Fireplace Installation in Ann Arbor

Turn an open hearth into real Michigan heat

248-260-5979

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CSIA certified

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Installed to code

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1-year workmanship warranty

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4.9 · 1,066 Ann Arbor reviews

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Santa’s favorite chimney crew

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Cleared for reindeer landing

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No soot on Santa’s boots

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Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer

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Stockings hung, flues swept

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Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days

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Jingle all the way up the chimney

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Warm fires, cozy nights

●

Santa’s favorite chimney crew

●

Cleared for reindeer landing

●

No soot on Santa’s boots

●

Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer

●

Stockings hung, flues swept

●

Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days

●

Jingle all the way up the chimney

●

Warm fires, cozy nights

●

Santa’s favorite chimney crew

●

Cleared for reindeer landing

●

No soot on Santa’s boots

●

Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer

●

Stockings hung, flues swept

●

Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days

●

Jingle all the way up the chimney

●

Warm fires, cozy nights

●

Santa’s favorite chimney crew

●

Cleared for reindeer landing

●

No soot on Santa’s boots

●

Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer

●

Stockings hung, flues swept

●

Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days

●

Jingle all the way up the chimney

●

Warm fires, cozy nights

Pricing, before you commit

Our prices are published, not hidden

Want to know the cost before anyone visits? Our fireplace installation pricing page lists every package and works out an estimate for your Ann Arbor home. No email, no callback.

Fireplace installation pricing

Calculator, every option and what's included

All pricing pages

Every service we price online, in one place

The craft, done properly

FIREPLACE INSTALLATION IN ANN ARBOR, MI

A modern insert turns an open masonry fireplace — which sends most of its heat straight up the flue — into a sealed heating appliance. In a climate where the heating season runs from October through April, that difference shows up on every Ann Arbor utility bill. Brown Chimney installs complete packages, from electric inserts to pellet stoves, built around the Osburn Matrix 1900 wood insert and the Majestic Ruby gas insert — fully installed with liner and venting, with gas and electrical work coordinated through our licensed subcontractors. Every package and its price is on our fireplace installation pricing page.

One crew coordinating the trades, one finished fireplace. Every installation is done to code by CSIA-certified technicians, and we file the building permit where the township requires it. Before any insert goes in, the chimney has to be sound — an Ann Arbor inspection confirms the flue, crown, and structure first. The full package detail is on our fireplace installation service page.

The Work

What an insert changes in an Ann Arbor home.

An open fireplace is ambiance; an insert is heat. Open masonry converts a fraction of the wood's energy into room heat and pulls already-warmed air out of the house with the rest — a poor trade in a Michigan January. A sealed insert reverses it: controlled combustion, blower-driven heat into the room, and a fire that works for the heating bill instead of against it.

The installation is a system, not a box: the insert is sized to your firebox, the liner or venting matched to the appliance and run the full flue height, and the surround finished clean. Gas installs coordinate licensed gas and electrical subcontractors for you — you're not managing three trades in the middle of winter, we are. Older Ann Arbor chimneys near campus sometimes need masonry work before an insert goes in; if so, you get the repair quote in writing first, separately.

We install throughout Washtenaw County and in Brighton and Northville. See the full local service list on the Ann Arbor page.

When to book

When does a fireplace installation make sense in Ann Arbor?

An insert is an upgrade decision, not a repair — but a long Michigan heating season makes the math obvious faster than it does elsewhere.

Your wood fireplace sends most of its heat up the flue

You want fire without the hauling, ash, and cleanup

An old open fireplace fails inspection or drafts poorly

You're renovating and the hearth is the centerpiece

Heating bills climb while the fireplace sits unused

You're removing a masonry chimney but want to keep the fire

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Taking down a masonry stack but keeping the fire is more common than you'd think — a modern insert vents through far less than a full chimney. We quote Ann Arbor removal and installation together when that's the plan.

What to expect

What happens during a fireplace installation?

From confirmed order to first fire, most Ann Arbor installations complete within one to two days on site — inspection first, then liner, unit, connections, and a full operational test before we leave.

Inspection & sizing

A chimney inspection confirms the flue, crown, and structure can host the appliance — and the firebox is measured for exact insert fit.

Package confirmation in writing

Unit, liner or venting, and timeline — the package confirmed in writing before anything is ordered, with any gas or electrical work quoted separately.

Liner & venting installation

Wood inserts get a stainless steel liner run the full flue height; gas units get dedicated venting matched to the appliance. This is where efficiency is won or lost.

Unit installation & connections

The insert is set, connected, and finished clean. On gas packages, licensed gas and electrical subcontractors work under our coordination — one crew responsible.

Operational test & first fire

Every function tested before we leave: ignition, damper or valve, blower, shutoffs. You get the full walkthrough, the documentation, and a fireplace that's ready tonight.

Fireplace heat check

How efficient is your fireplace right now?

Tell us what is in the fireplace and how you use it. You will see where the heat goes while the fire burns and after it goes out, the simple fixes worth doing first, and what an insert would change. Nothing is submitted.

ShowingFire lit. Open wood fireplace.
ArrowsOrange: heat lost up the chimney. Peach: heat into the room. Blue: air drawn in. Thicker means more.

What is in the fireplace now?

How often do you light it?

When the fire is out, does the damper close?

If you upgrade, which fuel?

