The backyard is the best room in a Riverside house for about nine months of the year — and then the sun drops behind the hills and everybody heads inside. A custom fireplace changes that. It gives the yard a center of gravity, a place people actually gather around instead of drifting past. New Generation Construction builds custom outdoor fireplaces for single-family homes throughout Riverside, designed around your space and built with materials meant to hold up to decades of heat, weather, and use. You talk directly to us, start to finish.
What custom fireplace installation involves
An outdoor fireplace is a masonry structure, not an appliance you set down on the patio. The work starts underground with a footing sized for the mass of the finished unit, poured on compacted soil so the chimney doesn't settle or lean over the years. From there we build the firebox and the throat, then the flue and chimney stack. Get the throat and flue proportions wrong and the thing smokes into your seating area every time you light it — that geometry is the difference between a fireplace people love and one they stop using.
Once the structure is up, the finish work begins: stone veneer, stacked ledger, brick, or smooth stucco, with a hearth and a mantel or cap detail to tie it into the rest of the yard. Wood-burning builds get a firebrick-lined box and a spark arrestor cap. Gas builds get a burner, a gas line run and pressure-tested, and a properly sized log set or media bed. We can also build the fireplace as part of a larger outdoor room — a patio cover overhead, seat walls flanking it, or a matching BBQ island on the same run of hardscape.
Why New Generation Construction for custom fireplace installation
- Licensed contractor, CSLB 910999 — permitted, inspected work, not a weekend build with no paper trail behind it.
- Owner Ely Ramos works one-on-one with homeowners on the design, the material selection, and the details, and stays reachable through the project.
- We buy from reputable manufacturers and vendors who stand behind their products — firebrick, veneer, burners, and caps chosen for how they perform after ten summers, not how cheap they price out today.
- Proper footings, correctly proportioned fireboxes and flues, and full masonry construction rather than a lightweight shell that cracks at the corners.
- We do the surrounding work too — pavers, hardscape, seat walls, and patio covers — so the fireplace lands in a finished yard instead of a construction scar.
- Project managers are available on weekends by phone, so you're not sitting on a question until Monday.
Our custom fireplace installation process
- First call. Tell us what you're picturing and roughly where in the yard you want it. We set a time to come out.
- Site visit and design. We look at setbacks, existing hardscape, overhead clearances, drainage, and gas access, then talk through size, style, and veneer options. If you're not sure what fits, we'll show you what's possible in your specific space.
- Written proposal. A line-item scope covering structure, finish materials, gas work if applicable, and the surrounding hardscape — so you can see exactly what you're comparing.
- Permits and material orders. We handle the City of Riverside or county permitting and lock in veneer, firebrick, and any burner components before demo starts.
- Excavation and footing. Layout, dig, form, reinforce, and pour. This is the part nobody sees and the part that determines whether the fireplace is still plumb in twenty years.
- Structure and chimney. Firebox, throat, smoke chamber, flue, and stack, built to the clearances the design calls for.
- Finish and walkthrough. Veneer, hearth, cap, and mantel detail; site cleaned; then a first burn together so you know how it drafts and how to run it.
What custom fireplace installation typically costs
Every fireplace is priced off the build, not off a catalog page. Estimates range based on overall height and mass, whether it's wood-burning or gas, the veneer you choose, how far the gas line has to run, access for equipment and material into the backyard, and how much surrounding hardscape or seat wall work goes in at the same time. A modest gas unit against an existing patio slab sits at one end of the range. A tall stone chimney with a raised hearth, flanking wood boxes, and new paver decking around it sits at the other.
What's included in our proposals: footing, structure, flue, finish materials, permitting, and cleanup. What isn't, unless we spell it out: furniture, landscape lighting, and any electrical panel work. We won't be the lowest bid you get — we build with premium materials and carry the overhead of a licensed operation. We'll gladly walk you through where the money goes. Estimates are free.
Service areas we cover
- Riverside
- Corona
- Moreno Valley
- Jurupa Valley
- Norco
- Eastvale
- Redlands
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Temecula
- Murrieta
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for an outdoor fireplace in Riverside?
Generally yes — masonry fireplaces involve a footing, structural height, and often a gas line, all of which fall under permitting. We handle the application and inspections as part of the project.
Wood-burning or gas — which should I build?
Gas lights instantly, produces no ash, and is easier on neighbors and air-quality days. Wood gives you the crackle, the smell, and the heat output people associate with a real fire. Some homeowners split the difference with a gas starter in a wood-burning box. We'll walk you through it during the design visit.
How long does the installation take?
Most custom fireplaces run a couple of weeks on site once permits are in hand, depending on size, veneer complexity, and whether we're also building patio or hardscape around it. Cure time on the footing and weather can shift that.
Can you build a fireplace and a BBQ island together?
Yes, and it's usually the smarter way to do it. Sharing excavation, materials, gas trenching, and crew time across one build is more efficient than two separate projects, and the finishes actually match.
Can it go under my patio cover?
It can, but the chimney has to be detailed to carry smoke safely above and away from the structure with correct clearances. We design the fireplace and the pergola or patio cover together so that's handled from the start rather than patched later.
Why are your quotes higher than the ones I got online?
Because of what's inside them: a proper footing, real firebrick, premium veneer, permits, insurance, and a licensed contractor who'll pick up the phone a year from now. A low bid usually means one of those was left out.
Ready to build it?
If you've got a spot in the yard picked out — or you just know something's missing back there — let's talk it through. We'll come out, look at the space, and give you an honest read on what fits and what it takes to build it right. Call +17142968788 or request your free estimate for custom fireplace installation in Riverside, CA, and we'll get on the calendar.