Fireplace installation in Oxnard CA - heat or looks, built for the house you have
Cold room, a drafty old firebox or no chimney at all? We'll match you with an insert, gas unit or masonry fireplace that fits.
What kind of fireplace can I add to my Oxnard home?
Fireplace installation in Oxnard, CA means building a new fireplace into your home or fitting an insert into the one you already have, and at Blockworks Oxnard Concrete and Masonry we start by matching the type to your house and how you want to use it.
Most fireplaces are there for looks and some extra warmth, not as the main heat for the house. So the first thing I ask is whether you want ambiance or real heat, and whether you have a chimney now, because that decides between an insert, a gas unit or a built masonry firebox. If you want to burn wood, the first step is finding out what you're allowed to put in.
The unit is only part of the bill, because the venting, the gas line run and the surround decide the rest, whether that surround is tile or stone veneer. Those same pieces set the schedule, along with any permit, which we check with the city before work starts. Your own figure comes in a written quote I put together after seeing the room, and it lists what's included.
What goes into a fireplace installation
Before we start, it helps to know what kind of fireplace you're getting, how it vents and who handles the parts that keep fire and fumes where they belong.
Masonry or factory-built
A masonry fireplace is built on site from brick or stone, while a low mass unit is made in a factory and set in place. The factory unit costs less, so it suits a tighter budget.
Fire brick in the firebox
The state's contractor license board counts fire brick for heat-resistant work as masonry, so a built firebox is a mason's job. The block around it usually goes up much like our concrete block walls.
Inserts for factory-built units
If your fireplace is factory-built, also called zero-clearance, the insert has to be one designed and tested for that unit. That's what makes it burn cleaner and more efficiently instead of just fitting the opening.
The liner inside the chimney
A certified installer makes sure the flue liner, the chimney's inner lining, goes in correctly. Ask whoever bids your job who will handle that step.
Vented, not vent-free
Some gas units are made to run without outside venting, but they raise indoor air quality concerns and some places make installing them illegal. That's why every gas option on this page vents outside.
Fireplace questions we hear in Oxnard
Do I need a chimney to install a gas fireplace?
No, a direct-vent gas fireplace exhausts through a pipe in a wall or the roof, so a house with no masonry chimney can still have one. If you have a fireplace now, a gas insert reuses that chimney with a new liner run through it.
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace in Oxnard?
Installing a gas fireplace usually runs about $2,000 to $10,000 per job across the US, and that's the market's range, not our price. A gas insert into an existing fireplace is the most common job and costs less than a new direct-vent unit. I'll price yours in writing once I've seen the room.
Will an open fireplace actually heat my house?
Not much, because most traditional open fireplaces lose over 90 percent of the fire's heat up the chimney and pull a lot of the room's warm air out with it. If you want warmth as well as looks, ask about an insert, which works much like a free-standing wood stove.
Who issues building permits for a fireplace in Oxnard?
Oxnard's Building and Engineering Division issues permits for building construction and improvements. Its list of permits handed out at the counter names gas line replacement but not fireplace installation, so ask them about your job at (805) 385-7925 or buildingpermits@oxnard.org. We check with them before work starts and tell you what we find.
How long does a fireplace installation take?
Most gas fireplace projects take one to three days, with an insert into a sound existing fireplace at the short end. The more new framing and venting a job needs, the further it stretches, and any permit review comes before that.
How do I find out if I can put in a wood-burning fireplace?
Start by calling your state or local air quality agency, because the EPA advises checking with them on which wood-burning units, if any, can legally be installed where you live. Do that before you pick a unit, and once you know what's allowed, I'll help you choose from there.
Why Oxnard homeowners call Blockworks for a fireplace
I've run this business since 2013, after starting out writing masonry quotes, so you can count on a quote that lists only the work your fireplace needs.
I write your quote
I come out myself, look at the room and any chimney, and put each line of the work in writing.
A lead mason on site
Our crew works under a lead mason, and I check on the job as it goes.
Fully licensed and insured
That covers every fireplace we build, from a gas insert to a fire brick firebox.
Only what you need
If your fireplace just needs the right insert and liner, that's what I'll quote, not a whole new fireplace.
Start with room photos
Call (805) 342-2830 or use our form, and send room photos, any chimney details and whether you want gas or wood.
Call about your new fireplace today
We take calls until 11 PM on weekdays and 10 PM on weekends, so you can call from the room you're picturing it in.
What happens after you call about a fireplace?
If your fireplace needs an Oxnard permit, the city may route it to its Fire department for review, and its residential Fast Track offers a one-hour plan review meeting by appointment.
Call or send the form
Call (805) 342-2830 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out and see the room.
I look at the room
I come out, look at where the fireplace would go and any chimney you have, and ask what's been going on and how you'll use it.
A line-by-line quote
I write a quote that lists what we'd do and why, line by line, so you see what's included before you decide.
Permit, build, walkthrough
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit with the right office, the crew does the work, and I walk the finished job with you.