Your fireplace repair team in South Eola

Getting the room ready for the repair visit

A little preparation makes the visit quicker. Let the fireplace go fully cold, and leave the ashes where they are unless they are cool and you already have a covered metal container for them. Clear the hearth and the floor in front of it, and move furniture and decor back from the opening.

Keep pets and children out of the room while the work is under way. Set out any owner manual, past invoice or home inspection note about the fireplace, and jot down when the problem first appeared.

Our crew lays down drop cloths and protects the floor and nearby furniture before any tool comes out. At the end of the job the area is vacuumed and wiped down, and the old parts are either taken away or left for you if you want to see them.

• No fire in the fireplace on the day of the visit
• A clear path from the door to the hearth
• Any manual or paperwork within reach
• A note of when the fault started

How close wood trim can sit to the opening

Mantels and wood trim look natural around a fireplace, but the Florida Building Code limits how close combustible trim can sit to a masonry fireplace opening and how far it may project the nearer it gets. A mantel that was lowered, or trim added during a remodel, can end up closer than the code allows.

Signs of trouble include scorch marks, finish that has darkened or blistered near the opening, or trim that feels hot during a fire. Any of those is a reason to measure before the next fire.

We measure from the opening to each piece of wood and compare it with the code for masonry, or with the manual for a factory-built unit. If something sits too close, the estimate lists the options, such as moving the mantel, trimming back a projection or replacing the wood near the opening with a noncombustible piece.

Fixing the fireplace before the room remodel

A room remodel is the easiest time to repair a fireplace and the worst time to discover it needs repair. Once new flooring, paint and trim are in, reaching a damaged lintel, a cracked hearth or a failed damper means undoing some of that fresh work.

Order matters. Structural and working repairs come first, then any change to the hearth extension or trim distances, then the finish. Flooring, mantels and facing all have code or manual limits near the opening, and planning them together avoids tearing out new work.

Our technicians visit before the remodel starts, check the fireplace and give you a written scope with the limits the other trades need to know. For South Eola homeowners, that note spells out the hearth extension size and trim distances in plain words that a contractor can follow.

What the free fireplace inspection includes

The inspection is free, and it is a real look at the fireplace, not a sales call. It starts with naming the type and reading any label, then works from the grate up to the damper and out to the hearth, face and trim.

We ask when the problem started, what fuel you burn and whether anything has changed around the fireplace, such as new floors, doors or a mantel. Then our technician explains what was found in plain words, points to the parts involved and writes it all down. If the fireplace is factory-built, the label details go on the page so parts can be ordered without a second trip.

You keep that written estimate to compare and decide on in your own time. Homeowners in South Eola can request the visit by phone or through the form, and same-day inspections are offered when the schedule allows.