Fireplace Services
Fireplace installation details for Markham homes
Every trade's share is named in the estimate, so nothing is left to guesswork.
Insulation, vapor barriers and the fireplace
One maker's manual says the fireplace must not be placed against a vapor barrier or exposed insulation, and an outside wall or a chase may contain both. That matters whenever the fireplace goes on an exterior wall.
We check what the wall contains before we set the unit and frame the space so the fireplace body stays clear of those materials. Where the manual calls for a lined enclosure, we build it that way. Any insulation we move is put back around the enclosure, so the wall keeps its insulation and the fireplace keeps its clearances.
Facing materials on a factory-built fireplace
The face around a factory-built fireplace is part of its listing. One maker allows only noncombustible tile, brick or stone on the face and warns against covering the cooling slots.
Before the finish is chosen, you and your tile setter get the face limits from the manual. A face that respects the slots and the materials list keeps the fireplace inside its listing. If your design calls for a material the manual does not list, we check with the maker before it goes on, and we record the answer.
Alarm requirements for new rooms
Florida law requires an approved, working carbon monoxide alarm within 10 feet of each room used for sleeping in new buildings and additions that include a fireplace, a fossil-fuel appliance or an attached garage, or where the Florida Building Code requires one.
We raise this during planning for any addition or new home that includes a fireplace, so the alarm is on the project list from the start. Its placement is part of the builder's or electrician's scope. Whether the alarm is battery powered or hardwired, it is one more line on the project list, and we note it in the written record.
Ahead of the first fire
A new fireplace should be used only after its installation is complete and its instructions are read. One maker asks for the damper to be open whenever the fireplace is in use and for the fireplace to be inspected and cleaned before use.
We walk through the first fire with you, including the damper, the screen and any doors. You keep the manual and the written record of the work together, and our workmanship warranty covers the installation. If the maker lists a break-in procedure for the first fires, we go through it with you step by step.
