9 replies to this topic

[struthie]

I'm thinking about opening up my fireplace in the living room,thinking of having a wood burner in there,not that I know much about them,need to google that one.

Can anyone recommend someone that could open the fireplace up for me (it only has plasterboard over it) and install a fireplace and hearth and then possibly wood burner?

Thanks

[Rayhoop]

We had "Just Fit Fires" come and fit out our fireplace. They lined the chimney, fitted the stove, mantel, hearth etc. I cannot recommend them highly enough. http://www.justfitfires.co.uk/

90% of fireplace shops/fitters will only fit the stuff they sell you/supply - which is obviously at a premium compared to prices you can find online. They state "you dont get good service from online suppliers.. if you have a problem it is a big headache etc..."

Just Fit Fires will fit anything you like (if safe!), regardless which supplier you buy it from. They even pointed us in the direction of some trade suppliers of slate for our hearth etc...

We ordered our goods well in advance online (except the mantel) and had no problems.

They (3 guys) did the whole job in a day as they cover all the main trades required (compared to another fireplace shop who estimated 2 weeks of different trades men coming in for 0.5-1 day at a time). These guys are ex-army with a great work ethic and are very friendly, honest and helpful.

They do not list Amersham in their 'areas we cover' but they do.
Price wise - nobody could come close to their price in 2010. I cannot comment about prices today.
Availability - they were very very busy in Oct-Dec 2010. We had to be patient as they had a lot of jobs booked in before us, but it was worth it.

Job done in a day (compared to 2 weeks) and at a much lower price. Only thing is we had to arrange our own carpet fitter to cut/re-lay the carpet around the fireplace. No bother - Yerrel Flooring in Chesham sorted that our for very little money.

[SallyH]

Struthie - thanks for your question. We have been mulling over this whole area for a while but have not made much progress, so your posting has spurred me on.

Rayhoop, thank you for your detailed reply to Struthie. Where did you find all the suppliers and did JustFitFires tell you exactly what components you needed to order.

We will need a flue liner, a stove, a hearth and a wooden fire surround (which our carpenter is about to quote for) and possibly other items that I am unaware of, but I would like guidance from a company like JustFitFires.

[struthie]

Ray thank you so much for your detailed reply,have emailed them and waiting for a call back.
Will let you know how I get on.

[Ian]

This is very useful for us as well ... moving to new home without a fire that needs something installing so I will reach out to this lot.

[Rayhoop]

Rayhoop, thank you for your detailed reply to Struthie. Where did you find all the suppliers and did JustFitFires tell you exactly what components you needed to order.

We will need a flue liner, a stove, a hearth and a wooden fire surround (which our carpenter is about to quote for) and possibly other items that I am unaware of, but I would like guidance from a company like JustFitFires.

We had two other fireplace firms come and quote before we had the guys from JustFit come over. HG Matthews of Bellingdon and the Maidenhead Fireplace Centre. Both provided written quotations for materials and labour, and both were very thorough.

All three fireplace companies/installers gave us advice on what we requried - pretty much the same advice from all.
Materials wise - HG Matthews and Maidenhead FC required us to purchase the materials from them. HG Matthews was quite pricey for materials and labour. Maidenhead FC slightly cheaper.

JustFit's labour quote was a fair bit cheaper. One thing that helped, was at the time they were not yet registered to charge VAT as they had just set up the company in the summer.

Using the quotes/info from the two other installers we had a good idea what we needed to buy, so started searching online.
When JustFit turned up, they took us through the complete list of materials that were required to ensure we ordered the correct goods. They recommended a few suppliers, but ultimately it was up to us who we chose to purchase from.

Dont get your heart set on a particular stove until you have had advice from a qualified fitter, as they all have specific requirements re: free air space, ventilation in the room etc.

I would also strongly recommend going in person to view show room examples of the stoves and mantels/surrounds you are interested in purchasing. Photos in brochures/on the internet and customer reviews do not always give you an accurate picture!

If you are thinking of 'using' the fireplace for heat rather than decoration - I would seek advice from a qualified fitter before commissioning a carpenter to make a surround for you - just in case it is not safe etc. The fitters would be best placed to advise though.

[struthie]

Thanks again Ray,I have had a chat with one of the guys from Justfit and he is hopefully coming to see me at the end of the week.
Will let you know how I get on.

[struthie]

Well stage one is now done, have had two guys here today from just fit fires - they have done a brilliant job.
They have opened up the fireplace today,so now all I need to do is buy the log burner and hearth and they will come back for stage two.

Ray - you were so right,they are a really friendly company,I won't hesitate in recommending them.

[Rayhoop]

Hey Struthie,
Glad it all worked out. The guys were great to us, so I just had to recommend them. Glad it wasnt just a one off and that their good service continues!

[struthie]

It certainly does Ray,log burner delivered today and being installed next week so thanks again.