Texas Service Experts
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Whole-Hearth Renovation Dallas | Floor-to-Ceiling Fireplace Redesign | TSE
Texas Service Experts — DFW chimney & fireplace specialists. Free inspection, written quote, no surprise fees.
A complete reimagining of the fireplace as one composition
A whole-hearth renovation treats the fireplace not as an object on a wall, but as the architectural anchor of the room. At Texas Service Experts, we work in a single integrated scope: firebox, surround, mantel, hearth, breast, flue, and cap are designed and rebuilt together so the proportions, materials, and craftsmanship read as one considered piece. This is the work we accept when a Highland Park homeowner has lived with a 1980s brass-trimmed insert long enough, when a Preston Hollow contemporary calls for an eighteen-foot plaster breast, or when a Lakewood mid-century reskin needs to honor the original architect while serving a family that actually uses the room. We do not retrofit. We compose.What “whole-hearth” means — and what it does not
The North Texas remodeling market uses “fireplace renovation” to describe almost any cosmetic touch-up. A new mantel shelf. A coat of limewash on red brick. A surround tile swap. These are partial interventions, and they have their place. A whole-hearth renovation is something different in scope and intent. When a client engages us for a whole-hearth project, every element from the firebox floor to the chimney cap is on the table. The firebox itself is rebuilt or relined. The surround — the framing of stone, plaster, or millwork that defines the visible face — is fully reimagined. The mantel is designed as part of the surround rather than chosen from a catalog. The hearth, whether raised, flush, or extended into the room, is detailed for proportion. The breast (the wall mass above the mantel) is treated as a primary architectural surface. The flue is inspected, often relined, and the cap is selected to match the architecture rather than disappear into it. This integrated approach is the difference between a fireplace that has been freshened and a hearth that has been authored. Partial interventions, by their nature, leave visual seams: a new surround paired with an old mantel, a beautiful stone face beneath a tired breast, an updated firebox behind a mismatched arch. Whole-hearth renovation eliminates those seams. It also unlocks structural decisions that partial work cannot reach. We can change firebox dimensions to suit a gas conversion">wood-to-gas conversion. We can extend a hearth into the room when furniture planning demands it. We can carry plaster from breast to ceiling in a single uninterrupted plane. None of this is possible when only the surround is in scope.Scope: every element, designed together
A typical whole-hearth project at TSE involves seven coordinated work packages, each handled by craftsmen specialized in that discipline. **Firebox.** We rebuild masonry fireboxes in type-rated firebrick set in refractory mortar, or we replace failing prefab fireboxes with new units sized to the new opening. For wood-to-gas conversions, the firebox is reconfigured to receive vented gas logs or a sealed insert, with combustion air provisions detailed correctly. **Surround.** The surround is the visible face of the fireplace from hearth to mantel. Materials range from Lueders limestone in honed or chiseled finishes, to Cordova Cream in book-matched slabs, to integral plaster, to honed Carrara, to reclaimed stone. Joinery is detailed at the design stage, not improvised on site. **Mantel.** Mantels are designed as part of the surround composition. A mantel shelf in solid stone, a quarter-sawn white oak beam with hand-cut bevels, a plaster-integral cornice, or a steel-and-stone hybrid — the choice is dictated by the architecture and the client’s brief, never by inventory. **Hearth.** The hearth slab is sized for the room, not the firebox. We extend hearths into living spaces when proportion calls for it, and we recess them flush when the floor plan demands continuity. **Breast.** The wall above the mantel is a primary canvas. Whether it terminates at a tray ceiling in plaster, climbs to a vaulted peak in book-matched stone, or carries millwork detail to a coffered ceiling, the breast is detailed in elevation drawings before any demolition begins. **Flue.** Every renovation includes a Level 2 chimney inspection. Where the existing flue is undersized, cracked, or improperly lined for the new firebox configuration, we install a new stainless steel liner sized to NFPA 211. Smoke chambers are parged to code where original corbeled brick is present. **Cap.** The chimney cap is the final visual element and the first weather defense. We specify copper, stainless steel, and architectural cast-stone shrouds matched to the home’s roofline.Materials: a curated palette
We work in a deliberately narrow palette because restraint is what gives a hearth its authority. **Lueders limestone** — quarried in Throckmorton County, Texas, this is our most-specified surround material for traditional and transitional homes. Honed for refinement, chiseled for texture, or split-faced for primitive presence. Lueders ages with the room. **Cordova Cream** — a warmer Texas limestone, available in larger blocks and book-matched slabs. We reach for Cordova when the brief calls for monolithic mass or when the breast wants to read as a single quarried piece. **Carrara and Calacatta marbles** — used sparingly, honed rather than polished, for clients pursuing the editorial-restraint aesthetic. We avoid the mirror-polished slabs that have become a developer cliche. **Integral plaster** — for contemporary work, lime plaster integrally tinted and burnished delivers a depth that paint cannot. Plaster is also the only material that lets us carry breast surfaces seamlessly into surrounding walls. **Reclaimed stone and brick** — for homes where age and patina are the brief, we source antique limestone, salvaged firebrick, and reclaimed beam stock from regional yards. **Brass, bronze, and blackened steel** — restrained metalwork for screens, hearth trim, and surround inlays. Patinated rather than lacquered.Process and timeline
