Fireplace installation in Hayward CA - a fireplace that fits your house and the rules
Drafty old fireplace or no fireplace at all? We help you pick the right unit and fit it to the house you already have.
What does it take to put a fireplace in a Hayward home?
Fireplace installation in Hayward means fitting an insert into the fireplace you already have, or adding a new unit like a direct-vent gas fireplace where there isn't one, so you end up with a fire that suits your house and the city's rules.
Most calls I get are one of two things. There's an old wood fireplace that sends more heat up the chimney than into the room, or there's no fireplace and you want one. The price depends on which of those you have, how much venting, framing and surround work the new unit needs, and what shape the chimney is in. The schedule turns on the same things, so a simple insert is a short job and a full new fireplace takes longer. If the chimney itself is cracked or crumbling, chimney repair comes first. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'll give you a figure for your own house at the estimate.
What happens after you call about a new fireplace?
Call or send the form
You call (510) 264-7015 or send the form, and we get back to you to set up a visit. It helps to tell us the fireplace type you're after, whether the house has a chimney and whether your current fireplace is factory built.
I come out and look
I come out myself, look over the fireplace, the chimney and the room, and ask what you've noticed and how you plan to use it. You get your estimate on site, covering the units that fit your house and what each one involves.
We handle permits and prep
Once you say yes, we sort out any permit steps and prep the site. We cover the floors and set up a clean work area the way I'd set my station before a dinner rush.
We install, check and walk it
We do the install, then I check it over the way a cook tastes a plate before it goes out, and we walk the finished fireplace with you. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
What fireplace installation involves, and the masonry that goes with it
The fireplace you have now, and whether there's a chimney, decide what will fit, so I start by looking at both. Then we help you pick a unit the local rules allow before anything gets ordered, because a unit that doesn't suit the firebox or the city means paying for it twice. On install day we set the unit and either run the new vent or reline the chimney so the exhaust has a clean path out, and we make sure the liner is seated right. Then we build or patch the hearth and surround so the new work suits the room it's in.
A lot of fireplace jobs finish with the face around the unit. If you want stone there, we do stone veneer installation so the surround looks like it belongs with the rest of the house. For an outdoor fireplace or a solid base that has to carry real weight, we lay concrete block walls first and finish over them.
Get a fireplace estimate for your Hayward home
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out myself and give you a free estimate on site, with no obligation to go ahead.
Fireplace questions from Hayward homeowners
How much does it cost to install a gas fireplace in Hayward?
Across the US, installing a gas fireplace usually costs about $2,500 to $10,000 per job, based on a national 2026 guide. That's the general market range and not our price. Where your job falls depends on the things covered above, so you get your own figure at the estimate.
Can I add a wood-burning fireplace in Hayward?
Yes, as long as the unit is certified. In new homes, and in remodels or additions that add a wood-burning appliance, Hayward allows only gas fireplaces, EPA-certified wood heaters, pellet heaters and fireplaces certified to the EPA's emission limit, and the city needs paperwork showing your unit meets those rules. The Bay Area Air District also bans wood burning on Mandatory Burn Ban days, when fine-particle pollution runs high, and it has updated its wood-burning rule, so check with it on how that rule applies before you settle on wood or pellet.
Do I need a chimney for a gas fireplace?
No. A direct-vent gas fireplace vents through a pipe out a wall or the roof, so it needs no masonry chimney. If you already have a chimney, a gas insert can reuse it with a new liner run up the flue.
Do I need a permit to install a fireplace in Hayward?
Plan on it. The City of Hayward requires building permits for almost all construction work, including plumbing, mechanical, electrical and structural work. We check with the city for your address and, when a permit is required, handle the paperwork and the inspections.
How long does a fireplace installation take?
Most gas fireplace projects take one to three days, and an insert going into a sound existing fireplace is at the short end of that. New framing, venting and surround work add days, so a full new fireplace takes longer. I'll tell you what yours involves when I come out.
What is the best way to choose an insert for my existing fireplace?
Start with the fireplace you have. A factory-built fireplace, the metal kind also called zero-clearance, can only take an insert that was designed and tested for that unit. A masonry fireplace gives you more choices, but the liner inside the chimney has to be installed right, and a thorough Level 2 chimney inspection is the usual advice before you switch fuel or type, so ask us whether it's part of the plan.
Other masonry work that goes with a new fireplace
Stone veneer installation
Want the new fireplace to look like it's always been there? Stone veneer gives the surround a stone face without the weight of full stone.
Concrete block walls
Planning an outdoor fireplace or a raised hearth base? Block walls give it a solid masonry core that we can face in brick, stone or stucco afterward.
Tell us about the fireplace you want
Call Bedrock Hayward Concrete and Masonry at (510) 264-7015 any day from 7 AM to 11 PM, or send the form, and let us know whether you have a chimney so I come out already knowing what might fit.