Which one is your home? · New Construction
You're Building
The one situation where doing it early costs nothing and doing it late costs a lot.
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Situation
The short answer
On a new build the fireplace is the one item where doing it early costs nothing and doing it late costs a lot. The rough opening, the vent route, the gas line, the electrical and whether the finish runs to the glass all come from the specific model, so the unit has to be chosen before the framer starts. Every shop in this network installs its own work, which means one company carries the fireplace from spec through inspection rather than three trades pointing at each other.
In plain language
Four Things to Settle Before Framing
None of these is expensive now. All of them are expensive in three weeks. This is the entire content of a good fireplace conversation on a new build.
- The rough opening
- The framed hole the firebox sits in, taken from the manufacturer's instructions for the exact model—including the clearances to combustible framing, which are part of the listing rather than a guideline. Your framer should be given these numbers, never asked to estimate them.
- The vent route
- Direct-vent pipe has allowable lengths, rises and offsets that differ by model. What sits above and behind that wall—a second storey, a bathroom, a roof valley—routinely narrows the model list more than taste does, and it is far easier to route before anything is closed.
- Gas sizing for everything, not just this
- If a patio fireplace, a fire pit or a built-in grill is anywhere in the plan—even for a later phase—size the line for all of it now. Adding capacity to a finished house is one of the most avoidable costs in the whole project.
- Clean face, and what goes above
- Whether the tile or stone runs right to the glass, how high the unit sits from the sofa's eye line, and whether a TV is going above it. Each of those changes framing or blocking, and each is free to decide today.
Start here
What to Spec for the Room
New construction is the one situation with no existing constraints, so the room decides.
- A great room, and you want a statement A wide linear gas fireplace
- Wider than about 72 inches Flare—80 and 100 inches, configurable
- A large open fire, wood now or gas later Open-hearth wood fireplace
- Bigger than any listed appliance, faced in stone Modular masonry
- A basement or a bedroom with no vent route Built-in electric
- A patio in the same project Spec it now and share the gas line
The difference
Spec Early or Spec Late
The same fireplace, the same house, two very different projects. This is the argument for one phone call in month one.
| Chosen before framing | Chosen after framing | |
|---|---|---|
| Model choice | The whole catalogue | Whatever fits the hole |
| Vent route | Designed in | Worked around |
| Gas line | Sized once, for everything | Re-run or upsized |
| Clean face to the glass | Available | Often no longer possible |
| TV above | Blocking and conduit in place | Chased in afterwards |
| Who is waiting on whom | Nobody | The finish trades |
Local
Building in Utah
Order the Altitude Conversion with the Appliance
Above roughly 4,500 feet a gas appliance needs a different orifice, supplied by the manufacturer as a kit. Most of the Wasatch Front is at or above that line, and Heber and Park City are well above it. It is routine work; the way it goes wrong on a new build is that nobody puts it on the order.
Around 10% of This Business is New Construction and Custom Homes
Which means high-end builders and homeowner-builders taking large gas appliances. These shops are used to working to a construction schedule, and commercial and architect-specified projects come through the same door—frequently with Flare already written into the drawings.
One Slab and One Gas Line for the Patio Too
Fire features and outdoor kitchens end up on the same patio far more often than not. Pouring one slab and running one correctly sized line while the ground is already open costs a fraction of doing it in two visits.
One Company from Spec to Inspection
Every shop in this network installs its own work. On a new build that matters more than anywhere else: the fireplace is not a trade handing off to another trade, so warranty, service and responsibility all sit in one place when something needs looking at next winter.
What's actually going on
The Part Nobody Explains
Settle the unit, the framing, and the vent path before the walls close up. Every one of those is cheap to decide on paper and expensive to change once there's drywall on it—and the vent path in particular constrains where the fireplace can go far more than most people expect.
This is also where the biggest units live. Custom homes here often want the largest firebox they can get without going to full modular masonry, and some want the option to burn wood or gas in the same opening. Those decisions ripple into structure, not just finish.
A useful budgeting rule on a new build or a large remodel: put about 2.5% of the total project cost toward the fireplace. It's usually more than people first assume and less than they fear.
How it works
Here's How to Find the Perfect Fireplace
- 01
Browse the Products
Answer a few questions about your room and see the units that actually fit it.
Browse fireplaces → - 02
Find Your Local Dealer
Enter your zip code and meet the shop that serves your neighborhood. One shop, not a bidding pile.
Find your dealer → - 03
Book an Appointment
Showroom visit or in-home. They handle the permit, the venting, and the install.
Book an appointment →
Not quite it?
The Other Four
Find the one that looks like your room.
Talk to Someone Who's Done This Before
Enter your zip code and meet the shop that serves your street.
Questions buyers ask
Questions Buyers Ask
When should I choose the fireplace on a new build?
Before the framer starts. The rough opening, the clearances, the vent route, the gas line and the finish detail all come from the specific model. Choosing after the framing means either changing the framing or accepting whatever will fit it, and the second is how people end up with a fireplace they did not want.
Who gives my builder the rough-in dimensions?
The shop supplying the unit, from the manufacturer's installation instructions for that exact model. Get them in writing and get them to the framer directly. The clearances to combustible framing in those documents are part of the appliance's listing, not a recommendation.
Will you work with my builder or general contractor?
That is the normal arrangement. Every shop here runs its own installation crews and is used to being sequenced against framing, gas, electrical and finish trades. Builders and architects come through the same door as homeowners, often with a spec already written.
What size fireplace for a great room?
Think about the wall and the room, not the BTU figure. A wide linear unit is usually the answer in a modern great room, and the practical limits are the wall you have and how far the vent can run. Above about 72 inches the answer moves to Flare, which is custom territory.
Should I run gas to the patio while building?
Yes, even if the patio is a later phase. Sizing the line for a future outdoor fireplace, fire pit or built-in grill while the trench is open costs very little. Adding capacity to a finished house and a finished yard is one of the most irritating avoidable expenses there is.
Can I have a see-through or two-sided fireplace?
Yes, and new construction is the only situation where it is straightforward. See-through units open into two rooms and corner units turn a wall junction into the feature. Both need deciding at the framing stage because the structure is genuinely different.
How does the fireplace fit the construction schedule?
The firebox and vent go in at framing, before insulation and drywall. The gas connection, the finish work and the trim-out come much later. Getting the unit on site for the framing stage is what keeps it off the punch list—and it is the one milestone worth putting in the schedule explicitly.
Do I need a permit and an inspection on a new build?
Yes, and on a new build it is part of the general permit and inspection sequence. Gas piping has to be run by a licensed gas-fitter. Every shop here handles the fireplace's part of that and sees the inspection through.
Can I put a fireplace in a primary bedroom or bathroom?
A bedroom, commonly, and it is one of the nicest places for a small linear unit. A bathroom brings its own requirements and is more restricted. Both are far easier on a new build than as a retrofit, and both need raising early because the venting is the awkward part.
What about a fireplace in a spec home?
The economics are different, and worth being honest about: a fireplace is one of the features that reads immediately in listing photographs and in a walkthrough. What buyers here respond to is a fire that is clearly the feature of the main room rather than a small square unit added because the plan had one.