Reliable heat for the Bighorn Basin's long winters.

Most gas fireplace and insert installations in Big Horn County land somewhere between $3,500 and $9,500, depending on the unit, whether you're on natural gas or propane, and how much venting or gas line work is involved. A direct-vent insert going into an existing masonry fireplace in a Basin or Greybull home with gas already run to the house sits at the lower end. New propane tank installs, longer gas line runs out to a ranch property near Hyattville or Manderson, or full new-construction venting push costs toward the higher end. Local installers will give you a firm number after seeing the site—rural properties should expect a modest travel charge built into that quote.

Yes, and it's a common project for homes with older masonry fireplaces around Big Horn County that were originally built to burn lodgepole pine or aspen cordwood. A gas insert drops into the existing firebox and uses a stainless liner run up the existing chimney, so you keep the look of the fireplace while gaining instant, thermostat-controlled heat. Whether the conversion runs on natural gas or propane depends on which side of town—or which stretch of county road—you're on; your installer will confirm what's available at your address before recommending a specific unit.

Either works fine. Natural gas reaches the incorporated town cores of Basin, Greybull, and Lovell through the local municipal utility. Outside those town limits—which describes most of Big Horn County's land area, including ranch properties around Hyattville, Cowley, and Deaver—propane is the standard fuel, supplied by regional dealers serving the Bighorn Basin. Nearly every gas fireplace on the market can be set up for either fuel; it's just a matter of the correct orifice and regulator, which your installer handles as part of the job.

Most will, if you pick the right ignition system. Units with IPI (intermittent pilot ignition) run on a battery backup that kicks in automatically when the power drops, so the fireplace still lights on demand. Big Horn Basin winter storms and high wind events do knock out power on occasion, particularly out on the ranches and along more exposed stretches of county road, so this matters more here than in a lot of places. Valor's gas fireplaces take a different approach—the pilot's thermocouple generates the electricity the unit needs, so there's no battery to remember or replace at all. Ask your local dealer which ignition system is on any unit you're considering.

A gas fireplace is a built-in unit framed into a wall, typically chosen for new construction or a remodel. A gas insert is sized to slide into an existing masonry fireplace opening and use the existing chimney as its vent path—the common choice for older homes in Basin, Greybull, and Lovell with a fireplace already in place. A gas stove is a freestanding cast-iron or steel unit that sits out in the room on its own hearth pad, similar in footprint to a wood stove but running on gas or propane. For a house without an existing fireplace, a stove is often the simplest retrofit.

Yes—a building permit is typically required through the county building and planning office, along with a gas line permit if new gas piping is being run. The gas line portion has to be done by a licensed gas-fitter, which is one of the real advantages of hiring a certified hearth dealer rather than a general handyman: they coordinate the gas work, the venting, and the inspection sign-off as one job instead of leaving you to manage separate trades on a rural timeline.

Vented (direct-vent) fireplaces pull combustion air from outside and exhaust it back outside through a sealed pipe—nothing burned enters the living space. Vent-free units burn fuel directly into the room with no external venting; they're legal in Wyoming but release some water vapor and combustion byproducts indoors, and require careful room-size matching and adequate ventilation. Given how tightly built a lot of homes in the Bighorn Basin are to fight 7,700 heating degree days, and given that outdoor air quality already takes a hit from wildfire smoke in late summer, most local dealers steer homeowners toward direct-vent units—you get real heat without adding anything to the indoor air.

Plan on an annual inspection, ideally before the heating season really sets in. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, venting, and gas connections, and cleans the glass and firebox interior. It's a lighter job than a wood chimney sweep, but skipping it is a common way small pilot or ignition problems turn into a no-heat call in the middle of a cold stretch—not something you want to discover when it's 7°F outside and the nearest service tech has a drive ahead of them.

Wood—cut from lodgepole pine, aspen, or ponderosa pine on Bighorn National Forest or Shoshone National Forest land under permits running roughly $5 to $20 per cord—remains a strong option here, especially for households wanting backup heat that doesn't depend on electricity or a gas line. Gas offers instant, thermostat-level heat with no wood handling and no ash, and it doesn't add anything to the air during wildfire smoke season the way an open wood fire can. A lot of Big Horn County homes end up with both: wood for backup and ambiance, gas for the daily heat in the main living space. A local dealer can walk through which setup fits your specific house.

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.

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.

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.