Buying / installing a new balanced flue gas fire with fireplace

zoothornrollo_2

Have just started looking into this: we have an exterior wall with no chimney. It is not close to any gas pipe.
I know thus far that what I would like is a small, efficient balanced flue fire, with a small surround / mantelpiece.
There seems to be a bewildering array of products / suppliers out there.
I found one place that did the whole shebang - fire, surround, mantelpiece, but it seemed only for chimney fires, and not balanced flue.
When someone says 'fireplace' do they mean hearth+surround+mantelpiece?
Is one generally better off getting the fire and the fireplace separately?
Doesn't seem to be a great deal of uniformity in how these things are referred to and supplied.
And then I find it totally mystifying - unless I'm mistaken - that most of these vendors don't contract gas fitters and offer fitting within the package!?

EssexExile

We went with an all-in-one company. The fire was priced separately, the surround separately, installation priced separately. I suppose you could buy as much or as little as you want from any supplier, the good thing about getting one company to do it all is that you know who to blame if anything goes wrong (nothing went wrong). They company had their own Gas Safe & HETAS registered installers. This was not balanced flue though.
Go talk to a few, there are plenty about.

zoothornrollo_2

Thanks.
Perhaps I am also complicating matters by requiring an Edwardian / Victoria cast iron surround.
I *think* I may have found what I'm after however: Cast Tec Aston Integra ...

zoothornrollo_2

Hello again. So I have settled on this -
http://www.hotprice.co.uk/cast-tec-ashbourne-integra-combination
Which wins because it is a) one of the few cast iron surrounds that can accommodate a balance-flue fire; and b) comes with an integrated surround and mantelpiece ('combination') which is compact and *easy* to install. It comes in at c.£1.5k (for the whole suite - fire, and combination fireplace)
Have just got a rough quote from a SW London plumber for installation - £450 plus VAT plus £60-80 parts.
In other words the whole project will cost more than £2k....

EssexExile

Ah, London prices.

zoothornrollo_2

EssexExile wrote: »

Ah, London prices.

well quite yes - wonder how much if anything having a fire will add to the value of the property though?
It wouldn't surprise me, with a nice period fireplace, if it adds £2k to the sale price (in London).

zoothornrollo_2

The price has just gone up as it turns out the fire unit must be set into the wall - requiring 'building work'... they reckon best part of £800-900 for installation!!!