How can I update my fireplace without completely replacing it?
In Waynesville, at nearly 2,650 feet with a heating season three weeks longer than Asheville's, the update that pays off most is a functional one — dropping a sealed insert into a drafty Hazelwood open firebox so it heats instead of leaks. We also reface, re-mantel, and swap doors. The in-home assessment is free.
Turn a heat-loser into a heat-source
Waynesville homes lean on their hearths harder than most — you sit 10 to 15 degrees colder than the lower WNC towns, and the heating season runs about three weeks longer. That's a problem for the older open masonry fireplaces common in Hazelwood and Frog Level, because an open firebox can actually run a net heat loss, pulling warmed room air straight up the chimney. The single most worthwhile update here isn't cosmetic at all: a [sealed insert](/services/fireplace-inserts) set into the existing opening commonly runs 70% efficient or better, so the same fireplace that drained heat starts producing it. You keep the mantel and the masonry you like; you change how the thing performs. If you also want a fresh face, we can reface the surround or swap the doors in the same visit.
Gas or wood, and who pulls the permit
Waynesville is mixed-fuel country — natural gas reaches much of town while homes up the ridges run on propane — so the right insert depends on what you burn. A Regency wood insert gives you overnight, grid-independent heat, which matters at this elevation when a storm takes the power; a gas insert gives you flame at a switch. Either way, the gas or venting connection is licensed work, and we pull the permit with Haywood County and meet the inspector. We're 35 minutes west of our Asheville showroom, so we plan Waynesville visits to get the assessment and the install done efficiently. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.