We design and build brick fireplace features in Omaha, NE, from indoor surrounds to full outdoor fireplaces. Our masons lay each brick for safety, draft, and style. Enjoy a cozy, long lasting brick fireplace that fits your home and lifestyle.
Legendary Masonry Omaha provides professional brick fireplace throughout Omaha, NE, Nebraska and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call 402-402-5307 or request your free quote.
Custom Brick Fireplaces Built for Omaha Homes
A brick fireplace is more than a feature on a real estate listing. In Omaha, it becomes the center of winter evenings, a backup heat source during cold snaps, and a visual anchor for your living room or outdoor space. Legendary Masonry Omaha designs and builds brick fireplaces that actually work for how you live, not just how they look in a photo.
We start with a site visit in your Omaha, NE home. We measure the room, look at existing framing, flooring, and chimney placement, and ask how you plan to use the fireplace. Some homeowners want a high efficiency firebox that heats most of the main floor. Others want a lower, wider opening that focuses on appearance and ambiance. These decisions affect the size of the firebox, the height of the hearth, how much structural support is needed, and which brick and mortar combinations make sense.
For existing fireplaces, we evaluate the chimney, smoke chamber, and existing masonry before suggesting cosmetic changes. If the structure is sound, you might only need a new brick surround, updated hearth, or a different mantle. If we see cracks, smoke staining, or moisture intrusion, we explain what is happening and what it will take to correct it before any new brick goes in.
Design Options: From Classic Red Brick to Modern Clean Lines
Legendary Masonry Omaha builds and refaces both wood burning and gas brick fireplaces. During design, we work through three big choices with you: fuel type, brick style, and layout.
Fuel type: Wood burning fireplaces require a proper flue, chimney height, and careful sizing of the firebox and smoke chamber. They give you the real wood experience, but the masonry and venting requirements are stricter. Gas fireplaces, whether direct vent or insert, let you prioritize a clean opening, slim hearth, and minimal ash cleanup. We coordinate with your HVAC or gas contractor so the firebox and brick surround match the appliance specs.
Brick style: For Omaha homes built in the 1950s and 1960s, many clients ask us to match the existing exterior brick so the new fireplace looks original to the house. We source regional brick that has similar color blends and textures rather than forcing a standard bright red. For more modern homes, we can use elongated brick, utility brick, or tumbled brick with raked, flush, or slightly recessed joints. Mortar color also changes the final look. A gray mortar against red brick reads more contemporary, while buff mortar softens the contrast and fits better in traditional rooms.
Layout: Options include full-height brick to the ceiling, a brick chimney breast with drywall returns, or a low, wide brick surround with a substantial mantle. We also build raised hearths you can sit on, or flush hearths that keep walk space open. During planning, we sketch proportions directly on your wall with tape so you can see how the fireplace will feel in your room before we lay the first brick.
How We Build or Reface a Brick Fireplace
A well built brick fireplace starts with structure. Legendary Masonry Omaha does not skip the parts you do not see.
For a new interior fireplace, we first confirm that the floor system and subfloor can support the added weight of brick and block. Sometimes that means adding support posts or beams in the basement below the fireplace location. We then frame any required chase or bump out, followed by installation of a firebox and flue liner that meet current code.
Next we install non combustible backing and any required metal lath. Then we begin brick layout. We dry lay several courses on the floor to confirm joint spacing, brick blend, and how the brick will align with the mantle and television or artwork location. Once the layout is approved, we mix mortar suited to interior fireplace work and start at the hearth, working upward.
Each course is checked with a level and plumb line, and mortar joints are kept consistent with jointers that shape the finished look. For refacing an existing fireplace, we carefully remove old veneer brick, tile, or stone, repair any damaged firebox or throat masonry, then install new brick over properly prepared backing. We protect your floors and furniture with plastic, plywood, and zip walls where needed so dust is contained.
At the end of the build, we tool the joints, clean the brick surface without harsh acids that can etch the face, and, only if appropriate for the selected brick, apply a breathable masonry sealer. We then review how to burn the first several fires to minimize thermal shock on fresh masonry.
