Gas Insert Cost and Permits

The Figure First

A gas insert in an existing fireplace, installed by us, runs $2,750 to $5,550. That figure covers the insert itself, a stainless liner from the insert to the top of the chimney, the gas connection at the unit, the surround panel that closes the gap between the insert and the fireplace face, and the labor to fit it all. The permit and the city's inspection are part of the job and appear as their own line on the quote, so you can see them.

Most Sherman Oaks owners who call about an insert want to stop losing heat up an open fireplace, or want a fire on winter nights when wood burning is off the table. Both are good reasons. Before you choose a model, though, it helps to know what the rules require, because those requirements are a large part of what you are paying for.

Three Rules Every Insert Install Follows

The listing and the manual. An insert is a listed appliance. The codes require it to be installed exactly as its listing and the manufacturer's instructions say. Those instructions set the clearance to a wood mantel above, the hearth protection in front, the trim around it, the liner size, and how the gas line enters the unit. An install that ignores the manual is a code violation even if it lights and runs.

A Level 2 inspection first. NFPA 211, the national standard for chimneys and fireplaces, treats adding an insert as a change of appliance. That calls for a Level 2 inspection, a camera run through the full flue, before the new unit goes in. The point is simple. The insert will send its exhaust through that chimney for years, and the chimney has to be sound enough for it.

A direct connection to a liner. The insert has to vent into a liner connected to its flue collar. Older installs often slid an insert into the firebox and let it exhaust into the open smoke chamber, where the gases cooled, condensed and leaked. That is why the connection rule exists. Our standard is a full-height stainless liner, which is also what most insert manufacturers call for.

The Permit in Sherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks is part of the City of Los Angeles, so permits come from the Department of Building and Safety. A gas insert involves gas piping and a new appliance connection, which puts it inside permit territory. The process is routine: we apply, do the work, and the city inspects the finished install. You get the signed-off permit for your records.

The same holds in the neighboring parts of the city, such as Studio City, Encino and Woodland Hills. Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Calabasas and West Hollywood run their own building departments with their own fees.

Why bother? Because unpermitted gas work has a way of surfacing at the worst moment. A buyer's inspector sees a newer insert and asks for the permit. An insurer investigating a claim asks the same thing. A permit on file closes the question before it opens.

What Moves the Price Within the Range

The spread from $2,750 to $5,550 comes from five things:

1. The insert. Size, heat output, blower, remote, ignition type and the face style all change the unit's cost. 2. The firebox. A standard masonry firebox takes a standard insert. A shallow or unusually shaped firebox limits the choices and sometimes means a more expensive model. 3. The chimney. A tall two-story chimney needs a longer liner. A steep or tile roof needs more time and care at the top. 4. The gas supply. If a gas line already reaches the fireplace and is large enough, the connection is short. If not, the line has to be extended or upsized, which adds to the price and the permit. 5. The face. A simple surround panel is included. Matching a new stone or tile face to the insert is quoted as remodel work.

The best way to get a firm number is to measure the opening: width at the front, width at the back, height and depth. Send those measurements with a photo of the fireplace through the form, and tell us whether there is a gas valve near the hearth. From that we can usually narrow the range to a written quote, with the Level 2 scheduled before install day.

When an Insert Is Not the Answer

Some fireplaces should not get an insert.

• - Factory-built fireplaces not listed for one. Many metal fireplaces from the 1970s onward were never tested to take an insert. Their label says so. The options there are a direct-vent gas fireplace in place of the old unit, or gas logs if the label allows them.
• Chimneys that fail the Level 2. If the flue is cracked badly, the masonry is loose above the roof, or the chimney is leaning, that has to be fixed first. The liner will carry the exhaust, but the chimney still has to stand.
• Owners who mostly want the look. If you want a flame to watch a few nights a year, a vented gas log set may suit you better and cost less. It gives far less heat.

Wood and Electric Inserts

Wood inserts follow the same installation rules, and every new one sold today must be EPA-certified. They suit owners who burn often. In Sherman Oaks they also follow the South Coast AQMD's Check Before You Burn program, which bars wood fires on declared no-burn days from November through February. A gas insert is not affected by those alerts, which is a large part of why gas is the common choice here.

Electric inserts need no liner and no gas, only a properly rated outlet. They are the simplest install and give the least heat. We quote both by model.

What Install Day Looks Like

With the Level 2 done and the permit issued, a gas insert install usually takes one working day. We protect the floor, run the liner from the top, connect it to the insert, set the insert, connect the gas, test every fitting for leaks, fit the surround, then light it and run it. We take a carbon monoxide reading at the front of the unit and walk you through the controls, the glass and the yearly service it will need. Then the city's inspector comes out to sign it off.

If you are planning an insert this year, call us using the button on this page. Have the fireplace measurements nearby, and we will tell you which inserts fit and what the job will cost.