How do I choose a fireplace design when building a new home?
Building in Arden, the local lesson is written in the neighborhoods around you — the tired, drafty open masonry fireplaces in the 1980s and '90s Royal Pines and Skyland homes pull heat out of rooms. Design your new build to avoid that with a sealed unit that actually heats. You're on natural-gas mains, so decide the look and rough-in together, early.
Don't build the drafty hearth again
Arden's established Skyland and Royal Pines streets are full of open masonry fireplaces from the '80s and '90s that lose more heat up the flue than they put in the room — some open hearths run a net heat loss. A new build should skip that entirely: a sealed direct-vent gas unit keeps combustion behind glass, vents out a sidewall, and works as a real supplemental heater. On natural gas here, it's a clean tap and a straightforward rough-in.
Pick a look with real output
With the fuel settled, style is free to lead. A Napoleon Ascent 36 is the everyday workhorse; a Heat & Glo 6000CLX anchors a great room; a linear Napoleon Vector 50 reads modern for a media wall — and the Biltmore Park commercial spaces nearby favor exactly that clean-face linear look. Size the unit for the room, roughly 20 Btu per square foot as a floor and more for a vaulted ceiling, and remember bigger isn't better.
Buncombe permit, backup heat included
Fifteen minutes south of our Emma Road showroom, an Arden build runs through one licensed company — appliance, venting, gas line, Buncombe County permit, inspection. Choose battery-backup or millivolt ignition and the fireplace keeps throwing heat when the grid drops, as it did across the county after Helene. Come see the sealed units, get a free design consultation, and call (828) 545-0525.
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.