How do I make a 1970s floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace look modern?
In Mars Hill, fuel and use drive the plan: the rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valley homes mostly run propane or wood, while the university-area rentals want something easy and reliable. So the 1970s stone can be limewashed or refaced, but behind it we set up either a propane insert for the country homes or a simple, tenant-proof gas unit near campus.
Country homes: propane, real heat
Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes lean on propane and wood, and this is one of the colder corners we serve — so a remodel here is a chance to make the fireplace pull real weight. Behind a limewashed or refaced wall, a sealed insert converted for propane gives clean, power-optional heat with the right LP pressures and orifices.
Get the fuel setup right and the new glass and stone stay clean; get it wrong and propane's hotter burn soots them fast.
Campus rentals: easy and durable
Near Mars Hill University, the academic-year demand is for fireplaces that just work — flame at a switch, nothing for a tenant to mishandle. A clean reface over the old stone plus a sealed gas insert fits that better than a fussy open firebox.
Mars Hill is mixed-fuel, so the conversion is set for whatever your home runs. We pull the Madison County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector — the licensed step no handyman can legally do. Thirty minutes from our Asheville showroom.
Scope it to your budget
A remodel here can be as light as a limewash or as full as a rebuilt surround with a new sealed insert, and we'll lay out the honest trade-offs so you choose the scope that fits — no pressure and no upselling toward the most expensive option. For larger projects, financing is available for qualified buyers, subject to credit approval, through Wells Fargo. Whether it's a rural family home or a rental near campus, the goal is the right appliance for the room, not the biggest invoice. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.