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Fireplace Remodeling

Fireplace Remodeling in the Seattle Area, WA.

The fireplace works. It just belongs to 1978. Remodeling changes the face, the hearth and the proportions without touching what makes it function.

What Can Change and What Cannot

Some of a Fireplace Is Taste. Some of It Is Listed.

Most fireplace remodels are driven by how the thing looks: a floor-to-ceiling brick wall in a colour nobody has chosen since the seventies, a hearth that eats the room, a mantel at the wrong height, a surround that fights everything else in the space. All of that is changeable. What is useful to know at the start is which parts of a fireplace are aesthetic decisions and which are fixed by the appliance.

The facing material, the mantel, the hearth finish and how far up the wall the masonry runs are all yours to choose. The required clearances to combustible material are not – they are set by the fireplace rather than by the drawing, and they govern the design of the surround itself. The other fixed quantity is what is behind the old facing, which nobody knows until it comes off: on a remodel of any age we regularly find a substrate that will not carry the material someone has picked out, or a mantel that was fixed to nothing in particular.

So the useful conversation at the start is about scope rather than finishes. Refacing – new material on the existing opening – is the cheapest version and covers most of what people want. Changing the size or height of the opening is masonry and sometimes structural work and belongs in the scope from day one, not as a change order. And if converting to gas is on your mind at all, doing it during the remodel means the wall is opened once instead of twice. We will tell you which of those three your idea actually is before anything comes off the wall.

How We Work

How We Remodel a Fireplace

Establish the clearances, then design inside them rather than around them afterwards.

Full system inspection

We establish what the fireplace actually is, what its required clearances are, and what is behind the existing facing - because what the mantel can be fixed to decides a good deal of the design.

01

Define the Scope

You get the facing material, hearth, mantel and extent agreed against the clearances the fireplace requires, with any opening or structural change called out as its own line.

02

Execute the Repair

Existing facing removed, the substrate and any support built or corrected, then the new surround, hearth and mantel installed to the required clearances.

03

Verify & Document

We confirm the finished clearances to combustibles and the hearth extension are correct, operate the fireplace, and photograph what was behind the old facing.

04

Our Projects

Real WORK. REAL Results.

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Why Chimneyz

Masonry Is the Trade Here

Most fireplace remodels are sold by people who do finishes and subcontract anything structural. Ours runs the other way: masonry is what we do, so changing an opening, carrying a stone surround properly or correcting what is behind the old facing is ordinary work rather than a change order.

GAF Certified Contractor

Factory-certified roofing installer with access to enhanced warranty coverage and proven materials.

BBB Accredited

Better Business Bureau accreditation with a commitment to ethical practices and customer satisfaction.

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Get a Clear Inspection and the Right Repair Plan.

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CLIENT REVIEWS

Trusted by Homeowners the Pacific Northwest.

See how Chimneyz solves complex chimney, roofline, masonry, and restoration issues with clear scopes and high-quality execution.

FAQ

Fireplace Remodeling FAQ

A remodel is mostly a design conversation with a few non-negotiable numbers in it.

Can I reface my fireplace without rebuilding it?

Usually yes. The facing, hearth finish and mantel are all changeable while the firebox and venting stay exactly as they are, which is what keeps a refacing much cheaper than a rebuild.

Can the opening be made bigger or smaller?

It can, but that is masonry and sometimes structural work rather than refacing, and it belongs in the scope from the beginning. We will tell you which one your idea actually is.

Can a prefab fireplace be remodelled, or only a masonry one?

Both, with a caveat. A factory-built unit has a metal face and surround that are part of the appliance and cannot be covered over, so the design works around them rather than across them.

What usually turns up once the old facing is off?

A substrate that will not carry the material you picked, or a mantel fixed to nothing structural. Neither is a disaster, but both are why we would rather quote the substrate work than discover it mid-job.

Should I convert to gas at the same time?

If you are thinking about it at all, yes. Doing it during the remodel means the wall is opened once. Doing it later means undoing finished work to run a liner and a gas line.