Instant heat for Ajax homes, without the woodpile.

Most Ajax installs run $6,000 to $15,000 CAD. A direct-vent insert going into an existing masonry firebox—common in the older bungalows and two-storeys around Pickering Village and South Ajax—lands toward the low end since the chimney chase is already there. A new built-in unit for a basement remodel or an addition in one of the newer subdivisions off Salem Road or Williamson Drive, with fresh gas line runs and wall or roof venting, pushes toward the top of that range.

Yes, and it's a common request in Ajax's older housing stock, where many homes built in the 1970s and 80s came with a standard masonry wood fireplace that owners now want running on demand instead of splitting and stacking cordwood. A gas insert typically slides into that existing firebox with a liner run through the current chimney, and because Enbridge Gas already reaches nearly every Ajax street, most of these conversions are a straightforward tie-in rather than a propane workaround.

Almost every home in Ajax already sits inside the Enbridge Gas distribution area, so if your furnace, water heater, or stove runs on natural gas, adding a fireplace is usually a simple branch line off the existing supply. Propane only tends to come up for the handful of rural properties on the northern edge of Ajax and Durham Region that fall outside Enbridge's service area—your local dealer can confirm coverage at your address before you commit to a model.

Most will. Units with intermittent pilot ignition run on a AA battery backup that kicks in automatically during an outage, while some Valor models use a self-powered thermocouple and skip batteries altogether. Ajax doesn't see the frequent multi-day outages that hit rural parts of Ontario, but ice storms off Lake Ontario have knocked out power here before, so it's worth asking your dealer which ignition system is on any model you're considering.

A gas fireplace is a built-in unit framed into a wall, typical for a basement finish or an addition in Ajax's newer subdivisions. A gas insert fits inside an existing masonry firebox, which is the more common upgrade in older Ajax neighbourhoods that still have their original wood-burning fireplace. A gas stove is freestanding on a hearth pad, running off a gas line rather than cordwood, and works well in a room without any existing chimney at all.

Yes. You'll need a building permit through the Town of Ajax building department, and the gas connection itself has to be done by a licensed gas fitter registered with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Most hearth dealers who work in Ajax handle both the permit application and the final TSSA-required inspection as part of the job, so you're not coordinating two separate approvals yourself.

Direct-vent is what nearly every dealer installs in Ajax today—it pulls combustion air from outside and exhausts it back outside through sealed venting, which suits the tighter building envelopes in newer Durham Region subdivisions where indoor air exchange is already limited. Older b-vent units still show up in some resale homes, but if you're doing a new install or a conversion from an old wood fireplace, direct-vent is the standard your dealer will spec.

Plan on an annual check, ideally in September before the first cold nights rather than mid-winter when technicians in Durham Region are booked solid. A service visit covers the burner, pilot assembly, gas connections, and venting, and typically runs $150 to $250 CAD. It's a lighter commitment than a wood chimney sweep, but skipping it on a unit that runs daily through an Ajax winter is how a pilot or ignition issue turns into a cold living room in January.

For most Ajax properties, gas wins on convenience: instant on-demand heat, no wood storage on a suburban lot, and no WETT inspection to satisfy for insurance. Wood still makes sense on larger rural properties toward Uxbridge or Scugog where sugar maple and red oak are close at hand and a power outage is more likely to matter. Inside Ajax itself, with Enbridge Gas already running to nearly every street, gas is the far more practical choice for a primary living-room fireplace.

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.

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.

Fireplaces are like icebergs—bigger behind the wall than in front of it. Replacement means removing the surrounding tile or stone (the finish material laps onto the fireplace face), pulling the old unit, setting the new one in the same enclosure, and re-finishing the wall. A hearth professional can determine what's behind your wall without demolition during an in-home preview.