Can a fireplace be added to an existing home that never had one?
Yes, and in Swannanoa we're doing a lot of it right now. As homes get rebuilt and renovated after the storm damage, many families are adding a fireplace they never had before — and a sealed direct-vent gas unit, on the natural-gas mains that serve the valley, is the most common way we do it.
Building it in during the rebuild
A renovation or rebuild is the ideal moment to add a first fireplace — the walls are open, so we can place the direct-vent termination cleanly and run the licensed gas line while everything's accessible. The 1940s-to-60s Grovemont homes and the newer rebuilds alike take a clean-face Napoleon or Heat & Glo unit well. Do it now and there's nothing to tear back into later.
Heat that doesn't depend on the grid
The outages here taught a hard lesson: central heat stops when the power does, and the homes that stayed warm had a working hearth. A gas fireplace with millivolt or battery-backup ignition keeps throwing heat with the grid down; a Regency wood-burner is total independence. An electric unit looks tidy but goes dead in an outage — we'll tell you that straight.
Damp valley, sealed unit
Swannanoa's river-valley fog and cold-air pooling are hard on masonry, so a sealed direct-vent fireplace with no chimney is a durable choice for a first hearth. We're 15 minutes east, and we pull the Buncombe County permit and meet the inspector. Free assessment — (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- At what stage of new construction does the fireplace get installed?
- Is adding a fireplace during a remodel more involved than in new construction?
- Can a fireplace be installed in an upstairs or second-floor room?
- Can you add a fireplace to a house that has no gas service?
- What should my builder rough in now if I want a fireplace later?