Does adding a fireplace or fire pit increase income for an Airbnb or vacation rental?
For a Flat Rock rental, yes — and the trick here is honoring the history while fixing what it costs you. These 1800s homes came with grand open masonry fireplaces that guests love on sight but that pull cold drafts into the room and lose most of their heat. A sealed gas insert keeps the antique mantel and finally makes the fire work.
Beautiful hearth, terrible heater
Flat Rock's historic homes are the draw — the oversized fireplaces, the period mantels, the character a guest can't get at a chain. But those open fireboxes were built for a different era: they send most of their heat straight up an aging clay flue and, worse, they pull cold outside air down into the room when they're cold. A guest lighting one on a raw evening often ends up colder, not warmer. Dropping a sealed gas insert into the existing opening solves both — the historic face stays, the draft stops, and the fire finally throws real heat.
Old flue, modern safety
Those decades-old clay liners are the other reason to convert. Cracked or gapped flue tiles are a real hazard, and they're not something to gamble on with a rotating cast of guests. A sealed insert is fitted with a correctly sized liner and sealed combustion, so you're not betting anyone's safety on 150-year-old masonry. Flat Rock sits on natural-gas mains, so most installs tie into existing service — and gas means push-button flame with nothing for a guest to haul, tend, or leave smoldering at checkout.
Permitted, so the character is protected too
Preserving a historic home's value means keeping its paperwork clean, and unpermitted gas work is exactly what complicates an insurance claim or a future sale. We pull the Henderson County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector — one licensed company handling appliance, liner, and gas together. We're 30 minutes south of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Flat Rock
We install and service fireplaces throughout Flat Rock and the rest of Henderson County — just 30 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.