Fireplace installation in Springfield IL - a fireplace that fits how you use it
Fireplace losing heat up the chimney, or no fireplace yet? We'll help you choose a new build or an insert and put it in right.
Should you build a new fireplace or put in an insert?
Fireplace installation in Springfield, IL usually means building a new fireplace or setting an insert into the firebox you already have, and we help you pick the one that fits your house and how you use it. A new fireplace can be brick or stone built on site or a factory-built unit, and an insert is made to sit inside the firebox of an existing masonry or metal fireplace.
Most people who call us have an old open fireplace that gives off little heat, a factory-built unit that's worn out, or a room where they've always wanted a fireplace. The price turns mostly on which way you go, then on the brick or stone you pick and on what shape the chimney is in. The schedule depends on what your city asks for before we start and on what we find once the old firebox is open, and the estimate gives you the figure for your own house.
How we handle fireplace installation
First I find out what kind of fireplace you have now and whether you want heat or mostly the look, because that answer decides whether we build new or set an insert. For a new masonry fireplace, we pour the footing, lay up the firebox and chimney, and finish the face and hearth in the brick or stone you pick so it looks like it came with the house. For an insert, we check the firebox and chimney it's going into, set the unit and close up the surround with masonry that matches what's there. Then we clean up the room before anyone lights a fire.
Some of the work around a fireplace has its own page. If you want a stone face over an existing brick or block surround, that's stone veneer installation, and the block core inside a new fireplace and chimney is the same work as our concrete block walls.
Fireplace and chimney work in Springfield
Springfield's Building & Zoning Department takes permit applications, but its list names building, roof, fence and other work and doesn't name fireplaces, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs a permit. We check with the city or village office for your address before we start, and if a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork.
A lot of the fireplaces we work on in Springfield are in older houses, with painted brick, mantels and trim around them. If your house was built before 1978 and the job disturbs painted surfaces, the city's permit form says the contractor has to be U.S. EPA certified and follow work practices that prevent lead contamination, so tell us the year your house was built and we'll plan the tear-out around it. We see the same older fireplaces next to newer houses on jobs in Chatham and Decatur, and we handle them the same way.
How fireplace installation works
Call or send the form
Call (217) 210-0722 or send the form, and tell us your fireplace type, your home's age and whether you want gas or wood. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I look it over in person
I come out myself, look at the firebox, the chimney and the room, and tell you what I see. Your written estimate says whether I'd build new or set an insert, what the work includes and what it costs.
We check rules and schedule
Once you say go, we check what your city or village asks for and set a date. If something has to be approved first, we tell you before the date is set.
We build it and walk it
Our crew does the work with me on the job, and we cover the floors and furniture near the fireplace. Before we pack up, we walk the finished fireplace with you.
Get a written estimate for your fireplace and chimney
We reply to every form within one business day. I come out to look at your fireplace myself, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions before you book fireplace installation
How much does a fireplace insert cost in Springfield, IL?
Across the US, a gas insert put into an existing masonry fireplace, with its gas line and liner, usually costs about $3,500 to $7,500 per job. That's what the work usually runs nationally, not our price. Yours depends on the firebox, the chimney and the unit you pick, and your estimate gives you the figure for your house.
Will a fireplace actually heat my home?
A traditional open fireplace usually won't, because most of them lose over 90 percent of the fire's heat up the chimney. Most fireplaces are mainly for the look and some backup heat, so an open one suits you if the look matters more than the warmth. If heat matters more, that's when we talk about an insert.
How do I choose an insert for a factory-built fireplace?
Start by confirming it's factory-built, because a factory-built, or zero-clearance, fireplace has to use an insert designed and tested for that unit. Any insert won't do. We sort out which kind you have before anyone picks a unit.
Does a brick fireplace cost more than a factory-built one?
Yes, usually. A factory-built fireplace is made before it's installed, and it's the lower-cost option you'll find in a lot of new US homes. Brick or stone built on site costs more, and it's the one to pick when you want the fireplace to be part of the house.
What causes an open fireplace to burn poorly in a newer house?
Usually the house is too tight. A traditional open fireplace needs a lot of air to burn and vent well, and most newly built homes let in less air than that. Glass doors, an EPA certified fireplace or one designed to match the house can greatly reduce the problem.
Who answers fireplace code questions in Springfield, IL?
Your city, village or county code official gives the best answers, according to the Illinois Capital Development Board. Springfield's list of codes in use includes the International Mechanical Code and the International Fuel Gas Code.
Why Springfield homeowners call Artisan Springfield Concrete and Masonry for fireplaces
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at every job and write the estimate, and then I'm on the job working alongside our crew. The person who told you what your fireplace needs is the one making sure it gets built that way.
In business since 2013
We've been at this since 2013, and I learned brick under an older mason before that. A fireplace is the piece of masonry you sit and look at every evening, so it has to look like it belongs on your house.
Licensed and insured inside your house
We're licensed and insured. That's worth asking anyone you're about to let into your living room with a saw and a mixer.
A straight answer on inserts
In a lot of older Springfield homes, the open fireplace that's already there is a good fit for an insert, and if that's what I see, I'll say so instead of selling you a rebuild. I'd rather lose the bigger job than sell work your house doesn't need.
On a fireplace, the call between building new and setting an insert matters more than anything else, so it should start with someone looking at what you have. Request your estimate and I'll come out.
Other work that goes with a fireplace
Stone veneer installation
If you want the look of a stone fireplace without building one from scratch, a thin stone face over the existing surround or block can get you there.
Concrete block walls
A new masonry fireplace and chimney start with a solid block core behind the brick or stone, the same block work we lay for walls and foundations.
Talk to us about your fireplace and chimney
We pick up (217) 210-0722 seven days a week until 9 PM, or you can send the form and we'll set a time for me to look at your fireplace.
