If you have an existing fireplace you no longer use — a masonry wood opening, or an old gas unit that has stopped earning its place — you have two routes. They differ enormously in cost and disruption, and which one is available to you is largely decided by the opening you already have.
Worth understanding before you start shopping, because it changes what you should be looking at.
What an insert is
An insert is a sealed firebox that slides into your existing opening. The masonry stays. The surround largely stays. A liner runs up the existing chimney, gas is brought to the unit, and a surround panel closes the gap between the insert and the original opening.
It is the less disruptive route by a wide margin. Usually a day or two on site, no structural work, and the room is not opened up.
What a full replacement is
Removing what is there and building in a new unit — often a direct-vent gas fireplace that vents through a wall rather than up the chimney. This means framing, drywall, finishing, and a considerably longer project.
You do this when the existing opening cannot take an insert, or when you want the fireplace somewhere else, or when you want a modern linear unit that the old opening simply cannot accommodate.
What to measure before you shop
Take these to the showroom and the conversation gets much faster:
Opening width — at the front, and again at the back. Masonry openings frequently taper, and the back dimension is the one that constrains the insert.
Opening height — front and back again.
Depth — front face to back wall of the firebox.
Hearth extension — how far the hearth projects into the room, and whether it is flush or raised.
Chimney — is it a masonry chimney with a clay flue, or a metal factory-built chimney? Photograph the top if you can do so safely. Take the flue’s internal dimensions if visible.
A phone photo of the opening with a tape measure held across it is genuinely useful. We can usually tell you what is feasible from that before anyone drives anywhere.
What rules an insert out
Depth. This is the usual one. Many older masonry openings are shallower than a modern sealed insert needs. There is not much to be done about it short of masonry work, at which point you are in full-replacement territory anyway.
A chimney that cannot be lined. Offsets, a collapsed flue, or a chimney with structural problems. A chimney inspection before you commit is worth the modest cost.
Zero-clearance boxes at end of life. If your existing unit is a factory-built metal firebox rather than masonry, an insert generally is not the route — you replace the appliance.
Wanting a different shape. Linear and landscape-format fireplaces do not fit traditional openings. If that is the look you are after, you are rebuilding.
Cost and disruption, honestly
An insert is substantially cheaper, mostly because you are not paying for framing, drywall, paint and the trades to coordinate them. It is also finished far sooner.
We are not going to publish figures for either, and the reason is that they would be wrong. What drives fireplace project cost is gas line routing, venting path, and the finishing — all of which are specific to your house. A number quoted without seeing the opening is a number someone made up.
What we can tell you is that the financing applies to either route, and that the maintenance rebate from FortisBC applies to servicing qualifying gas equipment once it is in.
The order to do this in
- Measure the opening and photograph it, including the chimney if accessible.
- Get the chimney assessed if you are leaning toward an insert on a masonry chimney of any age.
- Come and look at units running before settling on a type. The difference between a good flame and a mediocre one is not something a brochure conveys, which we go into in gas or electric fireplace.
- Then talk about installation, because by that point the constraints are known.
People frequently do this backwards — fall for a unit, then discover it cannot go where they wanted it. Measuring first costs nothing.
Where to start
Our showroom has inserts and full built-in units running side by side, which is the fastest way to understand the difference between them. Bring your measurements.
If you would rather we look first, get in touch with the photos and dimensions and we will tell you which route your opening actually supports before you spend an afternoon shopping for something that will not fit. The rest of the fireplace range is easier to navigate once that is settled.