Cost Factors for a Brick Fireplace in Omaha
Homeowners often ask for an exact price over the phone. With brick fireplaces, the range is wide, so Legendary Masonry Omaha explains the factors that move the number up or down before we quote.
Scope of work: A simple cosmetic reface around an existing, code compliant firebox and chimney costs much less than building a new fireplace structure from the floor up. Replacing only the hearth and surround is different from reconfiguring the firebox opening or raising the firebox floor.
Materials: Standard modular brick in common colors is the most economical. Specialty brick, such as handmade, tumbled, glazed accent pieces, or custom cuts for arches or herringbone firebox backs, add labor and material cost. Mantle choice matters too. A simple wood mantle is less expensive than a full brick mantle or an integrated brick and stone feature wall.
Structural and code items: If your Omaha home needs added framing or basement support to handle the weight, or if the existing chimney must be relined or extended to meet draft requirements, those items affect the budget. We include chimney caps, proper clearances to combustibles, and any needed firestops in our estimates rather than surprising you later.
Finishing details: Raised hearths, integrated wood storage niches, brick arches, or soldier course borders around the opening take more layout time and careful cutting, which shows up in the price. During our in home visit, we give you clear, line item options so you can decide where to invest and where to keep things simple.
Common Fireplace Issues We See in Omaha and How We Fix Them
Older brick fireplaces in Omaha neighborhoods such as Dundee, Benson, and parts of South Omaha often suffer from the same set of problems. Legendary Masonry Omaha has rebuilt and repaired enough of them to know what to look for.
Cracked or spalling brick: Freeze thaw cycles in Nebraska winters can damage exterior chimney bricks and, over time, affect the interior fireplace as well. We replace damaged brick, repoint loose mortar joints, and address the water source. That can mean adding or replacing a chimney cap, repairing flashing, or improving slope at the roofline.
Smoke staining and poor draft: If smoke rolls into the room or stains the face brick above the opening, the firebox, throat, or flue size may be incorrect. Sometimes a previous owner narrowed the opening or changed the hearth without understanding draft. We measure the ratios, inspect the flue, and may recommend reshaping the smoke chamber, adding a smoke shelf, or installing a properly sized insert.
Loose mortar joints and failing hearths: We often see mortar crumbling in the firebox and on the hearth surface. In those cases we grind out damaged joints and repoint with high temperature mortar designed for firebox use, not general purpose mortar. If the hearth has cracked due to poor support or improper materials, we rebuild it with correct reinforcement and fire rated materials.
Outdated or unsafe facing: Many homeowners want to remove old tile or thin stone that was added over brick in the 1970s or 1980s. If the added materials have compromised clearances to combustibles or created hidden moisture pockets, we strip back to sound masonry, repair what is needed, then build a new brick surround that meets current safety standards.
Timing, Scheduling, and What to Expect With Legendary Masonry Omaha
In Omaha, the most practical time to build or reface a brick fireplace is from late spring through early fall. This avoids rushing mortar curing in very low temperatures and lets us manage dust and ventilation more easily by opening windows. We do perform interior fireplace work in winter, but some steps may take longer and we plan carefully to keep your home comfortable.
When you contact Legendary Masonry Omaha, we schedule an on site visit, usually within a week or two depending on the season. During that visit, we inspect your existing fireplace or proposed location, discuss design ideas, and take precise measurements. Within a few business days we provide a written proposal that breaks down labor, materials, and any chimney or structural items.
On project start day, we protect floors, nearby furniture, and pathways. For most refacing projects, work takes two to five days. Full new fireplace builds, particularly if chimney work or structural support is required, can run one to two weeks. We keep you informed about what is happening each day so you are not guessing when you can use the room.
Before we leave, we walk the fireplace with you, point out key details, and explain how to operate dampers, clean the hearth, and avoid common damage, such as using harsh chemicals or overloading the firebox. You get a written outline of basic maintenance and a clear contact for any questions that come up once you start using your new brick fireplace.
