Our Process

The details behind installing your Geneva gas fireplace

Gas fireplace vent parts that belong to one system

A vent system is tested with the fireplace it serves. The fuel gas code requires vents to be sized, installed and terminated to the vent and appliance manufacturers' instructions (502.5), and one maker disclaims installations that modify the appliance or vent system or use parts it has not approved.

Our crew uses the pipe, elbows, firestops and caps listed for your fireplace and does not mix brands because two pieces happen to fit together. The vent parts installed in your Geneva home are named on your written record.

Framing the opening for a new gas fireplace

The framed opening has to fit the unit and its finish. One direct-vent manual notes that if the inside of the framed cavity will be finished, the framing dimensions must include the finished surface, and that framing or finishing material on or in front of the unit closer than the listed minimums must be entirely noncombustible, such as steel studs and concrete board.

Our crew frames to the maker's instructions, sets the standoffs where the maker shows them and checks every clearance before the wall is closed in your Geneva home.

Facing materials around a gas fireplace

Tile, stone and brick veneer can dress up a gas fireplace, but only within the maker's rules. One B-vent manual allows only noncombustible materials over the black face of the unit, attached with adhesive rated for at least 300 degrees F, with sealant at the joint to the wall rated the same.

Before you pick a finish, our specialists check what your model's instructions allow at the face and around it. If a stone mason or tile setter is finishing the wall in your Geneva home, we share those limits with them first.

Permits and inspections for a gas fireplace installation

Permit and inspection needs depend on the property and the work. One maker's manual tells installers to consult local building and fire officials about restrictions, installation inspection and permits, and the fuel gas code requires new gas piping to be inspected and tested before use.

Before work starts, the approvals that apply to your Geneva project are discussed and the inspection points built into the schedule, so nothing is covered before it has been seen. Who applies for any permit, and what it costs, is written on the estimate so nothing is hidden.