Fireplace and Chimney Service in Westminster, Colorado

Westminster's first permanent settler, Pleasant DeSpain, built a home in 1870 at what became DeSpain Junction. Developer C.J. Harris renamed the settlement after himself in 1885, and the Harris post office became Westminster in 1908, the year classes began at Westminster University. Its building, known as Westminster Castle, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The town incorporated in 1911. Its biggest jump came in the 1950s, when it grew from 1,686 to 13,850 people, and the 2020 census counted 116,317 across Adams and Jefferson counties.

The housing came in waves. Census figures (ACS 2024) date about 7 percent of Westminster homes to 1940–1959, 26 percent to 1960–1979, 43 percent to 1980–1999 and 24 percent to 2000 or later. Gas heats 69 percent of homes. So the fireplaces vary: masonry wood-burners in the older parts of town, early factory-built units from the 1970s and '80s, and gas fireplaces in newer areas like Legacy Ridge, which took shape after its golf course opened in 1994. The free inspection starts by sorting out which one you have.

New fireplaces: gas, electric or certified

Since January 1, 1993, Colorado law (C.R.S. 25-7-407) has required any new or remodeled fireplace in the metro's wood-burning restriction area to be a gas appliance, an electric device, or a fireplace or insert that meets the state's strictest wood-stove emission standards. That applies when you remodel an older Westminster fireplace too, not only in new homes.

Most metro cities require a permit to install a stove, insert or new gas line, and we check that before the job. A gas insert typically runs $2,000 to $8,000, gas logs $500 to $2,000, and an EPA wood insert with its liner $3,000 to $7,000. Any of those makes an open fireplace usable on no-burn days.

Older chimneys that vent a furnace

In older Westminster homes, the masonry chimney may vent the furnace or water heater as well as the fireplace. When either appliance is replaced, the flue has to suit the new one. A liner sized for a furnace or water heater typically runs $625 to $2,250. Colorado also requires a carbon monoxide alarm within 15 feet of every bedroom after permitted work such as replacing a gas appliance.

Crowns, caps and chase covers

Denver averages about 135 freeze-thaw days a year (NOAA 1991–2020 normals), which cracks concrete crowns and opens mortar joints, and hail dents the metal caps and chase covers on newer homes. A crown typically runs $600 to $2,200, a cap $250 to $850, a chase cover $300 to $700 and repointing $500 to $2,500. We photograph hail damage so you can give it to your insurance adjuster.

Where we work in Westminster

Downtown Westminster · Westminster Hills · Bradburn Village · Legacy Ridge · Hyland Greens · Westcliff · Standley Lake area