Consultations

Overview of Consultation Services

Our consultation services are available to help consumers, home owners, real estate professionals, and construction professionals when considering the purchase or repair of a hearth product or service. For example, our inspection services can be useful to both the buyer and seller of new or used homes when a stove or a fireplace is included. An on-site consultation can help a home owner choose the right appliance that fits their own personal tastes and provides the features they need and want.

Following is an outline of some of our consultations services. Custom consultation plans are available upon request.

In-Home Consultation (for installations)

Sometimes it is hard to make a decision about whether a particular appliance or chimney system is appropriate for a house until a site visit has been completed. These site visits help both the consumer and our installation crews as we prepare a comprehensive materials list and an estimate of the cost for installation. 

This site visit is provided free of charge to all of our installation customers. A small fee is charged for those who do not purchase our installation services.

An In-Home Consultation includes a review of the available appliances and options, location and size assessment, decorative and structural opinions, and a complete written estimate upon request. If you have your own builder or designer it can be helpful to meet on site to discuss the various options and formulate a plan of action.

In-store Consultation

Some projects require considerably more planning than others. When embarking on a new fireplace project, or a complicated stove installation, we offer to meet by appointment at our store/showroom so that we can help answer all of your questions about the appliances and options we offer from among our many brands. There is no charge for in-store consultation but it is recommended that you make an appointment so that we can give you our undivided attention.

Site Consultations for Building Professionals

We offer consultation to builders, remodelers, designers, architects, home inspectors and town building inspectors on matters relating to the safe installation of hearth appliances and chimneys. Difficult designs may need to be checked against the required clearances from hearth appliances or vents to combustible building materials. A careful plan can prevent a problem with safety code violations that may show up only when it's too late to make a change - requiring an expensive rebuild or an unacceptable compromise by the homeowner. A written report, or estimate, is included upon request.

Stove or Fireplace Inspections (for Real Estate)

This service is available to home buyers and sellers, and their real estate agents, to assess the condition of an existing stove or fireplace. The appliance and the chimney are inspected and recommendations are made about use of the system or the need for repairs or upgrades. Careful attention is given to clearances and safety codes. Difficult inspections may require additional charges. A written report, or estimate of costs for repair, replacement or upgrade, is included.

Trial Run and Inspection (for liner systems)

Sometimes it is impossible to know if an existing masonry fireplace or chimney will accommodate a liner system unless we physically give it a test run with the actual materials we intend to install. Even if the materials will not fit we may learn more about possible solutions that may use alternate materials or methods. The rate for this service is based on our hourly rates and will vary according to the difficulty of the inspection.

Other types of Consultation

If you would like to discuss other consultation needs that you don't see outlined here, please contact us and we will give consideration to your request. if we can't help we may at least be able to point you in the right direction.

Thank you for your interest in our consultation services. Please visit our pages for Installation, Repair services and Delivery for more information on other services we offer.