Fireplace Remodel in Encino: Written Report, Licensed Technicians

Last October, a homeowner on the upper stretch of Coldwater Canyon called Estateguard Chimney Care after a brush fire broke out less than two miles from her property line. The fire was contained within hours, but she spent the evening watching embers drift across her yard. Her fireplace was a 1960s-era masonry unit with a cracked stone surround and an original damper that no longer sealed flush. She wasn't thinking about design. She was thinking about whether her open firebox was a liability during the next Santa Ana wind event. Her question was direct: could we remodel the fireplace to make it safer without gutting the living room wall?

We hear versions of this call regularly from estate homes along the Mulholland Drive corridor and into the Hidden Hills border, where wildfire proximity isn't hypothetical. These properties often have large masonry fireplaces built decades before modern ember-intrusion standards existed. Owners want a remodel that addresses the real risk: an aging open hearth in a high-fire-severity zone. For this homeowner, that meant evaluating a gas conversion, replacing the deteriorated stone surround with non-combustible tile rated for direct flame contact, and installing a sealed glass front that doubles as an ember barrier. We scheduled a full assessment for the following week, starting with a Level 2 camera inspection of the flue interior to understand what we were working with before discussing design choices. If you're weighing a similar decision, consider whether a fireplace insert might be the right fit for your home.

The Level 2 inspection on the Coldwater Canyon property revealed two problems common to pre-1980 Studio City estate homes. First, the clay flue liner had a longitudinal crack at the smoke chamber transition, likely from decades of thermal cycling and at least one seismic event. Second, the original stone surround had separated from the firebox framing by nearly a quarter inch, creating a gap where radiant heat could reach the wood framing behind it. Under NFPA 211, any modification to the fireplace opening or fuel type triggers a Level 2 inspection at minimum, so this step wasn't optional. Our inspector documented both issues and flagged the liner crack as a code violation that would need to be resolved before any remodel could proceed.

The finished project included a new stainless steel flue liner, a sealed direct-vent gas conversion that eliminated the need for an open damper, and a floor-to-mantel porcelain tile surround bonded directly to a cement board substrate. Gas conversion is a popular choice for Mulholland Drive corridor and Hidden Hills border homes because it removes creosote accumulation from the equation entirely and eliminates the open combustion air path that makes traditional fireplaces vulnerable during ember storms. The homeowner kept her original wood mantel after we verified its clearance met the 6-inch minimum required by code. If you're considering a gas log setup as part of a remodel, we can walk you through the differences between vented and vent-free options specific to your flue configuration. The EPA publishes useful guidance on cleaner-burning fireplace upgrades that's worth reviewing before you commit to a fuel type.