Fireplace installation in Redondo Beach CA - a gas fire that suits the house you have
Got a cold fireplace you never use, or a room with none? We'll fit a gas insert or add a vented fireplace that heats the room.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Should you convert your old fireplace or add a new one in Redondo Beach?
Fireplace installation in Redondo Beach usually means one of two jobs: fitting a gas insert into a wood fireplace you already have, or adding a new fireplace that sends its exhaust outside. Either way, the unit heats air and pushes it into the room, so the whole room gets warm, not just the hearth.
Maybe you've got a brick fireplace you stopped lighting years ago, or a family room with no fireplace at all. The price and the schedule turn mostly on which of those you have, how far a vent has to run to get outside, and how much framing and surround work goes around the unit, such as a hearth or a stone veneer face. I'll go over all of it when I come out, and the estimate gives you the price for your house.
How do you know it's time for a new fireplace or insert?
A fireplace you never light
If your wood fireplace sits dark because of the smoke, the ash or hauling wood, it's usually a good candidate for a gas insert. Leaving it means you keep looking after a chimney and firebox that give you no heat.
A room that never warms up
A den or family room that stays chilly while the rest of the house is fine often has no real heat source of its own. A new vented fireplace puts heat right where you sit, and putting it off just means another cold season in that room.
Smoke or soot on the face
Black marks above the opening or a smoky smell in the room usually mean the fireplace isn't drawing the way it should, and that needs a look before anything goes in. Waiting lets soot build up and can hide damage in the firebox or chimney.
How we handle fireplace installation
First we find out whether your fireplace is masonry or factory built, since that decides what can go in it. Then we go over where a vent could run, out through a side wall or up through the roof, before you pick a unit, because direct-vent models come in several vent setups and the right one depends on your house. In a masonry chimney the flue liner, the lining that carries exhaust up and out, has to be right before an insert goes in, so we check it first. Once you've chosen, our crew sets the unit, runs the vent, builds or finishes the surround and cleans up.
A new fireplace often needs masonry around it, and that's the rest of our work. If the unit needs a raised hearth or a wall to sit in, we build it from concrete block, and many owners finish the face with stone veneer so it matches the room.
Gas insert in your wood fireplace
This suits you if you already have a wood fireplace, because converting it usually costs less than adding a new one. The insert sits in the existing firebox and uses the chimney to vent.
New direct-vent fireplace
This suits a room with no fireplace, because the unit sends its exhaust straight outside through a wall or the roof. It takes more framing and venting, so it costs more and runs longer than an insert.
Masonry hearth and surround
This suits you if you want the fireplace to look built into the house rather than set against a wall. We build the hearth and surround in block, brick or stone around whichever unit you choose.
Get a fireplace installation estimate for your home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at your fireplace and vent options, and give you a free estimate on site, with no obligation.
Call (424) 265-1368What happens when you call about a fireplace in Redondo Beach?
Here's how a fireplace job runs from your first call to the finished unit, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call us or send the form
Call (424) 265-1368 or use the form, and we'll set a time to come out. It helps to know whether your fireplace is masonry or factory built and where a vent might run, but I can work that out on site if you're not sure.
I look at your fireplace
I come out myself, check what you have and answer whatever you want to ask. You get a price for the work, along with the kinds of units that will fit and the vent routes that make sense for your house.
We sort out the permit
If you go ahead, we check the permit steps with your city or county office before work starts. When the job needs a permit, we take care of it.
Our crew installs, I check
Our crew sets the unit, runs the vent and finishes the surround, with me on site checking the work as it goes. We clean up before we leave and show you how to run the fireplace.
Why Redondo Beach homeowners call us for fireplace work
What matters most is that the unit suits the fireplace and the house it's going into, and no question about that is too small to ask me. When you're ready, contact us to set up a visit.
The owner gives your estimate
I come out to look at your fireplace myself, and our crew does the install with me checking it on site. You're talking to the same person from the first visit to the finished job.
In the trade since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, nine years now, and I grew up mixing mortar for my uncle before that. That time teaches you to look at what's already there before deciding what goes into it.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Based right here in Redondo Beach
We're based in Redondo Beach, so the city's permit and inspection steps, covered below, are part of how we plan your job from the start. That keeps an inspection from turning into a surprise halfway through.
Fireplace and masonry work in Redondo Beach
In Redondo Beach, the city's Building & Safety office answers whether your fireplace job needs a building permit, at (310) 318-0636, and it takes every application through its Citizen Portal. Whether yours needs one is the city's call, so we check before we start and take care of the permit when it's needed. Every building permit in the city also needs a Waste Management Plan. The city inspects work before it's covered up, so on a new fireplace the vent and framing get looked at before the wall is closed in, and nothing counts as approved until the city's inspectors accept it. We plan the job around that inspection.
We're based in Redondo Beach and work across the cities around it, and we see the same mix of older brick wood fireplaces and newer factory-built units on jobs in Hermosa Beach and Torrance. That mix is why we find out which kind you have before anyone talks about units.
Questions about fireplace installation in Redondo Beach
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace in Redondo Beach?
Across the US, installing a gas fireplace usually costs about $2,500 to $11,000 per job, from an insert to a new direct-vent unit, with labor included. That's a national figure, not our price, and your number turns on whether you already have a fireplace, how far the vent runs and how much surround work goes around it. I'll give you a figure for your house once I've seen it.
How do I know if a gas insert will fit my wood fireplace?
Start by finding out whether your fireplace is masonry or factory built, because a factory-built one, also called zero-clearance, can only take an insert designed and tested for that unit. That narrows the list before you shop, and it's the first thing I check when I come out.
Is a vent-free gas fireplace a good choice?
EPA doesn't support gas models that need no outside venting, because of indoor air quality concerns, and installing an unvented gas stove is illegal in some places. If you're looking at one, ask whether it's allowed where you live before you buy.
Will a gas fireplace work during a power outage?
A unit with a standing pilot and a millivolt valve, a gas valve that runs off the pilot's own heat, keeps working without electricity, while an electronic ignition model needs power. Many electronic models have a battery backup, but the blower stops either way, so you get radiant heat only until the power comes back.
How long does fireplace installation take?
Most projects take one to three days, and putting an insert into a sound existing fireplace is at the short end. New framing, venting and surround work stretch the schedule, so plan for the longer end if you're adding a new fireplace.
How often should a gas fireplace be inspected?
Once a year. A yearly inspection checks the firebox, the venting, the dampers and the chimney, and it catches problems before they turn costly or dangerous.
Masonry work that goes with a new fireplace
- Stone veneer installation
A stone face around a new insert or fireplace makes it look built into the room, and it covers plain framing without the weight of full stone.
- Concrete block walls
When a fireplace needs a raised hearth, a solid base or a wall to sit in, block gives it a sturdy, noncombustible structure that lasts.
Cities where we install fireplaces
CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry is based in Redondo Beach, CA, and installs fireplaces across the cities around it. The 12 cities below each have their own page, including Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes Estates, and we work beyond them too.
Redondo Beach, CA
Call about your fireplace installation today
We take calls from 6 AM to 11 PM on weekdays and 7 AM to 11 PM on weekends, so you can reach us before or after work.