Fireplace installation in South Whittier CA - the right unit for your fireplace
Your fireplace looks nice but barely warms the room, or you want gas instead of wood. We fit a unit made for what you have.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What a fireplace install involves
Fireplace installation in South Whittier usually means one of two jobs: an insert set into the firebox you already have, which works a lot like a wood stove, or a direct-vent gas unit, a sealed fireplace that pulls in outside air and sends its exhaust outside. First we find out whether your fireplace is masonry or factory built, because that decides what can go in it.
The price turns mostly on that choice, since a direct-vent unit that needs a new vent setup usually costs more than an insert in a working fireplace. The schedule turns on any permit and on whether the chimney needs chimney repair before the install. The on-site estimate is where you get your own number.
Wall or roof venting
A direct-vent unit can run its vent through a side wall or the roof.
Surround and hearth
We can finish around the new unit in brick, block or stone to suit the room.
Warmth, not main heat
A fireplace adds warmth and atmosphere, but it makes a poor main heat source.
Air space around vents
One vent maker says skipped air spaces around vents are a major cause of vent fires.
Fireplace work or something else?
Some of our work repairs what you have and some builds new, so start with the problem you're looking at.
- Foundation repairThis pageFor cracks or settling in the footing or slab under your house.
- Chimney repairThis pageWorth a call when your chimney leaks, leans or drops loose brick.
- TuckpointingThis pageA good fit when the mortar joints are sandy or sunken but the brick is sound.
- Brick repairThis pageRight when single bricks are cracked, flaking or coming loose from a wall.
- Driveway paversThis pageChoose this when you want a driveway you can fix one piece at a time.
- Retaining wall constructionThis pageFor a sloped yard where the soil needs a wall built to hold it back.
- Masonry restorationThis pageWhen older brick or stone needs cleaning, repair and new joints all together.
- Fireplace installationThis pageWhen you want an insert or a direct-vent gas unit matched to your fireplace.
- Stone veneer installationThis pageA good fit for a stone look on walls, surrounds or columns without full stone.
- Concrete block wallsThis pagePick this for a solid block wall along a property line or for privacy.
- Foundation block wall installationThis pageFor a new block foundation wall under an addition or a rebuilt structure.
- Outdoor kitchen masonryThis pageWhen you want a grill island or counter built in brick, block or stone.
- Walkway constructionThis pageFor a new path to your front door or across the yard.
- Brick wall installationThis pageChoose this for a new brick garden wall, planter or yard wall.
- Stone masonryThis pageRight when you want natural stone laid as a wall, steps or a feature.
- Brick pointingThis pageWhen a few joints have worn out and need fresh mortar packed back in.
Fireplace installation ideas
Press a photo to see it larger, then ask us about any style you like.
Why South Whittier homeowners call K&L
I look at every job myself
I come out to see your fireplace before you get a number, and I work alongside my crew during the install.
Fully licensed and insured
That's how we carry every job, and I'll tell you who's on my crew and what they're doing in your house.
A fix that fits the fireplace
If an insert in your current firebox will do the job, I'll tell you so before I'd sell you a new vent run.
From your call to a working fireplace
You'll hear from me at each step, from the first visit to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send the form
Call (562) 358-3030 any day from 6 AM to 11 PM, or send the form.
I come out and look
I check whether it's masonry or factory built and note your address for the permit office.
You get the estimate
I go over the options that fit your fireplace and give you an estimate before any work starts.
We do the install
My crew and I set the unit, run the vent and finish the surround.
Walk-through and clean-up
I walk the finished fireplace with you, and we clean up before we leave.
Fireplace installation questions
Read through these first, and if your question isn't here, call or send it over.
Ask me directly
Call (562) 358-3030 or send the form with your question, and we'll reply within one business day.
What does it cost to install a gas fireplace insert in South Whittier?
One national cost guide puts a gas fireplace insert, materials and labor, at about $2,300 to $8,000 per job across the US. That's the market range, not our price, and the unit and venting you pick move it most. You get your own number once I've seen the fireplace.
Can any insert go in a factory-built fireplace?
No. A factory-built, or zero-clearance, fireplace needs an insert designed and tested for that exact unit, and that match runs more efficiently and puts out less pollution. That's why the first thing I check is which kind of fireplace you've got.
Who issues the permit for a fireplace install in South Whittier?
LA County Public Works issues building permits in unincorporated LA County, through its South Whittier District Office in Norwalk. If your property sits outside the county's jurisdiction, another office may handle it. We check which office covers your address before we start, and when a permit is needed we take care of it as the licensed contractor.
Does my chimney need an inspection before a new fireplace insert?
Usually, yes. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends a deeper Level Two inspection when a new appliance goes in or the fuel, efficiency or type changes. If you're adding a unit or changing fuel, we want that check done before anything is installed, so problems come up before the install and not after.
Can I put a vent-free gas fireplace in my house?
The EPA doesn't support unvented gas stoves because of indoor air quality concerns, and installing them is illegal in some places. A direct-vent unit, the sealed kind described above, sends its exhaust outside instead. I'll go over which vented options fit your house when I come out.
Tell us about your fireplace
Send your address and whether the fireplace is masonry or factory built. We reply within one business day, then I come out for a free estimate with no obligation.
Whittier, CA 90604