siena, your post explains why I told DH today we aren't putting in a working fireplace in the new house because it's just too expensive and we'll never use it. We live in the deep south. I want a nice fireplace and mantle for show only. Something I can decorate pretty at Christmas. HA!

hard to say: the $3000 is in the range for better fireplaces, but the $7000 might be steep, depends on exactly how large the fp is.

Did they give you a breakdown of the hours it will take? Could you do the demo yourself? A lot of master builders dislike that job, and are more than happy to pass it off to someone else.

2500 is what we paid for a decent gas insert - this included the unit and installation. we also have another gas and wood burner that are high end - and these ran in the 4500 to 5000 range. all of these units have a metal flue system - so the chase on the exterior of the house is decorative.

Without more info it is hard to say if the 7K cost to demo and then rebuilt the brick chase is reasonable. I would recommend looking into a fake chase, framed in wood, and then veneered with stone or brick. That might be cheaper.

Without pics and a clear description, it's hard to say if the price is reasonable. (Even keeping in mind the top of the continent prices in California.)

Our neighbour's 1989 home has four wood fireplaces that were converted to gas in the late '90s. Before a recent buyer moved in, they had them inspected and none were found safe to use. So when you do finish the conversion, be sure to have the unit installed by a licenced gasfitter and inspected by your local gas supplier.

Thanks for the feedback! To be more exact, the plan was changed from gas insert to converting to a gas fireplace. The $7K includes demolition of the 8'X6' brick chase, lowering the raised hearth to floor level, creating a new wood frame, running a gas pipe into the fireplace, then veneering it with stone slap. The slap and finish are not included. I will try to take a photo of it and post here.

Thanks for the reminder. I will be sure to have safety inspection for it. Now I just feel that we shouldn't have messed with the old woodburning fireplace to start with.

Considering tying into an existing gas line and electrical concerns for the blower (and possible accent light), there is more to it than demo and reconstruction. Being in the bay area, it doesn't sound too off base.

The proverbial"you dont know what you are going to run into" phrase when removing existings in remodels always mean more expense.

Being a 1st time newbie, I guess the learning process just started for me. I am certain there will be more rough water ahead. Just hours ago, I realized the french door and windows they installed were not the ones we wanted. This forum is helping me holding on though.

Here is a link to the pictures of the ugly fireplace. It was veneered with river rocks which we just ripped off. Hope this will give you experts a better idea for a more accurate assessment. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: fireplace pics

Concerning your contractor, do you have a written contract?
Before choosing this contractor, did you get him/her from a well respected and referred source and did you get estimates?Was this the first contractor you considered, or did you get other bids?

There are so many variables in planning/starting a project. It's hard not to just want to jump in muddy waters head first to get the project rolling, but there are many bases to cover before demolition.The first base to cover is your butt by getting all the legalities in order before you start.Wrong door and window? What was in the contract?

Those cinder blocks wouldn't happen to be structural would they? I hope not...

buzzsaw, unfortunately, those damn cinder blocks are structural. Once we take them off, the chimney has go as well. But the chimney has already detached from the house by 4mm so it was in our reconstruction plan.

The good news I just learned was that the $7K includes the demo of the chimney and rebuilding a new wood framed chimney. We will have to pay extra to tile the chimney with stone though. If we choose wood-siding for the new chimney then there is no extra charge. So it seems the $7K is more justifiable now given the chimney work?

sierraeast, our contractor and his crew did some great work for two people that we know. He outbid two of the biggest local builders in terms of price and service by a large margin to win us over. A real sweet guy with a good eye for design, he somehow is very uncomfortable and shy talking about money. Also, when it comes to construction, it is like we speak two different languages. So I got confused often by his budget. This board is helping me a lot.

Re the wrong french door and windows story, yeah, the width was not enough so our view now is broken up into three pieces with 6'' gap in between. But that was my fault. I approved the order without reading it carefully. Fortunately, wifey is pretty cool about it. She said just "suck it up and live with them for now. It doesn't have to be perfect."

Yeah, we are diving in head first this time. That is because wifey is pregnant again and we want to be able to "move in" before... oops, here I said the 6-letter word.

Ah! Now I understand what you're doing.

But what is a "slap" in this sentence? "I need to buy the slap and pay someone to finish it, too."

(In the same situation, I might have just refaced the fireplace, installed an insert, patched the exterior crack and sealed the top of the chimneys.)

:) I meant "slab" not "slap". More than a typo, it was probably my frustration speaking. I realized it after posting the msg but didn't know how to edit it. Oh, well...

I think your approach is a lot more pragmatic. We set out to do just that. But the home inspector and chimney inspector both recommended taking that chimney down. Since earthquake is a constant in our lives here, I was paranoid to have a ton of bricks falling over us. A new wood framed structure feels safer. The cost hurts though, I have to admit.

Communication is a big factor in a build relationship. Sounds like you are getting on the same page and are very involved with all that is happeneing. On confusing topics, simply ask for mor details or interpretations when conversing with your builder so that you both understand each other. Miscommunication can often lead to big mistakes from both sides.All this on top of the wifes pregnancy! It seems like there are always a lot of irons in the fire in and around a build. Best of luck with your project,you'll enjoy it when it's done!

earthquake is a constant in our lives here

We only read about those :-)

If you're putting in a zero clearance gas unit, you don't need a slab. It can sit on the floor or just build a wood platform, then tile that. Unless you mean to place a slab of stone on the floor in one piece to serve as a hearth.