Arden's 1980s and '90s homes in Royal Pines and Skyland tend to have open masonry fireplaces that look dated and pull heat out of the room. The cheap fix is cosmetic — limewash or paint the brick, repaint the doors, swap the media on a gas unit — but paint won't stop the draft; a sealed insert does, at a bigger price.
Cosmetic wins for the tired open hearth
The open masonry fireboxes in Arden's established Skyland and Royal Pines neighborhoods are prime cheap-update candidates. Limewash calms a busy brick wall, masonry paint in white or charcoal modernizes it fully, high-heat black revives dated brass doors, and a restained mantel finishes the look — a weekend and a few cans against a full remodel.
The natural-gas shortcut
Arden sits on the natural-gas mains, so if your fireplace is gas rather than open masonry, the fastest cheap change is the media: a fresh Real Fyre log set, fire glass, or a river-rock bed rebuilds the flame for a fraction of a remodel, quoted upfront. A dark interior panel keeps the firebox looking good even when it's off.
Paint won't fix the draft
Here's the honest caveat these older open hearths earn: they look great once refreshed but still lose heat up the flue, pulling warm room air with it. A sealed insert turns that drafty box into a real heater — but that's licensed, permitted work with Buncombe County, not a budget line. We'll tell you plainly which you need, no upselling. Call (828) 545-0525; we're 15 minutes south.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.