Should I take the builder's standard fireplace or upgrade through a specialty showroom?
If the fireplace matters to you, upgrade through a specialty showroom. Builders spec a value unit to hit a price point — usually a basic gas box that's genuinely fine, just not memorable. A showroom lets you see units burning, compare flame quality and heat output, and match the right size and fuel. And a licensed gas contractor, not the framing crew, connects it.
What 'builder standard' usually is
The fireplace in a base spec is chosen for budget, not for you — often an entry-level gas unit like a Heatilator Novus, which is a solid first gas fireplace and nothing to apologize for. But it's one option, sight unseen, with no chance to compare it against anything. For a lot of buyers that's fine. For the room you'll actually gather in every winter, it's worth a second look.
What the showroom adds
Coming into the Asheville showroom, you see the flame in person and feel real heat — the difference between a Napoleon everyday workhorse, a Heat & Glo great-room anchor with a clean face for a TV above, and a linear Valor that keeps throwing warmth with the grid down. You can weigh linear against traditional and lock in the right fuel for your address. And we size it honestly — bigger isn't better, and the right appliance beats the priciest one.
The licensing piece
However you buy it, the fuel connection is licensed work in North Carolina. We install right alongside your builder — the appliance, the venting, the permitted and pressure-tested gas line — as one accountable company for the part that makes heat, while your GC handles framing and finish. That's a cleaner outcome than a framing crew setting a box and someone else hunting for a license later. Call (828) 545-0525.
Related questions
- When during new-home construction should I choose and order the fireplace?
- Should I buy a fireplace from a specialty showroom or a big-box store?
- Why should I see a fireplace burning in person before I buy it?
- Are the fireplaces sold at big-box stores the same quality as showroom brands?
- Can my general contractor install the fireplace during a remodel?
- How long does a gas fireplace last?
Still deciding? Talk to a real installer.
Free assessments across Western North Carolina — no pressure, straight answers.