Asked in Every Living Room

Book the appointment online and a member of our team calls to set the exact date and time — usually a matter of days. The cold months are exactly when we're at our best — while most Chicago fireplace calendars quote into next season, ours answers.

It depends on the unit, the venting, and what your home already has in place — which is why we quote firm at the in-home appointment instead of guessing online. What we promise about the number: it includes the unit, the vent kit, and the installation, and it's real when you get it. The main cost drivers are unit size and finish level, vent-run length and complexity, and whether a gas line already reaches the spot.

We measure the space, check the flue or vent routing and the gas line, and talk through how you actually use the room. Then we bring you two or three units that genuinely fit, with a firm installed quote for each. No obligation, no hovering — most visits run under an hour, and you decide on your own schedule.

Gas logs keep the open-hearth look and install fastest; inserts seal the firebox and turn it into a genuine heater. If what you love is watching an open fire, logs. If the room runs cold and the damper leaks all winter, an insert pays for itself in comfort. We settle it in front of your fireplace in about 10 minutes.

No. Direct-vent fireplaces vent through an exterior wall or the roof with a sealed pipe, and vent-free models need no venting at all. An existing masonry chimney is an asset rather than a requirement — an insert or log set puts it back to work.

Direct-vent burns outside air behind sealed glass and exhausts outdoors — it's the default recommendation for most rooms. Vent-free burns room air at near-total efficiency, carries an oxygen-depletion sensor, and needs no vent run at all, which makes it the flexible-placement, maximum-heat option. Some rooms suit one and not the other; we'll tell you which is which in your own house, not in a product description.

Yes — in Chicago's older housing it's some of our most common work. A vented log set keeps the open hearth you have; a sealed insert turns the firebox into an efficient heater. If the masonry and gas line are sound, many conversions finish in a single visit.

Check that the gas valve is on and, on older units, whether the pilot is out. Beyond that, stop — gas diagnostics are not a homeowner project. Book a service visit, tell us what you're seeing, and add a photo if you can; it helps us arrive with the likely parts on the truck.

Once a year, ideally before burn season. An annual service keeps the burner and pilot assembly clean, catches failing thermocouples and fans before they die in January, checks for leaks, and keeps the glass and logs looking the way the room needs them to. Our service page has the full picture.

Yes. Gas piping and vent work is permitted through your municipality — the Chicago Department of Buildings in the city, or your village's building department in the suburbs — and we prepare and carry that paperwork as part of the installation. It never lands on your plate.

Often, yes — it depends on vent routing and your building's rules. Direct-vent units need a path to an exterior wall; vent-free is sometimes an option where codes and associations allow. Bring your floor plan and your association's guidelines to the appointment and we'll give you a straight answer before anyone falls in love with a unit.

We serve Chicago and the suburbs around it — the northwest suburbs, the North Shore and Lake County, the western and southwestern suburbs, the Fox Valley, McHenry County, and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In Chicago, we go by zip code. For large installation jobs we'll sometimes go a little farther; service calls stay inside our towns. See every area we serve, or start your booking with a zip code and you'll know immediately.