Find the right gas fireplace for your Franklin County home.

Costs in Franklin County typically run from around $4,000 for a direct-vent gas insert into an existing masonry fireplace with a gas line already nearby, up to $10,000 or more for a new built-in gas fireplace in a remodel or new construction that requires framing, venting through an exterior wall, and a fresh gas line run from the meter. Homes in older Columbus neighborhoods like German Village, Clintonville, or Bexley with existing masonry fireboxes are often on the lower end since the chimney can carry a liner. Newer subdivisions in Dublin, Hilliard, or Grove City without an existing fireplace usually land in the middle to upper range. A local retailer will give you a firm number after seeing the space in person.

Yes, and it's one of the most common projects hearth dealers handle in Franklin County's older housing stock. Many homes in neighborhoods like Upper Arlington, Clintonville, and German Village were built decades ago with a wood-burning masonry firebox that rarely, if ever, gets used—most Franklin County homeowners simply don't have access to a woodlot or the storage space for cordwood. A gas insert drops into that existing masonry opening, uses a stainless liner run through the chimney you already have, and typically runs $4,000 to $8,500 depending on whether new gas line work is needed. It's a popular way to turn a decorative fireplace into one that actually heats the room.

Either works, and which one you use mostly comes down to where you live in the county. Columbia Gas of Ohio serves nearly all of Columbus and the established suburbs—Westerville, Reynoldsburg, Whitehall, Grove City—so if you already have gas appliances, adding a fireplace is a simple tie-in. In pockets of Prairie Township, Norwich Township, and some newer developments on the county's edges where mains haven't been extended yet, propane is the standard alternative, either from an existing tank or a new one set by a local propane supplier. Most fireplace models can be configured for either fuel with the correct orifice and regulator.

Most modern gas fireplaces will, and that matters in Franklin County—the 2012 derecho and periodic winter ice storms have knocked out power across Columbus and its suburbs for days at a time. Units with intermittent pilot ignition (IPI) run on a small battery backup that kicks in the moment the power drops, so the fireplace lights and operates normally. Valor takes a slightly different approach: their fireplaces generate their own electricity through the pilot's thermocouple, so there's no battery to remember to swap out. Ask your local retailer which ignition system a given model uses if outage backup is a priority for you.

A gas fireplace is a fully built-in unit framed into a wall—the right choice for new construction or a major remodel in a Dublin or Hilliard new-build. A gas insert is designed to slide into an existing masonry fireplace opening, which is common in older Columbus-area homes, converting an underused wood firebox into a sealed, efficient heat source using the existing chimney as the vent path. A gas stove is a freestanding unit that sits on the floor, similar in footprint to a wood stove, but runs on gas. Most Franklin County homeowners with an existing fireplace go with an insert; those without one typically choose a built-in fireplace or a freestanding stove.

Yes. Within Columbus city limits, permits go through the City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services Department; in unincorporated areas or other Franklin County municipalities, they're handled through the local jurisdiction's building department. Both a building permit and a gas line permit are typically required, and the gas line work has to be done by a licensed gas-fitter. Most established hearth retailers coordinate the permitting, gas line, and inspection as part of the installation, so you're not left managing multiple trades yourself.

Vented gas fireplaces—direct-vent or B-vent—pull combustion air from outside and exhaust combustion byproducts back outside through a sealed vent. Vent-free (or "ventless") units burn directly into the room with no outside venting, which is more efficient on paper but releases water vapor and small amounts of combustion byproducts into your living space. Vent-free units are legal in Ohio but come with strict room-size and ventilation requirements. For Franklin County's mostly well-insulated suburban homes, direct-vent units are the more common and more broadly recommended choice—they deliver real heat output without any indoor air quality trade-offs. A local retailer can walk you through both options for your specific room.

An annual inspection is the standard recommendation for any gas fireplace or insert. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, venting, and gas connections, and cleans the glass and interior—a quicker job than a wood-stove chimney sweep, but just as important for safe operation. Local gas appliance service providers across the Columbus area typically charge somewhere in the $150 to $250 range for this annual visit.

For most Franklin County homes, gas is the practical answer. Wood heat is genuinely rare here—the county is almost entirely urban and suburban, few homeowners have a woodlot or the storage room for cordwood, and several municipalities limit outdoor wood storage or open burning. Even homes with an original masonry fireplace in neighborhoods like Bexley or German Village usually see it used a handful of times a year, if at all. Gas gives you instant, consistent heat with no ash, no smoke, and no wood to source or stack—which is why it's become the default upgrade path across the county, whether you're converting an old fireplace or adding one to a new build.

Most fireplaces are a thin metal box—they heat fine, but you rely on the fan to move the warmth into the room. Radiant models use a thick cast-ceramic firebox, about an inch and a quarter thick, that soaks up the fire's heat and radiates roughly 25–30% more warmth into the room with no fan running. If you watch TV in the same room or want heat in a power outage, radiant is worth asking about.

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.

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.

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.