Improve Your Fireplace with Confidence
In this guide, we walk you through your options and the average project costs for a variety of fireplace upgrade projects. We look at fuel types and scenarios common in our five decades of experience.
Why Should You Upgrade Your Old Masonry Fireplace?
Masonry fireplaces can suck all of the warm air right out of your home. Old, leaky stone fireplaces that are dirty with creosote create some glaring issues in historic homes, especially on the east cost of the United States. Your old fireplace wastes heat and may not be safe. An insert turns it into a real heater, makes it safer, cheaper to run, and easier to live with.
Glass Fireplace Doors
Appliance Cost: $$$ | Installation: $$ | Maintenance: $
Glass fireplace doors are a lovely aesthetic addition to any fireplace. While glass fireplace doors are beautiful, they do not fix a drafty fireplace. You will still experience a draft because glass doors are not sealed.
Glass doors on fireplaces must be left open when the fireplace in on. Custom glass doors for your masonry fireplace are not able to be tested with every potential variant of fireplace. If you operate a fireplace with the glass doors closed, the doors have the potential to explode if the glass gets too hot. Glass used on fireplace inserts is a different type of glass with more heat resistance than glass fireplace doors.
Glass doors & gas logs can help to mitigate the cold draft coming from your fireplace, but they are a tiny band-aid on a large hole in your living room. In our experience, fireplace inserts are the best solution to increase the available heat in your home. >> Do glass doors fix my drafty fireplace?
What Do Custom Glass Fireplace Doors Cost All In to Install?
Glass fireplace doors cost on average between $800 – $3500. The higher price doors are custom glass doors that need to be made specific to your fireplace. Customer glass fireplace doors are difficult to install and can often be temperamental because of their high level of customization. It often takes quite a bit more tinkering than you would think to achieve a quality finish on a fully installed custom glass fireplace door. (Looking for a place to buy glass fireplace doors? Check out Design Specialties and Stoll.)
Fireplace glass doors do not completely seal your masonry or pre-fab fireplace from leaking cold air. If you want to seal off your fireplace a fireplace insert is our recommended solution. (Many glass doors are also not UL listed for use with fireplaces. Learn more about glass fireplace doors here.)
Gas Logs
You have two options when it comes to gas logs: vented or unvented. Gas logs create impactful ambiance in your fireplace. Gas logs offer a real open flame with minimal heat if ventilated. On average, gas logs cost between $300 – $2,500. Price depends on if you have a gas line already run to the space plus the quality of the logs and burner.
Gas log safety tip: Never rearrange the logs of your gas log set. Changing the orientation of gas log placement is a common user error that greatly increases risk of use. Gas logs are organized specifically to optimize gas flow. (We often see folks move the physical logs around in their gas log set because it is open and able to be easily touched. This creates the unnecessary need for service and is a safety hazard.)
Open flames with no glass between you and the fire are desirable. Many people are surprised to learn that an open flame does not create as much net heat as a fireplace insert sealed by glass when ventilated. The unvented gas logs create heat, but also have an odor and many cause dizziness. Many shops, un included have stopped selling unventilated gas log sets.
We like when the flame is sealed behind glass to create optimal heat and safety. Gas logs are open to the world. Most commonly pet hair, dander and other dust gets stuck in gas logs, requiring more frequent service. Gas logs are more for ambiance than true heating output. They are perfect if you want to have a fire a few times per year.
Gas logs come in two varieties, vented gas logs and unvented gas logs. We will break down both versions here:
Unvented Gas Logs – Appliance Cost: $ | Installation: $ | Maintenance: $$$
Unvented gas logs are less and less popular from folks in the hearth industry, especially up north. People want heat. Unvented log sets do provide some heat, but they also release combustible gasses, especially when used at high levels through the winter. All in, gas logs do not achieve nearly the net heat output of a fireplace or fireplace insert over the entire winter. Gas logs are more useful as an infrequently used spectacle in your home than as a true heater. With that being said, it is still important you fully understand your fireplace options and unvented gas log sets are a great solution for some folks.
Why Would You Buy an Unvented Gas Log Set?
Unvented gas logs provide significant heat because your fireplace bypass damper is closed permanently to increase heat output into your home. While unvented gas log sets are hot and affordable, they also off gas into your home. Unvented gas logs can cause sooting and an unpleasant odor that can give headaches or make people dizzy.
