How do I choose a fireplace design when building a new home?
In Swannanoa, many new builds are rebuilds after the storm, and folks putting a home back together want a fireplace that keeps them warm the next time the power goes. You're on natural-gas mains here, so build in a sealed gas unit with battery-backup or millivolt ignition. Decide the look and the gas rough-in together, early, while the framing is open.
Rebuilding with backup heat in mind
Swannanoa is rebuilding, and the multi-day outages that followed the storm are fresh — the houses that stayed warm had a working hearth. A rebuild is the ideal moment to design that in: a sealed direct-vent gas fireplace with battery-backup or millivolt ignition throws heat with the grid down, and a Valor H5 runs on no electricity at all. On natural gas across most of Swannanoa, we tap the main cleanly and set it all before drywall.
Learn from the old Grovemont hearths
Grovemont's 1940s-to-'60s homes were built around original masonry fireplaces, and the river-valley fog, cold-air pooling, and damp are hard on those old flues. A new or rebuilt home can do better with a sealed appliance that vents out a sidewall and never exposes a masonry liner to the moisture. Pick a Napoleon Ascent 36 or a Heat & Glo unit for real heat, size it past 20 Btu per square foot for the cool valley floor, and set placement on the plan.
One Buncombe-permitted team
Fifteen minutes east of our Emma Road showroom, a Swannanoa rebuild should run through one accountable company — appliance, venting, gas line, Buncombe County permit, and the inspector's sign-off. Permitted gas work protects the home sale and your insurance; a showroom or handyman legally can't connect the fuel. Come see the outage-ready units, get a free design consultation, and call (828) 545-0525.
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.