Clean, Instant Heat for Shrewsbury's Classic Bungalows.

For a direct-vent gas insert installed into one of Shrewsbury's existing masonry fireplaces—the most common project in this neighborhood of older bungalows—expect to pay roughly $3,500 to $7,500, depending on the insert model and whether a new gas line run is needed from the meter. A full built-in gas fireplace for a remodel or addition, with new framing and venting through an exterior wall, typically runs $6,000 to $11,000. Homes that already have gas service to a furnace or water heater (the majority in this part of St. Louis County) tend to land on the lower end since the gas supply line is a shorter extension.

Yes, and it's the single most common gas project in Shrewsbury given how many homes here still have the original 1930s-to-1950s masonry fireplace. A local installer runs a stainless liner or direct-vent kit through the existing chimney and sets a gas insert in the firebox opening. It preserves the look of the original brick surround while eliminating the need to source, split, or store cordwood on a small in-town lot. Most of these conversions run $3,500 to $7,000 depending on the insert and whether the gas line needs to be extended from an existing appliance.

Nearly every home in Shrewsbury already sits on the natural gas grid—this is a fully built-out, century-old inner-ring St. Louis County suburb, not a rural area where propane tanks are the norm. If your furnace, water heater, or range already runs on gas, adding a fireplace or insert is usually a straightforward tap off the existing line. Propane is rarely needed here and is really only a consideration for a detached structure or an outbuilding without a gas line already run to it.

Most modern gas fireplaces will, as long as they use intermittent pilot ignition (IPI) with a battery backup—the fireplace lights on demand using AA batteries when Union Electric's grid goes down, which does happen during St. Louis County ice storms and summer thunderstorms. Valor units take it a step further: their pilot assembly generates its own electricity through the thermocouple, so there's no battery to remember or replace. Ask your local dealer which ignition system is on the model you're considering if outage backup matters to you.

A gas insert is built to slide into an existing masonry firebox—the right call for most Shrewsbury homes, since so many still have the original brick fireplace from when the house was built. A gas fireplace is a fully framed, built-in unit used when there's no existing masonry opening, typically in a remodel or an addition. A gas stove is a freestanding cabinet unit that sits on the floor like a wood stove but burns gas—an option worth considering in a smaller room or a home without any existing fireplace opening at all. A local dealer can tell you within minutes which category fits your house.

Generally yes—gas line work and any new venting through an exterior wall typically require a permit through the City of Shrewsbury building department, and the gas connection itself has to be made by a licensed gas-fitter. Most established hearth dealers in the St. Louis area handle this paperwork as part of the installation, coordinating the gas line, venting, and inspection so you're not left managing separate trades yourself.

Vented, direct-vent units draw combustion air from outside and exhaust it back outside through a sealed pipe—they're the most common and most broadly recommended choice, and they're what most Shrewsbury insert conversions use. Vent-free units burn without any outside venting and release some combustion byproducts into the room; Missouri allows them, but they come with strict room-size and ventilation requirements, and on Shrewsbury's smaller floor plans that can be a real limitation. For most homes here, a direct-vent insert or fireplace is the simpler, safer answer.

Plan on an annual inspection, ideally in early fall before the heating season starts. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, venting, and gas connections, and cleans the glass—a much smaller job than a wood chimney sweep but still important, since a dirty or misaligned burner can produce soot staining on the glass or an uneven flame. Annual service in the St. Louis area typically runs $125 to $200.

Wood is genuinely impractical for most properties here—Shrewsbury's lots are small and close together, there's nowhere to season a cord of oak, hickory, or walnut, and unlike a colder, more rural market such as Bozeman, MT, most homes don't need a wood stove's overnight heat output to get through the winter. Gas, on the other hand, fits this built-out suburb well: it drops into the fireplace opening that's likely already in your living room, runs off gas service that's probably already at the house, and gives you heat at the flip of a switch without any wood to haul or ash to clean up. For the overwhelming majority of Shrewsbury homeowners, gas is the clear choice.

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.

Open fireplaces suck—literally. As the fire burns, it consumes air your furnace already paid to heat and pulls it out through the chimney, so the house is actually colder after the fire goes out than before you lit it. An insert fixes this: it seals the chimney, puts fixed glass across the front, and turns that hole in your house into a real heat source.

If you're putting a fire in your house on purpose, it's best to work with an expert. Unless you're genuinely experienced in framing, gas line, vent pipe, and the national code on clearances to combustibles, have a professional do it—and ideally the same company that sells you the fireplace, so warranty, service, and liability all live under one roof.

For an average home—covering the fireplace, the vent pipe, and basic installation—a budget between $3,900 and $5,500 gives you a lot of options across wood, gas, and pellet. By the time you add finish work, gas line, and electrical, the average complete installation lands between $5,000 and $12,000 all-in. In a remodel or new build, a good rule is to put about 2.5% of the total project cost toward the fireplace.