Unvented gas logs are very affordable and can be purchased at many big box stores. This makes them easy to access and self-install if you already have a gas line. Unvented gas log sets purchased from big box have a short lifespan and are difficult to fix. (Unfortunately, it is common to just throw away low quality unvented gas logs and buy new ones every few years instead of getting them serviced.)
Vented Gas Logs – Appliance Cost: $ | Installation: $ | Maintenance: $$$
Vented gas logs do not provide the heat of a vented gas log set. They are pretty to look at and increase the ambiance of your living room. Vented gas logs are a very popular option because of their impressive, open flame. If you don’t care about your energy bill going up the chimney, vented gas logs are worth considering.
Vented gas logs do not solve the issue of a cold draft coming into your home. The bypass damper of your fireplace is locked open. This causes cold air to come into your home when the gas logs are not in use. In addition, all of the heat you are creating with those gas logs is going straight up the chimney.
Vented gas log sets do not help you stay warm or save money, but they are super beautiful!
Fireplace Inserts
Fireplace inserts provide significant heat with a sealed system that does not emit any odor into your home. There is glass between you and the fire. The glass is able to withstand the high temperatures created by fire and convect that heat into your home. In our view, fireplace inserts are hands-down the best option for creating warmth in your fireplace.
Fireplace inserts are available in natural gas, propane gas, wood, pellet and electric fuel types.
Gas Fireplace Insert – Appliance Cost: $$$$ | Installation: $$ | Maintenance: $$
Gas fireplace inserts fully installed cost on average between $7,200 – $8,800.
Direct vent gas fireplace inserts are a wonderful solution if you want to hit a button and have instant warmth in your home. Gas inserts utilize either natural gas or propane (LP), require electrical hookup and an existing chimney. Gas fireplace inserts do not fit in every application, but 85% of the time a gas insert will fit existing masonry fireplaces and pre-fabricated fireplaces. Gas fireplace inserts require yearly maintenance to clean the unit (service should cost about $300, depending on your gas fireplace service provider. If you are considering purchasing a new unit, check out our favorite gas fireplace insert for 2025.
Wood Fireplace Insert – Appliance Cost: $$$$ | Installation: $$$ | Maintenance: $$
Wood fireplace inserts fully installed cost on average is $6,800 – $9,200.
Wood heat is great if you are working from home or able to fill the firebox every few hours. Wood fireplace inserts require a little bit more labor and planning than a gas fireplace insert, but output the most heat in a traditional wood firebox. Wood fireplace inserts are hot and reliable. If you have wood you want to burn, a wood fireplace insert will create significantly more heat than a standard wood burning masonry fireplace. Feel the quality of Vermont Casting’s offering of quality wood fireplace inserts.
Pellet Fireplace Insert – Appliance Cost: $$$$ | Installation: $$ | Maintenance: $$$
Pellet fireplace inserts fully installed cost on average between $6,200 to $8,400.
Pellet fireplace inserts are wonderful if you are out of the house all day, but still want reliable heat. Pellet heat is not as beautiful as wood or gas, the flame is like a furnace. Hot and raging! Pellet heat is a bit more fickle than gas or wood because it requires regular cleaning and maintenance. Electricity is required for most models and yearly service is recommended. Finding a reliable pellet service technician can be challenging. Think about future service plans before purchasing your pellet fireplace insert. We love Harman’s world-class pellet fireplace inserts.
Electric Fireplace Insert – Appliance Cost: $$ | Installation: $ | Maintenance: none
Electric fireplace inserts all in cost on average $1,200 – $3,400, mostly depending on the quality of the fireplace design.
Electric fireplace inserts are a fantastic solution if you want the ambiance of a fire without the challenges posed by real fire. No service required and easy installation are some of the big benefits of an electric unit. Electric fireplace inserts output about as much heat as a standard electric heater. The flexibility of electric fireplace inserts makes them an appealing option to improve the heating efficiency of your fireplace. See the innovation of SimpliFire’s beautiful electric fireplace inserts.
There are many different options to heat your home via your existing fireplace. If you are not getting the heat you want from your existing fireplace, an insert is a wonderful option! Please check out the fireplace inserts at The Stove Shop and give us a shout if you have any questions.
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