Should I buy a fireplace from a specialty showroom or a big-box store?
In Asheville, buy from a specialty showroom — and it happens to be right here on Emma Road. A big-box store hands you a firebox and walks away from the gas line, venting, permit, and inspection. Steady Flame is a licensed gas contractor that carries the whole job, from a lit showroom display to the Buncombe inspector's sign-off.
Your showroom is a short drive, not a shipping label
Most people never see the fireplace they order actually burning. Ours sit lit at 629 Emma Rd, where you can stand in front of a Napoleon Ascent or a Heat & Glo great-room anchor and feel the heat before you decide. A catalog photo can't tell you how a flame reads across a room.
Being headquartered in town also means service stays local. When a pilot needs cleaning before winter, the same company that installed it is minutes away — not a national warranty line reading a script.
Montford masonry and South Asheville new builds want different answers
Asheville is really two housing stories. The original masonry fireplaces in Montford and North Asheville often lose more heat up the flue than they put into the room; a sealed gas insert turns that drafty firebox into a real heater while keeping the mantel you love. Newer South Asheville construction suits clean-face gas and modern linear designs.
A big-box store sells one box to both homes. A showroom that has worked these neighborhoods since 2005 steers you to the unit that fits your house, your chimney, and how you'll actually use it.
The connection a shelf can't make
Natural-gas mains run through much of Asheville, which makes direct-vent installs straightforward — but only a licensed gas contractor can legally run or extend that line, pressure-test it, and pull the Buncombe County permit. A retailer, a handyman, or a general contractor cannot.
Buy the box alone and you still have to come find us to make it burn. Buying the whole job from one accountable local team is simpler and safer. Call (828) 545-0525 or stop by the showroom.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- Are the fireplaces sold at big-box stores the same quality as showroom brands?
- Is it OK to buy a fireplace online and hire someone local to install it?
- Why should I see a fireplace burning in person before I buy it?
- Will fireplace installers install a unit I bought somewhere else?
- Do fireplace stores install what they sell, or do I have to find my own installer?