In Swannanoa, a lot of craftsman fireplace work is tied to rebuilding after the storm. The Grovemont area's 1940s-to-60s homes carry original masonry fireplaces with real character, and renovations are underway across town. Whether you're restoring an original hearth or adding one to a rebuilt house, keep the honest craftsman materials and put an outage-proof gas or wood firebox behind them.
Rebuilding, with backup heat in mind
Storm recovery pushed a wave of renovations and rebuilds through Swannanoa, and homeowners are thinking harder about heat that works when the grid doesn't. The Grovemont-area homes have original masonry fireboxes worth preserving — solid mantels, brick surrounds — and behind that character we can set a sealed direct-vent gas unit with millivolt or battery-backup ignition, so it keeps throwing heat with the power out. A wood-burning firebox goes further, giving total grid independence. Either honors the craftsman look while fixing the real lesson of the last few winters.
Gas mains, damp valley chimneys
Swannanoa runs on natural-gas mains, so a direct-vent Napoleon Ascent 36 or a realistic split-oak log set gives you the traditional flame with no wood to haul. The river valley's fog and cold-air pooling are hard on masonry, so if an old flue is marginal, a sealed unit sidesteps it entirely — no chimney required. Around it, quarter-sawn oak, earthy tile, clinker brick, and flanking built-ins carry the Arts-and-Crafts feel.
Fifteen minutes east, one crew
We're only 15 minutes east, and we handle the appliance, venting, gas line, Buncombe County permit, and inspection as one accountable crew — no stitching the job across a showroom and a mason, and only a licensed gas contractor can legally connect the fuel. Call (828) 545-0525 or visit our Asheville showroom.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.