What's the best fireplace for a vacation home or second home that sits empty part of the year?

Trading the builder-grade box for a heater

Fletcher's 1990s-era subdivisions — Cane Creek, Howard Gap, the streets off Airport Road — were largely finished with fireplaces meant to be looked at, not lived on. A fireplace replacement swaps that tired box for a sealed unit that pulls its weight: Heat & Glo's 6000CLX where the fireplace anchors the main room, Heatilator's Novus nXt 36 as the practical pick, or Majestic's Meridian 42 if you want a linear look that still reads traditional. That upgrade matters most in a house that sits — the decorative box does nothing for cold rooms or frozen-pipe risk, while a sealed direct-vent unit is built to heat. Specify millivolt or battery-backup ignition and the new unit doubles as the house's outage plan — heat that continues when the power doesn't and nobody's home to react.

Mains gas makes absentee ownership simple

Being on the natural-gas mains is the underrated luxury here: no propane deliveries to schedule around visits, no gauge to check before a holiday weekend, fuel simply present whenever you arrive. Gas fireplace installation typically runs $3,500 to $8,000 installed, depending on the unit, the venting, and how far the gas line has to travel — and the line work is ours by license, permitted with Henderson County, inspected, and pressure-tested.

We're 20 minutes north on the I-26 corridor at 629 Emma Rd in Asheville, and Fletcher owners are well placed for a quick visit — the units above are on display at the showroom. Book an annual tune-up (from $189) for late summer, and call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.