How can I update my fireplace without completely replacing it?
In Leicester, updates run toward propane and wood — most homes sit on large rural lots without a gas main, and some remote properties have limited electrical capacity, which rules out an electric insert. So we lean on propane inserts and wood-to-gas conversions. We reface too, and the assessment is free.
Rural fuel, and why electric often isn't it
Leicester is rural Buncombe — large wooded properties, no gas main down most roads, and a real tradition of wood heat. That combination steers the update away from the choices a town home might make. An electric insert, for instance, sounds easy, but it draws around 1,500 watts, and some of the remote properties out here have limited electrical capacity to spare — so on those homes, electric simply isn't the practical answer. Propane is. A propane-ready insert like the Kozy Heat Springfield adds controllable, sealed heat without any dependence on a gas main, and it holds a room through the cold-air drainage that leaves Leicester's rural valleys 5 to 8 degrees below Asheville on a clear winter night. Matching the appliance to how your property is actually supplied is the whole point.
Wood-to-gas, or better wood
If you're burning wood now, you've got two good directions. A [wood-to-gas conversion](/guides/convert-wood-fireplace-to-gas) trades cold-start smoke and hauling for flame at a switch — one of the more satisfying upgrades we do, and it keeps your masonry. Or, if you want to keep the wood fire and its total grid independence, a sealed Regency wood insert burns far cleaner and hotter than the open firebox it replaces, giving you overnight heat you own outright when the power's out. Connecting a propane system is licensed work — regulator, piping, appliance setup — that we permit through Buncombe County, with the tank coordinated through your supplier. We're 15 minutes west. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.