Fireplace Remodel in Sherman Oaks After the Smoke Clears

Some fire and smoke damage stops at the firebox. Some reaches the room: brick or stone on the face stained so deeply it will not clean, a wood mantel scorched on its underside, a tile hearth cracked from heat or from a log that rolled out, paint and drywall around the opening blistered. When the face has to come off anyway, a remodel costs less than people expect, because much of the demolition is already part of the repair. It is also the moment to fix the cause. A mantel that charred was usually too close to the opening for the size of fire the fireplace was used for. A hearth that cracked may have been too short or too thin. The remodel puts the new surround, mantel and hearth at the clearances the fireplace requires, so the next big fire does not repeat the damage.

Before anything is designed, the firebox and chimney have to be cleared for use. A new stone face on a fireplace with a cracked liner only hides the problem behind nicer material. So in Sherman Oaks a remodel after a fire starts with the Level 2 inspection, and the design follows what the chimney can safely support.

There are three common paths. Keep the wood fireplace and rebuild the face, hearth and mantel, with noncombustible material where the clearances call for it and wood where it is allowed. Convert the fireplace to gas with an insert, which goes into the existing firebox with a new liner, and costs $2,800 to $5,650 installed for the insert itself. Or close the old opening and install a direct-vent gas fireplace in the same wall or a new location, which runs $4,500 to $9,050 and does not need the masonry chimney at all. That last option suits owners who no longer trust a chimney after a fire, or who have a chimney that would need a rebuild before it could be used again.

We price the fireplace work in writing after the inspection and a measure of the room. Finishes such as stone or tile are chosen with you and priced as part of the quote. Where a permit is needed for gas work or a new opening, we handle it. If insurance is covering part of the damage, the quote separates the repair of what was damaged from the upgrades you choose, which keeps the claim clear.