Steady heat for Fundy Heights' salt-air winters.

Typical installs run $6,000 to $15,000 CAD. A direct-vent insert going into an existing masonry firebox—common in older homes scattered through the Saint John Region—lands toward the low end, especially if a gas line already runs near the hearth. A new built-in unit for an addition or renovation, with a fresh gas line and venting run through an exterior wall, sits toward the top of that range. If your property is outside the Liberty Utilities (Gas NB) footprint and needs a propane tank set, budget extra for the tank and line work.

Yes, and it's a common request from owners of older masonry fireplaces built for sugar maple or yellow birch who are ready to stop splitting and stacking. A gas insert typically slides into the existing firebox with a liner run through the current chimney, generally landing between $6,000 and $10,000 depending on whether you're tying into Liberty's gas line or running propane. Unlike a wood appliance, a gas insert doesn't need a WETT inspection for insurance purposes, though the installation still has to meet CSA B365.

It depends on your street. Liberty Utilities (Gas NB) serves portions of the Saint John Region, and Fundy Heights sits close enough that some addresses have a main nearby while others don't. Where the line isn't there, propane is the standard fallback, and most fireplace models a local dealer carries can be set up for either fuel with a straightforward orifice change. Your dealer can check Liberty's mapped service area against your address before you commit to a unit.

Most will, which matters here—nor'easters off the Bay of Fundy knock out NB Power service on this stretch of coast most winters. Units with intermittent pilot ignition run on battery backup that kicks in automatically when the power drops. Some models, including several Valor units carried by regional dealers, use a self-powered thermocouple and skip the battery entirely. Given how often a Fundy storm means a day or two without power, it's worth asking specifically which ignition system is on any model you're considering.

A gas fireplace is a built-in unit framed into a wall, typical for new construction or a full renovation. A gas insert fits into an existing masonry firebox, which is the more common upgrade in older Fundy Heights and Saint John Region homes that already have a wood-burning fireplace and chimney chase. A gas stove is freestanding on a hearth pad, similar in footprint to a wood stove but running off a gas line or propane tank. For a home with an existing chimney, an insert is usually the least disruptive and least expensive of the three.

Yes. You'll need a permit through the municipal building department, and the gas line work itself has to be done by a licensed gas fitter under CSA B365. Most local hearth dealers who work in the Saint John Region handle both the building permit and the gas hookup coordination as part of the job, so you're not chasing two separate approvals on your own.

Direct-vent units draw combustion air from outside and exhaust it back outside through sealed venting, and they're the standard, code-compliant choice across New Brunswick. Vent-free units are legal in some jurisdictions but come with strict room-sizing rules and add moisture to the indoor air—a real consideration in a coastal community where humidity and salt air already put pressure on window seals and finishes. Most dealers serving the Saint John Region default to direct-vent for exactly that reason.

Plan on an annual check, ideally in late summer or early fall before the first cold snap rather than mid-winter when technicians are booked solid across the region. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, gas connections, and venting, and cleans the glass—usually $150-$250 CAD for a standard visit. Running the unit daily through a heating season that stretches from October into April makes that yearly check worth keeping on the calendar.

Wood still has deep roots here—a household woodlot permit through New Brunswick Natural Resources runs about $6.10 per cubic metre, up to 14 cubic metres a year for roughly $85 total, and sugar maple, yellow birch, and red maple all split and burn well. Wood also keeps working without electricity, which matters through Fundy storm season. Gas wins on daily convenience and skips the WETT inspection that insurers often require for wood appliances, plus the splitting, stacking, and chimney sweeping that go with it. Plenty of households here run gas in the main living space and keep a wood stove or insert elsewhere as backup for extended outages.

Most modern gas fireplaces can—turn it on and off from the couch with a remote, or set a room temperature and let the fireplace hold the comfort zone for you. If low maintenance matters to your family, this is the feature set that makes gas the convenience pick over wood and pellet.

Because a fireplace is an iceberg—there's more behind the wall than in front of it. A low quote often covers only the unit; the full scope includes vent pipe, gas line or electrical, framing, and the tile or stone that has to come off and go back on. Make every bidder price the whole job. If a dealer can't speak to the full scope with confidence, that's your signal to keep looking.

Yes—modern gas fireplaces have a battery backup for the ignition system that lasts for weeks, so no power equals no problem. Your furnace can't say that: no electricity, no blower, no heat. It's one of the most common reasons families add a fireplace, and worth confirming on any model you're considering.

Four numbers tell you what fits: the front width, the front height, the back width, and the overall depth of your existing fireplace opening. Grab a tape measure, jot those down, and snap a photo of the wall—those two things do more to move your project forward than anything else you can do today.