Fireplace installation in Lafayette, LA - a hearth that fits your house and your fuel
A cold fireplace you never light, or no fireplace at all? We fit the right unit to your house and build the hearth around it.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does fireplace installation in Lafayette involve?
Fireplace installation in Lafayette, LA means putting a new factory-built fireplace in your house, or setting a gas insert or gas log set into the fireplace you already have, so the room gets real heat or the look of a real flame.
Most people who call us have one of two things going on, a fireplace that's sat cold for years or a room that never had one. The price mostly turns on the kind of unit you pick, whether there's a chimney to use or a new vent has to go out a wall or the roof, whether gas already comes to the house, and what you want around it in brick or stone. The schedule turns on the permit check, getting the unit in hand and booking the gas hookup, and my estimate tells you what I'd do, what I'd skip and what it'll cost for your house.
Is fireplace installation right for your house?
A fireplace you never light
An old open fireplace that sits cold can take a gas insert or log set without starting over.
No chimney at all
A house without a chimney can still get a fireplace that vents out a wall or runs on electric.
A remodel or addition
When the walls are already open, that's the easiest time to frame in and finish a new fireplace.
Tired of hauling wood
If cleaning ash and hauling wood keeps you from using it, gas gives you a flame without the chores.
How we handle fireplace installation
We start by sorting out what fits your house, chimney or no chimney and natural gas or propane, because that decides which units are even on the table. Then we help you pick the unit, build the hearth and surround in brick, block or stone, set the unit the way its maker's instructions call for, and line up the right licensed trade for the gas hookup, so the masonry and the gas work each get done by the people who should be doing them.
Most new fireplaces get a face around them, and stone veneer installation gives you the look of stone without the weight of full stone. If the fireplace goes on an outside wall or into an addition, we can lay concrete block walls for the chase it sits in. When an insert is going into an old chimney, it's worth having us look at chimney repair first, since the insert is only as good as the chimney above it.
Factory-built fireplace
This suits a new build, an addition or a big remodel, because it can go almost anywhere as long as it's vented right. It's the way to go when there's no chimney to work with.
Gas insert
This suits a house that already has a chimney and an open fireplace you'd like to actually use. Inserts give high heating efficiency, which is why they're the most popular way to convert an old fireplace.
Gas log set
This suits someone who wants the look of a real flame in the fireplace they already have. Decorative vented sets are mostly for looks and vent-free sets put out heat, so you're choosing between the two.
Electric fireplace
This suits a room where running gas and a vent isn't worth the trouble. Electric units are designed as plug-and-play appliances, much like a TV, so we build the surround and the unit plugs in.
What happens when you call about a fireplace in Lafayette?
Call or send a message
Call (337) 216-1882 or use the form and tell us a little about the room you have in mind. We'll set a time for me to come out and look.
I look the job over
I check the chimney if there is one, the room and where the gas line or vent would run, then tell you what I'd do and what I'd skip. You get a written estimate with the price laid out, so you know what you're paying for before you decide anything.
Permit first, then the work
If you go ahead, we take care of the permit side with your city before anything starts. Then our crew builds the hearth and sets the unit, with me on site running it.
Walk the finished fireplace together
When it's done, we walk the job with you and go over how the unit works. We clean up before we leave.
Natural gas or propane for your fireplace
Find out what fuel the house has first.
For a gas fireplace, the first thing to settle is whether natural gas comes to your house. If it doesn't, propane becomes part of the project, with a tank and a supply line to plan for, so I put it in the estimate from the start instead of springing it on you later.
If you already have gas, ask whether the line has enough pressure and capacity for the unit you picked. I'd rather sort that out before the unit is ordered than find out the line comes up short on the day the gas trade shows up.
A look at masonry work
Look through these examples of brick, block and stone masonry to get a feel for the finishes and styles you might want around a new fireplace.
Get a fireplace estimate written for your house
Tell us whether you have a chimney and whether the house has natural gas or propane, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out myself and write a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
Why Lafayette homeowners call K&D Lafayette Masonry and Concrete for fireplace installation
I come out myself
I look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site running the crew when the work gets done. The person who told you what the job needs is the one making sure it gets built that way.
Building to pass inspection
I learned masonry on a municipal crew, where public work had to pass inspection, and started this business in 2020. That habit shows up in the parts you won't see, like the hearth base under your fireplace.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. You can look up any contractor with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors before you sign, and I'd tell you to.
A straight answer, guaranteed work
Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee, and if a log set will do what you want, I won't sell you an insert. Call (337) 216-1882 or send us a message to set up a visit.
Fireplace questions we hear in Lafayette
Which fireplace works if I have no chimney?
A factory-built fireplace or an electric one, because a factory-built unit can go almost anywhere with proper venting and an electric unit needs no vent at all. For gas, a direct-vent unit pulls its air from outside and sends exhaust outdoors behind a sealed glass front, which helps keep the air in your house clean.
Can I put a vent-free gas fireplace in my house?
Maybe, but vent-free units face local code restrictions and room size limits, so the rules need checking before you buy one. I look into that for your room before I'd recommend one, and a direct-vent unit is the usual fallback when vent-free won't work.
How much does fireplace installation cost in Lafayette, and what adds to it?
Fireplace and chimney installation in Lafayette usually costs about $3,000 to $15,000 per project, and that's the going range around here, not our price. Permit fees, electrical work for controls or a blower, and finishing materials like trim or a surround can add to it. The estimate gives you the number for your house.
Who can run the gas line for a fireplace in Louisiana?
A licensed professional, since the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana says anyone doing natural gas work without a license has to be registered as an apprentice. The hearth industry's trade group also says every gas appliance needs professional installation, for safety and code. Plan on a licensed installer from the start, and ask to see the license.
How do I keep a wood-burning fireplace safe?
Have the chimney checked often and cleaned when creosote builds up, because that buildup is what feeds a chimney fire. One maker's manual says to inspect the chimney at least twice a year during the heating season, and another maker recommends a physical barrier if anyone at risk around a fire lives in the house.
How long does fireplace installation take in Lafayette?
The masonry is usually the shorter part of the job, and most of the wait is the permit check with the city, getting the unit delivered and fitting in the licensed gas trade. I'll walk you through the order of work when I come out to write your estimate.
Thinking about a fireplace this year?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come out, look at your chimney and gas, and write it up on site.
Work that often goes with it
Fireplace installation permits and houses in Lafayette
Lafayette Consolidated Government requires a permit for most construction before work starts, but its list names residential building and sign permits, not fireplaces, so whether your job needs one isn't settled until we ask. We check with the permit office in your city before work starts and take care of any permit the job calls for. The state board has its own line too, since a home improvement job over $7,500 and up to $50,000 has to be bid and done by a home improvement registrant or a licensed contractor, and a job of $50,000 or more, or one with structural work, needs a licensed Residential Building Contractor.
We're based in Lafayette, and a lot of the houses we see here, and on jobs in Broussard and Youngsville, have an open fireplace nobody's lit in years. A gas insert or log set usually makes more sense there than tearing anything out.