Can I use a reclaimed barn beam as a fireplace mantel?
Yes — and Weaverville gives a barn beam two very different jobs. On a brand-new Reems Creek gas fireplace, a reclaimed timber hands a fresh house instant age and warmth. On an older downtown home, it replaces a tired mantel over an original masonry firebox. Either way it has to be sound, dry, and mounted at the required clearance.
New construction, old soul
Reems Creek's rapid new builds come with clean, builder-standard gas fireboxes that can feel a little characterless. A rough-hewn reclaimed beam is the fastest way to give a new Weaverville room the settled, been-here-forever feel — chestnut or heart pine over a new clean-face unit reads custom, not spec-house.
Natural-gas mains serve the town, so these are almost always sealed gas installs.
Downtown's original fireboxes
Older homes around downtown Weaverville often carry inefficient original masonry fireboxes with dated mantels. Swapping in a reclaimed timber — frequently alongside a sealed insert to fix the draft — keeps the period feel while modernizing how the fireplace actually works.
The north-facing valley warms slowly in spring, so these hearths run later into the season than they do south of Asheville.
Set to spec, permitted if needed
We clear the old wood of hardware and pests, acclimate it, and anchor it into structure at the manufacturer's clearance. If it's tied to gas work, we pull the Buncombe County permit. Fifteen minutes north of the showroom — call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Weaverville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Weaverville and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.