# Need some help on putting in a gas fireplace



## anonymous1977 (Mar 3, 2021)

Hello All - I am new to the forum and need some help. I live in NJ and own a single family home which has a high ceiling. I am looking to put a fireplace in the family room. The back of the family room wall is the deck. I am thinking of doing a gas vented fireplace. When I called around to ask the options I am being given go over $10K. What specific brands should I be looking for? Regency seems to be mentioned a lot and how can I keep the costs down for a project of this type? We are not looking for something super decorative. Something with a good heat output is important with some level of stone work around. We are also open to ready cabinet units as long as the cabinet looks good. Do we need to keep calling fireplace shops to do this or are there other professionals who can do this as well?


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 3, 2021)

anonymous1977 said:


> Hello All - I am new to the forum and need some help. I live in NJ and own a single family home which has a high ceiling. I am looking to put a fireplace in the family room. The back of the family room wall is the deck. I am thinking of doing a gas vented fireplace. When I called around to ask the options I am being given go over $10K. What specific brands should I be looking for? Regency seems to be mentioned a lot and how can I keep the costs down for a project of this type? We are not looking for something super decorative. Something with a good heat output is important with some level of stone work around. We are also open to ready cabinet units as long as the cabinet looks good. Do we need to keep calling fireplace shops to do this or are there other professionals who can do this as well?


The latest quote is for $13k for a regency b41xte plus all associated framing, plumbing cost.


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## Fingerlakes Fireplace (Mar 3, 2021)

anonymous1977 said:


> The latest quote is for $13k for a regency b41xte plus all associated framing, plumbing cost.


That price seems extremely high! I would check around...


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## Millbilly (Mar 3, 2021)

Are you able to frame finish and wire it?  Just hire the shop you bought it from or your plumber to gas and vent it...


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 3, 2021)

I don't have one yet. I am asking for advise to how to go about this.


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 3, 2021)

I gave called around to 2-3 shops and it is in this range. There is a local guy who has no showroom who is willing to do it for around $8k or so. Not sure if that is a right way to go about.


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## Brooks89 (Mar 4, 2021)

We installed a propane fueled  gas fireplace this year and love it. But it is an investment and you want to get it right in terms of safety and aesthetics.  A properly installed and well designed fireplace will yield something like a 90% return on your cost if you sell your home.  If you have the skills and tools to frame, sheetrock, finish your fireplace that's a money saver, but you need to be comfortable with doing the work and you definitely need to understand the clearances required for combustible materials, etc. 

Rather than use a fireplace dealer we opted to use contractor with experience in installing gas fireplaces. 

We visited several fireplace dealer showrooms and did a lot internet research.  We chose the Marquis Bentley 39" unit from Kingsman Industries. We did a corner installation with a slate surround, hearth pad, fairly simple mantle. The unit's dimensions worked well for our installation. The Bentley has many options in terms of the liners, log sets, surrounds, etc.   But if there's a unit on display in a showroom in your price range and you are happy with the flame 'picture', available features,  style and it's sized correctly for your space you probably can't go wrong with your pick.   

Most dealers will do a complete installation except for the gas supply line and electrical supply/connections needed leaving the homeowner responsible for contracting those items. All the dealers we spoke to were well north of $10,000 for a complete installation plus our added costs of plumbing and electrical.  Some dealers use their own crews, others use a pool of outside contractors.  I will say after meeting in home with three different dealers I definitely was more impressed with some than others. 

Ultimately we decided rather than dealing with coordinating  between the dealer's crews and our plumber, electrician, etc  we chose to use a local contractor several of our friends and neighbors had used for renovations and improvements.   We met a couple of times, did some measurements, discussed style, and  gave him the specs on the fireplace we wanted,  He was able to secure  the fireplace from one of the showroom dealers we had visited at the same price we were quoted and we had one point of contact for the whole process.   

A good dealer or contractor will work with you to determine what 'style' you are looking to achieve with your new fireplace. In our case we looked at a  lot of corner fireplace  installations on the internet, pinterest, and dealer's websites that were just awful.  Most looked like someone built a fireplace and 'shoved it into a corner'.  We think ours looks like it has been 'here all along' as the design and proportions are right for the space.  But keep searching and you'll find plenty of ideas to make your fireplace a focal point.


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 4, 2021)

Did it work out cheaper using a contractor? What kind of contractor would I search for that does fireplace installs including the finish work?


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 4, 2021)

Also how easy was it to do the mantle design? Was it a ready made one or contractor suggested?


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## Brooks89 (Mar 4, 2021)

Overall it probably worked out about the same but I had some additional work done; baseboard heat removed and replaced elsewhere, finished painting done, video cables run and TV mounted that wouldn't have been handled by the fireplace dealer. I think any general contractor that does additions, kitchen or bath remodeling, etc,  would be able to help you. if you have a friends or relatives that have had work done recently that they are happy with that would be a place to start. Keep an eye out for contractors on the job around the neighborhood and inquire.  

Funny you should ask about the mantel, it was custom built by our contractor. We weren't sure what we wanted and were all over the place on mantel design  but I happened to do an internet search  for "Benjamin Moore White Dove" which is the color of our walls and found an image with a mantel design that we really loved. Our contractor was able to build us one very similar on site.   I have to say too the prices we were quoted from fireplace dealers for mantels and over mantels seemed ridiculously high.


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 4, 2021)

Visited another two fireplace dealers today and extremely frustrated. Total cost is between $12k to $20k. All of them were mendota models. I happened to come upon another guy who says he does not have a showroom but is a contractor who does chimney cleans and installs. He said he could get enviro installed for $7k and I would need to buy the mantles and pay separately from mantles direct plus plumbing for gas plus electricity. I still need to fully price this out but if I go this route how is Enviro as a gas fireplace company and is the unit reliable? Any other options I should consider?


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## Millbilly (Mar 4, 2021)

20k holy cow. What are you doing some exotic coral facing? Lol.  But really it's impossible to say what is a reasonable price without so many more details.


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 5, 2021)

I know and it's ridiculous. I am assuming it will be likely $13k with these fireplace companies. Any idea on what a reasonable cost is all in and whether the enviro fireplaces are good?


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## Brooks89 (Mar 5, 2021)

$13,000 all in probably really is a good guess. Can't speak to the quality of Enviro but your contractor should be able to give you very specific details about the model he's offering you and you can do some Internet research for reviews. Mendota is a premium product with about the highest price point on the market, so pretty much any other unit should be somewhat of a savings. Again, properly sized, installed and set up, all units should be reliable, so if you are okay with the style and aesthetics, pick one you are okay with on price. 

Just curious, would you be using propane or natural gas for your fireplace? The unit needs to be set up for the specific gas supply. It should either be shipped from the manufacturer set up for the right fuel or supplied with a conversion kit.


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## anonymous1977 (Mar 5, 2021)

I will be using natural gas. I saw the Altair model was also cheaper. Any specific recommendations on not going with a too high end brand but keeping the cost competitive.


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