What is the best fireplace to put in new construction?
In Swannanoa, where much of today's new construction is rebuilding after the storm, the best fireplace is the one that still heats with the power out: a direct-vent gas unit with battery-backup or millivolt ignition, or an EPA-certified wood fireplace. This valley learned firsthand that central heat stops when the grid does.
Rebuilding with the outage in mind
Recovery from the storm damage has made new fireplace and stove installations one of the most common requests we get in Swannanoa's rebuilt homes — and the spec people ask for has changed. The Valor H5 runs on a millivolt valve with no blower and no circuit board, and keeps throwing radiant warmth through a full grid-down week. The Napoleon Ascent 36 lights on battery backup. And a Regency wood fireplace is the gold standard of grid independence — framed into a rebuild now, it never depends on a utility again. No one who spent those nights in this valley needs the argument made twice.
This valley is hard on chimneys — don't build one you don't need
River-valley fog, cold-air pooling, and damp air work on masonry year-round here, and Grovemont's 1940s-to-60s homes with their original masonry fireplaces show the long-term result. Unless wood heat is the point, a new build should go sealed: direct-vent combustion needs no chimney at all — a coaxial pipe through the sidewall — which removes the valley's favorite maintenance item from your future entirely.
Close, permitted, and accountable
Swannanoa has natural-gas service, we're 15 minutes away at 629 Emma Rd in Asheville, and we handle the full sequence as one licensed company — gas line, pressure test, Buncombe County permit, inspector. In North Carolina, connecting fuel is licensed work no general contractor or rebuild crew can legally do, and on a rebuild the permit record protects your insurance. As a reference point, a fully vented gas or wood fireplace with a new fuel line and chimney runs $4,000–$12,000 — a free in-home assessment pins down where your rebuild lands. Call (828) 545-0525.
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.