Worth an insert

You light it often enough for an insert to matter

An open fireplace turns only a small share of the fire’s heat into room heat, and it pulls already-warm air up the chimney with the rest. An insert closes the opening with a sealed firebox and a glass door, so the fire heats the room instead of the chimney.

While it burnsMost of the heat goes up the flueThe fire pulls room air in to burn and sends most of its heat up the chimney with the smoke. You feel the radiant heat in front, while rooms farther away can get cooler as warm air is drawn toward the fireplace.
When it is outCheck the damperIf the damper does not seal, warm room air rises up the chimney day and night, all winter. On a cold day, feel for a draft at the opening.
With a wood insertSealed, vented through a linerA sealed firebox behind a glass door, with a controlled air supply, vents through a stainless liner to the top of the chimney.

Simple fixes first

Make the damper seal. Repair the throat damper, or add a cap damper that seals the top of the chimney, where the heat loss actually happens.
Fit glass doors. Doors fitted and sealed to the opening cut the draft when the fire is out.
Burn dry wood. Split, stacked and dried for at least six months, reading 20% moisture or less on a meter. Wet wood spends its heat boiling off water and makes more smoke.
Sweep and inspect yearly. Creosote is fuel. The yearly sweep removes it, and it is when most problems get caught early.

What a wood insert changes

Choose an EPA-certified model. EPA rates certified units as up to 50% more energy efficient than older ones, using about a third less wood for the same heat.
It burns without electricity (a blower, where fitted, needs an outlet), and it still needs dry wood and a yearly sweep.
An insert changes the system, which is when the flue gets a Level 2 inspection with a camera scan. Any repair the chimney needs is quoted separately.

Compare installation packages →Ask about installation

Want to browse units first?

Kaminos is our fireplace retail store, under the same ownership as Brown Chimney. See current models, pricing and options there. For installation, contact Brown Chimney; availability depends on your location.

Browse inserts on Kaminos (opens in a new tab)

A guide, not a measurement. Heat output depends on the unit, the chimney and the home; every installation is sized to the manufacturer’s specifications after the chimney is checked.

We had an excellent experience with Brown Chimney, especially working with Jacques. He was professional, kind, on time, and took the time to answer all of our questions thoroughly. He also helped us get our masonry work completed by taking photos and connecting us with a professional who could help with that portion of the project.

Ashleigh Jennings

Ann Arbor Client

The Brown Chimney Standard · Ann Arbor

Built for Michigan winters, not brochure weather.

Get Your Written Quote

Freeze-thaw is the local enemy

Lake-effect snow sits for weeks, then thaws. That cycle is what cracks Ann Arbor mortar — and what our repairs are specified against.

Code-ready inspections

From older homes near campus to newer builds in Scio and Pittsfield Township, our repairs pass local inspection.

1-year workmanship warranty

The labor on our repairs and installations is covered for a full year — in writing, not in promises.

Price fixed before we start

Measured on site, quoted in writing, approved by you — then the work begins. Never the other way around.

For transparency

What this visit doesn't cover.

Gas line and electrical work — coordinated through our licensed subcontractors and billed separately, shown to you in writing before work proceeds

Warranty on units you supply — we can install them, but they're installed at your risk and not covered by our workmanship warranty

Masonry repairs the inspection uncovers (quoted separately before installation is scheduled)

FAQs

Common questions about fireplace installation

How is fireplace installation priced in Ann Arbor?

As complete packages, from electric inserts to pellet stoves, with the Osburn Matrix 1900 wood insert and the Majestic Ruby gas insert as our core packages. Each includes the appliance, installation, venting where applicable, and a 1-year workmanship warranty on the labor. Every package and its price is on our fireplace installation pricing page.

Do I need a permit for a fireplace install in Ann Arbor?

For most installations involving new venting or gas line work, yes — and Brown Chimney files the permit and coordinates the township inspection. Drop-in inserts using existing venting often don't require one; we confirm during the on-site assessment.

Will an insert lower my Michigan heating bill?

Usually, noticeably. An open masonry fireplace loses most of its heat up the flue and pulls warmed air out of the house with it. A sealed insert delivers blower-driven heat into the room instead — over a heating season that runs October to April, that difference compounds.

Can an insert go into an older Ann Arbor fireplace?

In most masonry fireplaces, yes — the insert is sized to your firebox and a new liner runs the flue's full height. The prerequisite is a sound chimney, which is why every installation starts with a chimney inspection.

How long does installation take in Ann Arbor?

Most installations complete within one to two days on site. Gas packages add subcontractor coordination for the gas line and electrical, which Brown Chimney schedules and manages for you. The timeline is confirmed in writing with your quote.

Related Services

Liner

Chimney Liner & Relining

316L stainless for wood-burning, aluminum for gas — sized to your appliance and installed to code.

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Inspection

Chimney Inspection (Level 1 & 2)

Level 1 for the yearly check, Level 2 with a camera scan for a home sale or after a fire.

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Gas

Gas Fireplace Service & Repair

Pilot assemblies, thermocouples, ignitors, and control modules — diagnosed in sequence and quoted before any part is ordered.

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A safer hearth — for 2026

One package. One crew. First fire this season.

Every Brown Chimney installation in Ann Arbor is a complete package — unit, liner, venting, permits where required, and a full operational test before we leave, with the gas and electrical trades coordinated for you. Book online or call 248-260-5979.

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248-260-5979