Reliable Warmth for a Real Midwest Winter.

A typical gas fireplace installation in Round Lake Beach runs roughly $4,000 to $10,000 depending on the unit, the venting path, and whether new gas line work is needed. A direct-vent insert going into an existing masonry fireplace with a gas line already run to that wall sits at the lower end. A new built-in gas fireplace as part of a basement finish or remodel—with framing, a fresh vent run through an exterior wall, and new gas piping from the meter—lands in the middle to upper end. Local retailers will give you a firm number after seeing the space in person.

Yes, and it's one of the more common projects local dealers handle in this part of Lake County, where a lot of homes built in the 1970s through 1990s came with an open masonry wood fireplace that rarely gets used. A gas insert typically drops into that existing firebox, using a stainless liner run up your current chimney for venting. Expect roughly $4,500 to $9,000 depending on the insert and whether your home is already piped for gas. The conversion keeps the look of the original fireplace while giving you push-button heat instead of a fireplace that mostly collects dust.

Either works, but most Round Lake Beach homes already have natural gas service through Nicor Gas, which makes a natural gas fireplace the simpler and cheaper install if you're on an existing line. Homes on the edges of the service territory, or anyone without gas plumbed to the house, can run a fireplace on propane with a tank installed by a local propane supplier. Nearly every gas fireplace on the market is available configured for either fuel—your installer sets the correct orifice and regulator for whichever you're using.

Most direct-vent gas fireplaces with intermittent pilot ignition (IPI) include a battery backup—usually AA batteries built into the unit—that keeps the igniter working when ComEd service drops during an ice storm or high-wind event. The fireplace lights the same way it always does, just running off battery power until the grid comes back. Valor fireplaces skip batteries altogether: their pilot assembly generates its own electricity through a thermocouple, so the fireplace works even after batteries would have been forgotten or died. For a Round Lake Beach winter where outages can last a day or more, that's worth asking about when you're comparing units.

A gas fireplace is a fully built-in unit framed into a wall—the right call for a basement finish or new construction where there's no existing firebox. A gas insert is built to slide into an existing masonry fireplace opening and use the existing chimney as its vent chase, which is the common upgrade for older Round Lake Beach homes with a wood-burning fireplace that never gets lit. A gas stove is a freestanding cabinet unit that sits on the floor like a wood stove but runs on gas—a good option for a room with no fireplace at all and no interest in framing one in.

Yes—a building permit through the Village of Round Lake Beach is required for new gas fireplace installations, along with a gas line permit if new piping is being run from the meter. The gas connection itself has to be done by a licensed gas-fitter, which is one reason it's worth using a hearth dealer who coordinates the gas work, venting, and inspection together rather than piecing it together yourself with separate contractors.

Vented direct-vent and B-vent gas fireplaces—which draw combustion air from outside and exhaust exhaust gases back outside—are code-compliant everywhere and are what most Round Lake Beach installers recommend by default. Vent-free (unvented) gas fireplaces are legal in Illinois but come with strict room-size and ventilation requirements, and some local jurisdictions restrict where they can be installed, particularly in bedrooms. Given how tightly built and well-insulated many newer Lake County homes are, a vented unit is usually the safer, simpler recommendation—but ask your local dealer about both if you're weighing the tradeoffs.

Plan on an annual inspection, ideally before the heating season starts in the fall. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, venting, and gas connections, and cleans the glass and interior—a much smaller job than chimney sweeping for a wood-burning unit, but still important for safe operation. Local gas appliance service providers typically charge $150 to $250 for a standard annual visit, and most will flag any venting or connection issues before they turn into a bigger repair.

Gas delivers real, sustained heat output and can be sized to actually take the edge off a Round Lake Beach winter, and most models keep working during a power outage with battery or self-generating ignition. Electric fireplaces cost far less to install—often under $1,000 for a simple unit—and can be plugged into any outlet, but they're best treated as supplemental or ambiance heat rather than a real heat source, and running one for hours a day adds up at ComEd's residential rate of about 13.4 cents per kWh. For a primary living space where you want to feel a difference in the room on a January night, gas is usually the better fit; for a bedroom, apartment, or rental where installation flexibility matters more than heat output, electric is often the practical choice.

An insert is a fireplace that slides into a pre-existing wood-burning fireplace—if you don't have one, there's nothing to insert it into. A zero-clearance fireplace is built into a framed wall, which makes it the answer for remodels and new construction. Simple test: existing masonry fireplace means insert; blank or framed wall means zero-clearance.

An insert does two things: it seals the chimney completely, so you stop losing air you already paid to heat, and it radiates warmth into the room through the firebox and glass. Most add a heat-exchange fan that pulls cool room air underneath, wraps it around the hot firebox, and pushes it back out warm. Your home is more efficient before you've even lit the first fire.

On average, a fireplace adds back to the home about the same amount you spent installing it. Add the monthly savings from heating the rooms you actually use instead of the whole house—often hundreds of dollars a year—and the value case is strong before you even count what a fire does for how your family uses the room.

Yes—by creating a comfort zone. A furnace heats every square foot of the house just to warm the one room you're in; a gas fireplace on low burns roughly a sixth of the gas a typical furnace does. Set the furnace around 55–60 degrees as a baseline, then heat the rooms your family actually uses. Families who heat this way commonly save $20–$60 a month.