Fireplace installation in Billings MT - heat that fits the fireplace you have
Fireplace looks nice but leaves the room cold? We fit an insert or vented gas unit that suits your fireplace and actually heats.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does fireplace installation in Billings involve?
The short answer: Fireplace installation in Billings, MT usually means fitting an insert into the firebox of the masonry or metal fireplace you already have, or putting in a factory-built fireplace, so the room gets real heat with less smoke and less fuss.
Most people call because the fireplace they have looks good and does little for the house, or it smokes, or they're tired of hauling wood. The price moves with the fireplace you start with, the fuel you pick, how the unit vents and whether the chimney needs work first. The schedule mostly turns on getting the unit ordered and any permit paperwork sorted. I'll look at yours on site and give you an estimate for your own job.
How do you know your fireplace needs an upgrade?
The room stays cold
The fire's going, your shins are warm, and the furnace still kicks on. That usually means an open fireplace is pulling warm house air up the chimney with the smoke, and every winter you wait is another winter of firewood paying for a nice view.
Smoke drifts into the room
A whiff when the fire starts, a gray stain above the opening or a smell that hangs around the next day usually points to a draft or flue problem. It's worth sorting out before a new unit goes in, because an insert won't fix a chimney that isn't working.
Cracked firebrick or tired insert
Gaps in the firebox mortar, split firebrick or an old insert with doors that won't seal all mean the fireplace is wearing out. Crumbling mortar never gets better on its own, I've checked, and a small repair now beats a rebuild after a few more seasons of fires.
How our fireplace installation works
The fireplace you already have decides a lot, so I start by looking at it and asking how you want to use it. Bring a floor plan and we'll talk through heat, smoke and fuel before anything gets ordered, so you don't end up with a unit that's wrong for the room. Then we check the firebox and chimney, fix loose brick and bad joints so the new unit sits in sound masonry, set the insert or build in the new fireplace, run the venting and clean up the hearth before we hand it back.
A new insert can make an old brick face look tired, so some people have us reface the surround with stone veneer installation, which gives the look of stone without the weight of full stone on the wall. When the fireplace goes where there wasn't one before, we can lay up the base and surround with concrete block walls and finish over them however you like.
Keep an open wood fireplace
This suits you if you want the fire for looks a few nights a winter and don't count on it for heat. We'll repair the firebox and keep it going, but if warmth is the point, I'll tell you an insert is the better money.
Wood insert in your firebox
This suits a sound fireplace when you want real heat and still like burning wood, because an insert works like a stove set into the opening. It has to fit the fireplace you have, so the model gets picked after I've measured, not before.
Vented gas unit
This suits you if you're done hauling and splitting wood and want heat at the flip of a switch. It's also the easiest to live with day to day, with no ash to carry out and no woodpile by the door.
What happens when you call about a fireplace in Billings?
Here's how a fireplace job goes with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end. Most of the deciding happens at the first visit, before anything gets ordered.
- Step 01
Call or send us a note
Call (406) 318-2106 or use the contact form, and tell us what kind of fireplace you have now. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
- Step 02
I look at your fireplace
I come out, look at the firebox and chimney, and ask a few plain questions about how you use the room. You get an estimate for your job before anything is ordered, so the price isn't a surprise later.
- Step 03
We sort permits, then build
We take care of any permit paperwork first. Then our crew sets the unit, runs the venting and does the brick and mortar work around it.
- Step 04
Walk the finished job together
Before we pack up, we walk the finished fireplace with you and show you how the new unit works. The old insert and the debris leave with us, so you're left with a fireplace and not a mess.
Fireplace installation rules in Billings
In Billings, permits go through the city's Building Division, which takes every permit application online through its public portal. Whether your fireplace job needs one is the city's call, so send questions to permits@billingsmt.gov or call 406-657-8270. When a permit is needed, we help with the paperwork, can file it for you and keep you posted on where it stands.
Wood burning has a second layer, because the state has approved county air quality programs that can include wood-stove rules, and each county's program is different. For Yellowstone County the state lists RiverStone Health at 406-256-2770, so that's the call to make before you settle on wood. We're based in Billings and work across the cities around it, and we see the same mix of older brick fireplaces and newer factory-built units on jobs in Lockwood and Laurel.
Get an estimate for the fireplace you actually have
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look at your fireplace and give you a free estimate, with no obligation to book.
Why Billings homeowners call Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I'm usually right there working with the crew when it goes in. The person who sized up your fireplace is the one making sure it gets built that way.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're licensed and insured. Montana's Licensee Lookup System is where the state says to verify a professional's license, and I'd rather you check than take my word for it.
Started as a helper, opened 2021
I learned the trade mixing mud and hauling block before anyone let me lay some, and I opened this business in 2021. That's why I care about the parts behind the firebox nobody sees, because those decide how long the rest holds up.
Only the work it needs
A few cracked firebricks don't call for a new fireplace, and I'd rather tell you that than sell it to you. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Tell me about the fireplace you have and how you want to use it, and get in touch to set up a visit.
Fireplace installation questions from Billings homeowners
What is the best way to heat my home with a fireplace in Billings?
Usually an insert or a vented gas unit, not an open wood fire, because the EPA says a wood-burning fireplace is generally a very inefficient way to heat a home since drafts pull warm air up the chimney. For heat with less smoke, the EPA points to a gas, pellet or EPA-certified wood insert. I'll help you choose once I've seen your fireplace and the room it heats.
Will any fireplace insert fit my factory-built fireplace?
No. A factory-built fireplace, the metal kind the trade calls zero-clearance, has to use an insert designed and tested for that exact unit, so the fireplace you have decides which inserts are even on the table. Find the make and model if you can, because that's where we start.
How much does fireplace installation cost in Billings, MT?
Fireplace and chimney installation in Billings usually costs about $2,700 to $15,500 per project, which is the going range around here and not our price. Where yours lands depends on the fireplace you start with, the fuel, how it vents and whether the chimney needs work first. You'll get your own number from the estimate after I've looked at it.
How do I know if my chimney is ready for a fireplace insert?
Get it inspected first, since a chimney trade group recommends a deeper check it calls a Level Two inspection whenever you add a new appliance or switch to one with a different fuel, efficiency or type. For an insert in a masonry chimney, the EPA's guidance is that a certified installer makes sure the flue liner, the lining that carries smoke up the chimney, is installed correctly.
Can I install a gas fireplace without a vent?
It's not a good idea. The EPA doesn't support unvented models because of indoor air quality concerns, and some places make it illegal to install an unvented gas stove. A vented gas unit can run through your existing chimney or straight out the roof or the wall behind it, so not having a chimney doesn't rule gas out.
Does a pellet stove work when the power goes out?
No, the automatic pellet feed needs electric power, so a pellet stove or insert sits idle during an outage. If heat during an outage matters to you, weigh that before choosing pellet. Whatever you pick, the EPA says a stove should be installed by a certified technician and inspected every year.
Related masonry work for your fireplace
Stone veneer installation
If the new insert makes the old brick face look dated, stone veneer gives the surround a fresh stone look without rebuilding the wall behind it.
Concrete block walls
If the plan calls for a new chase or a wall to carry the fireplace, block gives it a solid core that keeps the finish on top from cracking.
Call (406) 318-2106 about your fireplace
Have a floor plan and the make and model of your current fireplace handy, and the first visit gets straight to which units can work in your house.