Fireplace installation in Redlands CA - more heat in the room, less up the chimney
Your fireplace looks nice and heats almost nothing. We check the chimney first, then fit a unit that actually warms the room.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What's involved in putting a new fireplace in a Redlands house?
Fireplace installation in Redlands usually means fitting an insert, a heating unit that burns wood, gas or pellets, into the fireplace you already have, so the heat stays in the room instead of going up the chimney. Where the chimney isn't usable, it can mean a direct-vent gas unit or an electric fireplace instead.
Maybe your brick fireplace looks good and heats nothing, or you want gas heat without hauling wood. The price mostly turns on the unit and fuel you choose, whether your chimney needs work before it can vent anything, and how much masonry goes around the new unit, and the schedule hangs on that same chimney question and on when your unit shows up. Your written estimate spells out what we'd do and what we'd use.
How do you know your fireplace is due for an upgrade?
Room stays cold by the fire
You light a fire, the flames look great and the room barely warms up. An open fireplace sends a lot of its heat up the chimney, so every winter you wait is more wood spent mostly heating the sky.
Smoke drifting into the room
Smoke that rolls out of the firebox instead of going up usually means the chimney isn't drawing well, from a blockage or a damaged flue. Left alone, it means soot on the walls and smoke in the house, and it's something we'd sort out before any insert goes in.
Crumbling mortar on the chimney
Sandy joints, loose brick near the top or bits of mortar on the roof mean water and weather are working on the chimney. The longer it goes, the more brick comes loose, and a chimney in that shape needs repair before it can vent a new unit.
How we handle fireplace installation
We start with the chimney, not the catalog, because its condition decides which unit makes sense. I look at the flue, the brick and the mortar, then lay out the choices plainly, wood or pellet insert, gas or electric, and what each one asks of your house. If you pick a gas unit, we make room in the plan for a carbon monoxide alarm, which one gas fireplace maker strongly recommends wherever gas appliances are in use. Then our crew sets the unit, repairs the masonry around the opening, finishes the surround and cleans up so the room looks like we were never there.
A new unit usually wants a new face, and our stone veneer installation work puts stone around the opening so the insert doesn't look dropped in. When the plan calls for a heavy surround or a wall with a footing under it, we build concrete block walls on a solid base, which is the part nobody sees and everybody relies on.
Insert for your existing fireplace
This suits you if you already have a fireplace and the chimney is in decent shape, because the insert reuses what's there. You pick wood, gas or pellets, and the fireplace becomes a real heater for that room.
Direct-vent gas fireplace
A direct-vent unit sends exhaust outside and draws in outside air through a vent that can run through a side wall or the roof. It's more efficient than a chimney fireplace and carries fewer risks than a ventless unit, so it's the one I'd point most gas buyers toward.
Electric fireplace
One trade group describes electric fireplaces as plug-and-play, much like a stereo or a television. It suits a room where you want the look and some warmth without any venting at all.
Get a written estimate for your fireplace
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, comes in writing and carries no obligation.
(909) 488-7148- Based in
- Redlands, CA 92373
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about a fireplace in Redlands?
From your first call to the walk-through, here's how a fireplace job runs and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send a message
Call (909) 488-7148 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Evenings work too, since we're open until 10 PM on weekdays.
I check fireplace and chimney
I look at the firebox, the chimney inside and out, what's around it and where the water goes. Then you get a written estimate that says what we'd do, what we'd use and what it costs, so the price isn't a guess.
Our crew installs the unit
If you go ahead, our crew does the work and I'm there with them. We cover the floor and furniture near the hearth, because brick dust gets everywhere.
We walk it together
When it's done, we walk the job together and go over how the unit runs. You get your room back, minus the mess.
Why Redlands homeowners call Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry for fireplaces
I check your chimney myself
I come out and look at the job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while they do the work. The person who sized up your chimney is the one watching the insert go in.
Licensed and insured in California
We're licensed and insured. California's contractor licensing board warns that contracting without a license can lead to jail, prison or steep fines, so it's fair to ask anyone bidding your fireplace about theirs.
Building in Redlands since 2021
I started this business in Redlands in 2021 after years framing houses, and I learned masonry next to an old mason who wouldn't let a bad joint slide. That matters in the mortar around a firebox, which is the part that has to take the heat.
On a fireplace job, the chimney decides everything else, so that's where I start. Send us a message or call (909) 488-7148 and tell me what you've got.
Fireplace installation and chimney work in Redlands
If you're set on burning wood, check the burn rules before you pick the unit. The South Coast air district's wood-burning rule covers people who own or use wood-burning fireplaces and stoves in the South Coast Air Basin, which the rule describes as including the non-desert parts of San Bernardino County, and it limits wood burning on No-Burn days when fine-particle pollution is forecast to pass a set limit. Changes to it have been proposed, so ask the district what applies now, and if the answer changes your mind, we'll talk through gas or electric.
A lot of the chimneys we see around here are brick on wood-frame houses, with mortar that's had a hard life. When a chimney is too far gone to carry an insert, the county's chimney guidance lists another route, replacing the fireplace and mantel with a factory-built unit that can keep burning fuel, heat more efficiently or burn gas. We see the same tired brick on jobs in Highland and Yucaipa, and we'll tell you straight which way your chimney points.
Questions about fireplace installation in Redlands
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace insert?
Across the US, a gas fireplace insert or direct-vent fireplace usually costs about $2,500 to $11,000 per job with labor included. A direct-vent job costs less when a vent system is already in place, and your written estimate gives you the number for your own house.
Can a fireplace insert go into my existing fireplace?
Usually, yes. An insert fits into an existing masonry or factory-built fireplace and vents through the chimney you already have, using a flue liner, a lining run inside the chimney, or whatever other change it needs. That's why the chimney's condition shapes the plan, and why I look at it first.
Is a ventless gas fireplace a good choice?
It can heat well, but it's not the one I'd steer most people toward. Ventless units send some exhaust back into the room, so they're more efficient but raise air quality concerns, and they're heavily regulated in many states and banned in some areas, so check the local rules before you buy one. A direct-vent unit gets you gas heat with fewer of those risks.
Is my brick chimney at risk in an earthquake in Redlands?
Yes, it can be. The county says masonry chimneys on wood-frame homes are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking, and older unreinforced chimneys with worn-out mortar are most at risk, though even chimneys built to modern standards can take significant damage. We check the brick and mortar before an insert goes in, because a new unit is only as sound as the chimney it vents through.
How do I get a fireplace insert that actually heats the whole room?
Ask whether the insert has a blower, a fan that pushes warm air out into the room. Most inserts have one, and it's what moves the heat around the room instead of leaving it in front of the glass.
What causes fireplace vent fires?
A major cause, according to one venting maker's instructions, is failing to keep the required air spaces between the vent and nearby materials that can burn, like framing or trim. We set the vent to the clearances in the maker's instructions for the unit you choose, even when that means opening up a little more wall.
Related masonry work around your fireplace
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer gives a plain brick or drywall surround a real stone face, and it's a good way to make a new insert look like it always belonged.
Concrete block walls
A concrete block wall built on a solid footing gives you a strong backing for heavy masonry, a firm yard boundary, or the base for an outdoor build.
Areas we serve for fireplace installation
Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry is based in Redlands, CA, and we install fireplaces in the cities around it, from Yucaipa over to Riverside. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Redlands, CA
Get your chimney checked before you buy
Have your current fireplace type, what you know about the chimney and the fuel you'd like ready, so we can talk real options on the first call.