Fireplace Remodel in Santa Monica, Roof First

Fireplace remodel in Santa Monica: the flue and the roof come first

You are comparing contractors for a fireplace remodel in Santa Monica, and most of the quotes will talk about the surround. Ours starts higher up. Bayside Chimney Contractors is based in Santa Monica and works on bay chimneys from the top down: cap, crown, flashing and chase cover first, because that is where sea air does its damage.

That order protects the remodel. A new stone surround under a rusted chase cover or a cracked crown is a new surround waiting for water.

Ask for a written remodel quote

What we build

A fireplace remodel changes how a whole room feels. Our crews build:

• - A stone or tile surround set by hand
• A mantel designed and built for your room
• A switch from wood to a gas or electric insert
• A longer hearth with the floor protected
• A code check before any work starts
• A 3D preview if you ask for one

Every job starts with us checking the existing firebox and flue by hand to confirm the work stays code compliant. Then the roof check, and then the design.

What sets the price

We do not print a price for a remodel. The scope decides it, and the scope is written after a visit. What moves the quote:

• - Surround material: stone or tile, and how much of it
• The mantel: stock, or designed and fabricated for the room
• Whether the fireplace stays wood or converts to a gas or electric insert
• How far the hearth extends and how much floor needs protecting
• Whether the metal at the top of the chimney needs replacing
• Anything the code check says has to change first
• Access and the size of the room

If the cap or chase cover is rusted, replacing it goes on the quote as its own line, with the photo that shows why. You see the cost of the roof work separate from the cost of the room work.

Why the roof check belongs in a remodel

Every Bayside visit starts on the roof, at the cap and crown. Near the beach, rust on the cap's screws often shows before rust on the cap itself. We check:

• - Cap mesh and fasteners
• The chase cover's seams on a metal chimney
• The crown's edge
• The flashing where it meets the brick

You get a rust note on each metal part, with photos. If you convert to a gas or electric insert, or you rebuild the surround, you want to know what the top of the chimney is doing before the walls are closed up.

Choosing the metal

Replacement metal is chosen by how close the house sits to the water. For a replacement within a mile or two of the sand, we suggest 316 stainless or copper. Galvanized steel and painted covers are where the rust we photograph in Santa Monica starts.

That advice goes into the remodel quote. If you are putting a new fireplace into a room, you do not want to be back on the roof in two years because the cover is the wrong metal.

Book the roof and flue check

Santa Monica brick and the 1994 quake

Santa Monica is home for Bayside, and brick chimneys here sometimes date to before the 1994 quake. On a brick chimney old enough to have ridden it out, we add a camera look up the flue before the remodel is designed. A new surround is not a reason to find a flue crack later.

If your remodel changes fuel, the camera look also tells us whether the flue is still the right path for the new insert.

How a remodel visit works

The process in plain steps:

• - You call or send the form and describe what you want to change
• A technician checks the firebox and flue by hand, and goes up to the roof
• You get a rust note with photos for each metal part
• We talk through the design, and a 3D preview is available on request
• You get the quote in writing, with the roof work and the room work on separate lines
• If you say yes, we book the build

Nothing is started until you approve the quote. We never refuse a small job, either: a mantel alone or a hearth extension alone is a fair request. If a larger job saves a second visit, we say so.

Choosing your contractor

Ask each fireplace contractor:

• - Will you check the flue and the roof before you design?
• Is the quote in writing, with each part on its own line?
• Do you do a code compliance check before work begins?
• What metal will you use at the top, and why?
• Can I see the photos of what you found?

A company that answers all five has looked at the whole chimney. One that answers only the first part has only looked at the room.

Book your Santa Monica fireplace remodel

Tell us what you want to change and what the fireplace looks like now. Call (424) 266-4588 or send the form and we will book a roof-first visit and write the quote.