Wood insert in a masonry fireplace
An insert sits inside your existing firebox and works much like a free-standing wood stove, so it's the pick when you want a real wood fire that actually warms the room.
Fireplace installation in Loveland CO - the right unit for the heat you want
If your fireplace looks nice but sends its heat up the chimney, we'll fit an insert or unit that suits how you use it.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What a fireplace insert or new unit involves
Fireplace installation in Loveland, CO usually means setting an insert or a new gas, wood or pellet unit into the fireplace you already have, so it gives you the look you want or real heat for the rooms around it.
Custom Loveland Concrete and Masonry is based in Loveland and works across the cities around it, and most fireplace calls start with a fire that looks nice but does little for the room. The price moves with the fireplace you have, brick or factory-built, the fuel you choose, how the unit vents, whether new gas piping is needed and how much brick or stone work the surround and hearth take. The schedule mostly turns on getting the unit in and on any permit and inspections, and your estimate gives you the figure for your own house.
On every job we check with the city's Building Division, which oversees building codes in Loveland and updated its local code amendments this past summer, and when a permit is needed we handle the application and set up the inspections. We're licensed and fully insured, and it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
One person from estimate to finish
I'm the one who comes out, looks at your fireplace and writes the estimate, and then I work on site with our masons, so what we talked about is what gets built.
The firebox gets checked first
If the joints in your firebox or chimney are crumbling, I'll tell you before we set anything in it, because a new insert in a failing fireplace just lets you down again.
Your price written out in one place
Your estimate spells out what the price covers, from the unit and venting to the masonry and permit work, so you know exactly what you're paying for before we start.
How we fit an insert to your fireplace
We start with how you want to use it, for looks or for real heat, and then match the insert or unit to the fireplace and fuel you already have. So on the first visit I'll ask plenty of questions, like which rooms feel cold, how often you light a fire, whether there's gas at the house and what the label says if your firebox is metal.
Once we've picked the unit, our crew cleans out the firebox, checks the chimney and the path the venting will take, runs a liner when the unit calls for one, then sets and connects the insert. We close up the gap around the front last, so it looks like it belongs there and not like something pushed into an old opening.
A lot of folks want the wall around it to change too. If the surround looks dated, our stone veneer installation can give it a new face, and if the hearth or a wall has to be built out to hold the unit, we start with concrete block walls as solid backing, because a heavy stone or brick surround is only as good as what's behind it.
Fireplace and insert options for Loveland homes
Gas insert or stove, chimney or not
A gas unit can vent through your existing chimney or straight out through the roof or the wall behind it, so a house without a chimney still has good options.
Pellet stove with power nearby
Unlike wood stoves and fireplaces, most pellet stoves need electricity to run, so we plan where the power will come from before we settle on a spot for the unit.
A new look for an old fireplace
If you mostly light a fire for the glow, you may not need a heater at all, and a cleaned-up firebox with a new brick or stone surround can be the whole job.
Get a free fireplace estimate at your house
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at your fireplace and write a free estimate, with no obligation.
Know which fireplace you have
Tell us if it's a brick fireplace or a metal factory-built one, because that decides which inserts can go in. If you're not sure, I'll check when I come out.
Have a fuel in mind
Wood, gas, propane and pellet each need something different, whether that's a chimney, a gas line or power, so knowing your pick helps us plan. Undecided is fine too.
Bring a rough floor plan
A simple sketch of your rooms shows how much space you want warm and where the heat needs to reach, so we can match the unit to the space instead of guessing.
Fireplace and stone masonry examples
Examples of brick and stone surrounds, hearths and insert layouts you can point to when we talk through your own fireplace.
Fireplace installation questions from Loveland homeowners
These are the questions we hear most about inserts, fuels and gas lines when Loveland homeowners plan a new fireplace.
Can I put an insert in my factory-built fireplace?
Yes, as long as it's an insert designed and tested for your particular unit. A factory-built fireplace, sometimes called zero-clearance, needs an insert made for it, and choosing one of those keeps it running more efficiently and with less pollution. Send us the make and model from the label inside the firebox and we'll look for one that fits.
Can a propane fireplace go in my basement in Loveland?
No. Loveland's fuel gas code amendments keep propane-burning equipment out of basements, attics, pits, spaces under the floor and other spots below ground level where vapors can collect. So a propane fireplace plan starts with a spot at or above ground level. The Building Division can help if you want the exact final wording of the rule.
Will a fireplace heat my whole home?
Usually not. Most fireplaces are there for the look and a bit of extra warmth, not as the main heat for the house, and an open fireplace is a very inefficient heater. If you want real warmth, an insert is the better choice, since it heats much like a free-standing wood stove, and we'll fit it to the rooms you care about most.
When does the city inspect a new gas line in Loveland?
After all the permitted gas piping is in and before any of it gets covered up. The inspector checks the pipe's size, material and how it was installed, so we leave walls and floors open until it passes. When your job needs a permit, we set up that inspection, and you can call the Building Division at 970-962-2505 with questions.
Do new wood-burning inserts have to meet EPA limits?
Yes. Every new wood heater covered by the EPA's residential wood heater standard and offered for sale in the US has to meet its emission limits, which the EPA lowered in 2020. So any new wood insert you can buy meets them, and our job is picking the one that fits your firebox and the heat you want.
Masonry work that goes with a new fireplace
Call about your fireplace any day
We take calls seven days a week from 7 AM to 11 PM, so call (970) 292-7476 or send the form whenever it suits you.