Can I use a reclaimed barn beam as a fireplace mantel?
Yes — and in Swannanoa, where so many homes are being rebuilt and renovated after the storm, a reclaimed barn beam gives a brand-new hearth the soul the old house had. We're installing more fireplaces and stoves here than ever. The timber has to be checked for rot and pests, dried, and mounted at the unit's clearance.
New hearths, old soul
Grovemont's 1940s–60s homes carried original masonry fireplaces, and the rebuilds and renovations underway across Swannanoa Village and Bee Tree are a chance to put that character back. A reclaimed chestnut or oak beam gives a freshly framed room the settled feel a new mantel can't — part of why demand for new fireplace and stove installs has climbed here.
River-valley moisture cuts both ways
Swannanoa's river-valley fog, cold-air pooling, and damp air are hard on masonry chimneys — and hard on raw timber. A beam that isn't properly dried will move in a heated home.
So we acclimate it, clear it of hardware and insects, and anchor it into the new structure with a concealed cleat so it stays put through the seasons.
Permitted, and safe to the chart
New fireplace or stove work means a Buncombe County permit and inspection, and the beam is set at the manufacturer's clearance-to-combustibles. Call (828) 545-0525; Swannanoa is 15 minutes east of the Emma Rd showroom.
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.