Fireplace Services

Inside a new fireplace installation

The listing or the Florida Building Code sets the rules, and every line of the price is written first.

Chimney height above the roof

On a masonry chimney, the Florida Building Code measures height two ways, 3 feet minimum above the roof penetration and 2 feet minimum above any part of the building standing within 10 feet. A factory-built chimney terminates as its maker's instructions direct, and one chimney maker repeats the same NFPA 211 height rule.

The roof, nearby ridges and walls are measured and the height planned before sections are ordered. A chimney that ends too low is one of the few mistakes that cannot be fixed without going back up.

Building the chase

An exterior chase encloses the chimney on the outside of the house. One fireplace maker asks for it to be framed like the house walls, with the listed air space around the chimney, a noncombustible chase top and never a single-wall pipe inside.

Our crew frames and sheathes the chase to the manual and fits the chase top from the system. The outside finish can match your walls, and the estimate lists who handles it. Inside the chase, the chimney keeps its listed air space from top to bottom, and insulation stays off the chimney sections as the manual requires.

A chase top that sheds rain

One fireplace maker's manual has the chase top pitched away from the pipe opening, and one chase maker's instructions call for the storm collar to be sealed where it meets the pipe. Both details keep rain moving off the chase.

We set the slope and seal the collar as the manuals for your system describe. A chase top that holds water can rust early, so this is a detail worth getting right on day one. We also check that the storm collar sits snug against the pipe and that the cap is fastened the way the system lists it.

The roof opening for the chimney

The chimney has to pass through the roof somewhere, and one chimney maker advises against modifying roof beams to make room for it. The route is chosen to fall between structural members where possible.

We lay out the roof opening from inside the attic before cutting and coordinate the roofing work with your roofer or ours. The roof side of the job is listed in the estimate with who does it and in what order. The roof opening is covered at the end of each work day until the chimney and its roof parts are in place.