do the job and a new fireplace isn't worth it. You get it in writing, what I saw and what I'd do about it, so you know the cost before anything starts.
- Step 03
We install, clean up, walk it
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs, do the install and clean up after ourselves. Then we walk it with you and show you how it runs before we call it done.
Fireplace installation in Vacaville and the local rules
Inside city limits, the City of Vacaville's Building Division reviews and inspects new construction and improvements to existing houses. I'll tell you at the estimate whether your fireplace is one of the jobs that needs a permit, and if it is, we check with the city, handle the application and set up the inspections.
Vacaville is in the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, which has a rule on wood burning appliances, so if you're set on wood, ask me how it applies to the unit you're looking at before you buy. A lot of the houses we see here, and on jobs in Dixon and Davis, have factory-built fireplaces rather than full brick ones, and that changes which inserts will fit.
Get a written estimate for your fireplace
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself for a free on-site estimate, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Why Vacaville homeowners call Brickline Vacaville Concrete and Masonry
I look at every job myself
I come out to see every fireplace before it's priced, and I work alongside the crew that puts it in. The person who told you what fits is the same one standing there when it goes in.
In Vacaville since 2017
I started this business here in 2017 after years of property upkeep, a lot of it fixing work somebody else had rushed. Nine years on, that's still why I'd rather set a unit right the first time than come back and patch it.
A licensed and insured crew
We're licensed and insured. You've got people cutting, venting and setting a heavy unit inside your house, so that's the first thing worth asking any contractor.
Satisfaction guaranteed. When you're ready, call or send us a note with your fireplace type and whether you're leaning gas or wood, and I'll come take a look.
Fireplace installation questions from Vacaville homeowners
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace in Vacaville?
Gas fireplace installation across the US usually costs about $2,500 to $7,500 per job, and that's a national figure, not our price. Where yours lands depends on whether it's an insert or a new unit, the venting it needs and the finish around it. My written estimate gives you the number for your house.
How do I choose an insert for a factory-built fireplace?
Start with the inserts made for your exact fireplace, because a factory-built, or zero-clearance, unit can only take an insert designed and tested for that specific model. That narrows your choices fast. I'll identify your unit at the estimate and work from the inserts that match it.
How clean does a gas fireplace insert burn?
Very clean. The local air district says burning natural gas or propane in an insert makes very little air pollution while still giving you heat and the look of a fire. If cleaner burning is high on your list, price a gas insert first.
Can I use my fireplace during a burn advisory in Vacaville?
Yes. The air district's advisory program is voluntary, and there are currently no penalties for using a fireplace or wood stove during one of its advisories.
How long does the catalyst in a wood stove insert last?
With proper use, the catalyst in a catalytic wood stove can last more than six seasons, according to federal EPA guidance. Over-firing, burning garbage or treated wood, or skipping regular cleaning can break it down in as little as 2 years. So how you burn matters about as much as which stove you buy.
Should I get a vent-free gas fireplace?
We'd steer you toward a vented unit instead. Federal EPA guidance doesn't support unvented gas stoves because of indoor air quality concerns, so the units we put in vent to the outside.
Related masonry work around your fireplace
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer gives a plain or dated fireplace wall the look of real stone, and it's a good time to do it while the new insert goes in.
Concrete block walls
Block walls make a sturdy base for a new fireplace indoors or out, strong enough to carry the stone or brick you finish it with.
Call about your fireplace install
We pick up seven days a week from 6 AM to 11 PM, so call (707) 452-3329 or send the form whenever you've got a minute.