Does adding a fireplace or fire pit increase income for an Airbnb or vacation rental?
In Swannanoa, yes — and a lot of that comes down to the rebuilds. As storm-damaged homes come back, owners are putting in new fireplaces and stoves from the start, and for a rental that's a chance to build in an outage-proof gas hearth that guests filter for and that keeps the house warm when the power drops.
Rebuilding? Build the fire in
Swannanoa took a beating, and the recovery has meant a wave of renovations and new construction through Grovemont, Bee Tree, and the Owen area. If your rental is being rebuilt or refreshed, that's the ideal moment to install a proper hearth rather than bolt one on later — the walls are open, the venting run is easy, and you can size a real heat-producing gas fireplace into the plan. Guests filter for a fireplace, it anchors the listing photo, and in this valley the cool, foggy evenings mean they'll actually use it well past winter.
The heat that stays on when the grid doesn't
This valley knows what days without power feel like, and that's the strongest argument for gas here. A millivolt or battery-backup gas fireplace keeps throwing heat with the grid down, while a central-heat house — and any electric fireplace — goes cold. A rental that stays warm through an outage is one that earns a five-star review instead of a refund; put 'heat during outages' in your listing and it means something in Swannanoa. We're honest that electric can't do it, so we'll point you to the units that keep working.
Permitted from the start
Building it in right means permitting it right. Swannanoa runs on natural-gas mains, so most installs are a clean tie-in, and we pull the Buncombe County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector — the paper your rental insurance stands on. We're 15 minutes east of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free assessment.
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.