Fireplace installation in Cedar Rapids IA - a fire that fits your home and vents outside
A fireplace you never use or a room that needs one? We fit an insert or new fireplace to the flue and chimney you have.
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What does it take to put a fireplace in my house?
Fireplace installation in Cedar Rapids means putting in a gas or wood-burning fireplace, or an insert inside the one you already have, together with the vent that carries the exhaust outside. We're based in Cedar Rapids and work in many of the cities around it, and every job starts with a look at the fireplace and flue you have now.
Usually the homeowner has an old brick fireplace that hasn't been lit in years, or a room that never had one and would be nicer with a fire. The venting moves the price most, because one cost guide notes the job is more affordable when a vent system is already in place and that adding a new vent is costly. A direct-vent fireplace sends its exhaust out through a side wall or the roof and is more efficient than one using a chimney, so that choice and the fuel you want weigh in as well. The schedule mostly turns on what your chimney needs first and when the licensed gas and venting installer can come, and the estimate is where I'll write up what I'd do for your house and why.
How we handle fireplace installation
I start by looking at the fireplace and flue you have now, because that decides what can go in, whether it's an insert for an old brick firebox or a new fireplace where there wasn't one. If the chimney needs work, we do that first, since a new fireplace is only as good as the flue it vents through. Then our crew builds the masonry, which means the firebox, the hearth in front of it, the surround and any chimney work. We don't run gas lines or vents ourselves, because that work takes its own state license, so we hand that part to an installer licensed for it, then finish the face and clean up.
Fireplaces often bring other masonry with them. Many homeowners want the fireplace wall finished in stone, which is our stone veneer installation work, set on a backing that suits the wall behind it. When a new fireplace needs a solid base or an enclosure built out from the house, we lay concrete block walls first, because a fireplace and its stone are heavy and need something sound underneath.
What fireplace installation in Cedar Rapids involves under Iowa rules
In Iowa, putting in a gas or wood appliance with a view of the flames, a fireplace insert or the venting for either is work for someone holding the state's hearth systems specialty license, which is issued as a sublicense under an HVAC license. The state also requires plumbing and mechanical contractors to be licensed with its Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board. That settles how we split the job, so our crew does the masonry and the gas and venting go to an installer who holds that license.
Around Cedar Rapids we see a lot of older brick homes with masonry fireplaces that have sat cold for years, and the firebox and chimney usually need a careful look before an insert goes in. Iowa winters are hard on the top of a chimney, so we check the crown, the concrete cap up there, and the joints near it as well as the firebox. We find the same mix of older brick fireplaces and newer factory-built units on jobs in Marion and Hiawatha.
- Call (319) 536-8125
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
- Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
What happens when you call R&S Cedar Rapids Concrete & Masonry in Cedar Rapids?
Call us or send a message
Thank you for reaching out. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out and see the fireplace or the room you have in mind.
I look over your fireplace
I look at the firebox, the flue and the chimney, and ask what you've noticed and what kind of fire you want. Then I write up what I'd do and why, so you can weigh it before you decide anything.
We check with your local office
Before work starts we contact your city or county office to learn what they require, and we tell you what we found and who will handle it. We also line up the licensed installer for the gas and venting.
We build and tidy up
Our crew and I do the masonry, and the installer handles the gas and vent in their turn. At the end of each day we cover the work and leave your house tidy.
Why Cedar Rapids homeowners call R&S Cedar Rapids Concrete & Masonry for fireplace installation
The owner looks at every job
I come out myself, look over your fireplace and flue and write the estimate, and the same small crew I work beside does the job. You talk with the person who'll be there when the firebox goes in.
Careful work on older brick
We've been in business since 2023, and before that I framed houses as a carpenter and learned masonry working beside an experienced mason. We're best known for careful mortar work on older brick homes around Cedar Rapids, which is what many fireplaces here sit in.
Licensed and insured, masonry only
We're licensed and insured, and we keep to the masonry we know rather than taking on gas lines. That way each part of your fireplace is done by someone qualified for it.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise on every job, fireplace work included. I'd rather tell you plainly when a chimney needs a closer look than promise something your flue can't support.
On a fireplace, the flue and chimney behind it matter more than the face you see, so I'd like to look at yours first. Send us a message or call (319) 536-8125 and we'll set a time.
Request an estimateGet a free estimate for your fireplace installation
We reply within one business day and set a time for me to come out, look at your fireplace and flue, and write up what I'd do and why. The estimate is free and done on site, with no obligation.
- Licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (319) 536-8125
- Location
- Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
Questions about fireplace installation in Cedar Rapids
How much does fireplace installation cost in Cedar Rapids?
Fireplace and chimney installation in Cedar Rapids usually costs about $2,600 to $15,000 per project, which is the going range in the area rather than our price. The low end tends to be an insert going into a sound fireplace with a vent already in place, and the high end a new fireplace that needs its own vent and chimney work. I'll give you a figure for your house once I've seen it.
How do I know if an insert will fit my current fireplace?
Your current fireplace decides it, because an insert goes inside the firebox of an existing masonry or metal fireplace and works much like a freestanding wood stove. A factory-built fireplace, also called zero-clearance, has to use an insert designed and tested for that unit. With a masonry chimney, it's fair to ask how the installer will make sure the flue liner, the lining inside the chimney, goes in correctly.
Do I need a chimney inspection before installing a fireplace insert?
Usually yes, because a Level 2 inspection, a deeper look at the whole chimney system, is recommended whenever a new appliance goes in or one is replaced with a different fuel, efficiency or type. If you're adding an insert or switching fuels, plan it before installation day. The inspection means going on the roof and checking the chimney from any attic, basement or crawl space it passes through, so clear paths to those spots help.
How do I check a fireplace installer's license in Iowa?
Look them up on the state's online license search, which anyone can use to check licensed plumbing and mechanical contractors. To get that contractor license, an applicant has to give the board proof of public liability insurance of at least $500,000. The hearth systems license also calls for certification from the National Fireplace Institute or another organization the board approves, so it's reasonable to ask the installer about it.
Is a wood-burning fireplace a good way to heat my house?
Not really, because the EPA calls a wood-burning fireplace a very inefficient way to heat a home, since drafts pull warm air up the chimney and leave other rooms cooler. If your furnace runs during a fire, it works harder to keep the house even, so that extra load is worth weighing before you settle on wood.
Are ventless gas fireplaces safe to put in my house?
The EPA doesn't support unvented gas stoves because of indoor air quality concerns, and some places make installing them illegal. One cost guide adds that direct-vent fireplaces carry fewer risks than ventless ones. It's worth settling this with your installer before you choose a unit.
Other work that often goes with a fireplace
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer gives a plain brick or drywall fireplace wall a natural stone face, set on a proper backing so it stays put around the heat.
Concrete block walls
A concrete block wall can carry a heavy fireplace and chimney, or form the enclosure built out from your house, on a footing sized for the load.
Book a look at your fireplace and flue
Tell us whether your fireplace is masonry, metal or factory-built, whether a vent is already in place and which fuel you'd like, so I come out ready for your job.
Request an estimateCall (319) 536-8125