How much does it cost to reface or update the look of an existing fireplace?
In Mars Hill, refacing spans easy university-rental refreshes to full stone in the rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys — where propane and wood do the heating. Materials and demolition set the price, and on LP properties the gas side factors in. It stays cosmetic work priced under replacement, scaled to what you're after.
Two markets, one town
Around Mars Hill University, rentals want easy-use, low-fuss fireplaces and durable surrounds that take heavy academic-year turnover — often a gas insert behind fresh stone so a flip of the switch does the work. Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes lean on propane or wood, and a reface there is frequently paired with a real heater for one of the colder pockets we serve. The material you choose, the wall size, and how much old masonry comes off do most of the pricing — tell us which side of town and we'll frame it.
Propane and wood, done to code
On the LP homes out the valleys, adding a gas insert behind the new face means the right orifices, pressure, and a pressure-tested line, permitted through Madison County. If it's a wood insert instead, a correctly sized liner is part of doing it safely and getting an overnight burn — a Regency wood unit turns a drafty open firebox into genuine grid-independent heat. Running gas is licensed work; a mason can build the surround but can't connect the fuel, and we do both. Mars Hill is 30 minutes north of our Emma Road showroom.
See it before the semester or the cold
Whether you're prepping a rental before the academic year or a valley home before the first hard freeze, choose materials early. Visit 629 Emma Road to handle stone and tile, or have us bring samples to a free in-home look and stage them against your wall. 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.
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?