A whole-hearth project runs eight to sixteen weeks from contract to final cleaning. The phases are sequential and require client engagement at each transition. **Weeks one and two — discovery and design.** A site visit, photography, hand measurements, and a Level 2 chimney inspection. We produce elevation drawings, material samples, and a fixed-price scope document. **Weeks three and four — sourcing.** Stone is selected and reserved at the yard. Custom millwork enters fabrication. Refractory and liner materials are ordered. **Weeks five through ten — execution.** Demolition, structural verification, firebox rebuild, flue lining, surround installation, mantel setting, plaster work, and breast finishing. The site is protected with negative-air containment; the household continues to function. **Weeks eleven and twelve — finishing.** Sealing, hardware, hearth furniture, and final detail work. A test fire, a draft test, and a punch-list walkthrough. Larger projects with imported stone or two-story breasts run longer. We schedule honestly at contract and update weekly.Investment range
Whole-hearth renovation in Dallas-Fort Worth typically falls between $25,000 and $120,000. The lower band represents a standard surround and mantel rebuild on an existing masonry firebox in good condition, with a single-story breast and domestic stone. The upper band represents two-story breasts in book-matched imported stone, full firebox reconstruction, custom metalwork, and integrated millwork. Most of our projects land between $45,000 and $75,000. We provide fixed-price proposals after the discovery phase, never open-book estimates that drift over the course of construction.Three case studies
**Highland Park, 1928 Tudor — full restoration.** The client inherited a hand-laid clinker-brick fireplace that had been over-painted in the 1970s and partially demolished during a kitchen remodel. We stripped seven layers of paint to recover the original brick, rebuilt the firebox in type-rated firebrick, parged the smoke chamber, installed a new stainless liner, and commissioned a custom hand-forged steel screen. A salvaged white-oak mantel beam, sourced from a regional barn restoration, replaced the missing original. The breast above was finished in lime plaster integrally tinted to match the room’s existing limewashed walls. Twelve-week project, completed in spring 2025. **Preston Hollow contemporary — eighteen-foot surround.** New construction by a Highland Park architect specified a single uninterrupted plane of book-matched Cordova Cream from hearth to ceiling, no mantel, sealed gas firebox. We worked alongside the architect to detail the slab joints, sourced eight matched blocks from a single quarry run, fabricated steel substructure for the upper mass, and set the stone in a single week with a four-man crew. The hearth is flush with the polished concrete floor; the firebox opening is a precise rectangular void with no surround trim. Sixteen-week total project, completed late 2025. **Lakewood mid-century — stone-to-plaster reskin.** A 1958 ranch by a regional modernist had a heavy fieldstone fireplace that overwhelmed the room. The clients did not want to lose the architect’s original asymmetric breast geometry but needed visual lightness. We removed the fieldstone, retained the underlying masonry mass, and reskinned the entire breast and surround in burnished lime plaster with a single integral steel mantel shelf. The hearth was rebuilt in honed Lueders to anchor the composition. The result reads as if the original architect had specified plaster in 1958. Nine-week project, completed winter 2025.Frequently asked questions
**How is whole-hearth renovation different from a fireplace remodel?** A standard fireplace remodel typically addresses the surround and mantel only. Whole-hearth renovation includes the firebox, flue, smoke chamber, breast, and cap as part of one integrated scope. The result is architecturally coherent rather than cosmetic. **Can you work with my architect or designer?** Yes. Roughly half of our whole-hearth projects come through architects, interior designers, and design-build firms. We provide elevation drawings, material samples, and shop drawings as needed, and we welcome design review meetings. **Do you handle the gas conversion as part of the renovation?** We handle wood-to-gas conversions as a coordinated trade within the whole-hearth scope. Gas line installation is performed by our licensed plumbing partner. **Is the home livable during construction?** Yes. We use negative-air containment, protect adjacent finishes, and schedule heavy demolition for compressed windows. Most clients remain in residence throughout. **Do you offer a warranty?** We warrant our masonry and surround work for ten years. Refractory components, mechanical equipment, and gas appliances carry their respective manufacturer warranties. **How do I begin?** Schedule a consultation. We visit the site, photograph and measure, and discuss the brief. There is no charge for the initial visit within the DFW core service area. **Do you work outside Dallas?** Our core service area is Dallas-Fort Worth and the Park Cities. We accept projects in Tyler, Waco, and Austin on a selective basis.Schedule a consultation
To begin a whole-hearth renovation, call **☎ 214-444-8094** or request a consultation through our contact form. We respond within one business day and typically schedule discovery visits within two weeks.Related work
– [Fireplace Remodel](/services/fireplace-remodel/) — partial-scope projects focused on surround and mantel – [Mantel and Surround Design](/services/mantel-surround-design/) — design-only engagements for clients with their own contractor – [Wood-to-Gas Conversion](/services/wood-to-gas-conversion/) — converting traditional fireplaces to gas – [Portfolio](/portfolio/) — completed whole-hearth projects across DFW – [Highland Park service area](/areas/highland-park/) — heritage hearth restoration in the Park Cities —Our Sister Companies — Specialists in Related Services
Texas Service Experts is part of a network of CSIA-certified chimney specialists. Depending on your specific need:
- Texas Chimney Experts — chimney repair/masonry
- Prime Chimney Experts — multi-state national service
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Free Inspection Available
Complimentary 15-minute safety assessment — no obligation, no upsell pressure.
Visual-only assessment. Not a formal CSIA Level 1, 2, or 3 inspection.
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Competitor Price Match Promise
Have a written quote from another licensed Texas chimney company? Show us — we'll do everything we can to match or beat it. We can't promise on every job, but we'll work hard to make the numbers right for you.