How much does it cost to reface or update the look of an existing fireplace?
In Asheville the number swings widely, because refacing an original masonry firebox in a 1910 Montford house is a different job than updating a clean-face gas unit in a newer South Asheville build. Either way it's cosmetic work, priced well below a full replacement — and with our showroom right here on Emma Road, comparing materials in person couldn't be easier.
Your neighborhood previews the price
Montford, North Asheville, and older West Asheville homes often carry deep original brick, tall mantels, and hearths a mason built by the ton a century ago. That character is worth keeping, but pulling or covering that much masonry is genuine demolition — dusty, labor-heavy, and the line item that surprises people most. Newer South Asheville and Biltmore Village construction leans the other way, toward flat, clean-face fronts where a fresh tile or stacked-stone treatment is mostly surface work over a much smaller wall. Tell us the street and describe the wall, and we can usually sketch the range before we ever step inside — the material you choose, the square footage you're covering, and how much of the old look has to come off first do most of the talking.
Fold in the insert while the wall is open
The question worth asking before the stone goes up: is the fireplace also tired? An open masonry firebox looks handsome and still sends most of its heat up the flue. If a sealed gas insert is anywhere in your future, do it now — set the Napoleon Oakville X4 into the old opening first, then finish the new face around it a single time instead of cutting into fresh work in a few years. Running that gas line is licensed work in North Carolina; a mason or a handyman legally can't connect it, but we can, and we pull the Buncombe County permit and pressure-test the line. Handle samples at 629 Emma Road, or book a free in-home design look at (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- How much does the finishing work — stone surround, mantel, tile — add to a fireplace project?
- How much does it cost to replace an old builder-grade prefab (zero-clearance) fireplace with a new unit?
- How much does it cost to swap an old gas insert for a new one?
- How much value does a fireplace add to a home?
- Will a gas insert lower my heating bills compared to my open fireplace?