Custom Fireplace Design Bellevue

Q: Can you update a brick fireplace without tearing it out?

Often, yes. Depending on the condition of the brick and the firebox, we can re-face it in stone, add a new mantel, or rebuild the hearth. We look at your photos first and tell you whether the existing structure can carry the new work.

Q: Does a fireplace remodel in Bellevue need a permit?

It can. Cosmetic changes often don't, while changes to the firebox, venting, gas lines, or structure typically do. Requirements vary by project, so we point out what applies when we scope the work.

Q: Do you work in neighborhoods outside Bellevue?

Yes. In Medina, projects often become estate remodels, which we describe on our page about luxury fireplace remodeling in Medina and in our Medina fireplace design overview. Clyde Hill's hillside homes lead to custom hearths built around views and compact rooms, which fireplace remodeling in Clyde Hill explains, and Newcastle's homes on the slopes of Cougar Mountain often call for modern fireplace surrounds, as our Newcastle fireplace design page describes. Farther north, the Kirkland and Redmond pages explain what changes in those neighborhoods.

Q: How long does a custom fireplace project take?

That depends on the design and materials. A simple mantel is much quicker than a stone wall that has to be built, cured, and finished. We give you a realistic schedule along with the estimate.

Most Bellevue fireplaces fall into one of two camps: a 1970s brick box nobody loves, or a newer build with a gas insert and a flat drywall surround. Either one can become the room’s centerpiece. Crafthammer Designs has handled custom fireplace design in Bellevue since 2012, working in stone, wood, concrete, and iron from our Seattle shop. Send us a photo and rough dimensions, and we’ll tell you what’s possible and what it costs before anything gets built.

Call 425-800-8180

Building since 2012
500+ custom projects
American made
Cost known before we build

Two Eras of Bellevue Homes, Two Different Starting Points

Walk through Enatai, Surrey Downs, or the streets near Bridle Trails and the fireplaces tell you when the house was built. Mid-century ramblers tend to have a wide brick or river-rock firebox, a thin wood shelf, and a hearth that sits flat on the floor. The proportions are generous. The finishes are tired.

Closer to downtown and the Meydenbauer Bay waterfront, newer homes are built around glass, clean lines, and open floor plans. The fireplace in those rooms is often a factory-built gas unit framed in drywall. The unit itself is fine. It just needs a surround with real material and weight behind it.

We begin by working out which situation you’re in, because the fix is different. A rambler usually needs its masonry re-faced or rebuilt. A newer home usually needs a surround designed and fabricated around the opening that’s already there. Whether you’re planning luxury fireplace remodeling for a lakeside house or a straightforward refresh of a 1960s living room, the first conversation looks the same.

Bellevue’s downtown towers and townhome communities add a third case: a fireplace in a shared building, where association rules, elevator access, and installation hours all shape the design. We build for those conditions too, and we ask early what your building requires so nothing surprises you on installation day.

What Sets Our Work Apart

One person draws it and understands how it’s built. Crafthammer was founded in 2012 by an illustrator and designer who also fabricates, so design decisions get tested against what stone, wood, and steel can actually do.
More than 500 custom projects. Mantels, hearths, surrounds, and hardware for homes and businesses, none of them repeated from a catalog.
Made in America. The work is built by hand here, not ordered in from overseas and installed.
Clear numbers up front. You see what a design costs before fabrication starts.

If you’re comparing high-end fireplace companies in Bellevue, ask each one who designs your piece and who builds it. Those answers tell you a lot. In custom fireplace design, the gap between a sketch and a finished wall is where most projects go wrong, and it’s the gap we work hardest to close.

What We Build for Bellevue Fireplaces

Everything below is designed for your room and built by hand. For examples by material, see our pages on a custom stone fireplace in Bellevue and live edge mantels for modern rooms. For whole-room projects, see luxury fireplace remodeling in Bellevue and modern fireplace surrounds. Nothing is pulled from a catalog and resized. That’s what we mean by custom fireplace design: the room comes first and the materials follow.

Stone fireplaces. Full-height natural stone, stacked stone, and hand-laid brick, from partial re-facing to a complete rebuild. Our masonry gallery shows finished work.
Wood mantels. Solid beams and live edge slabs, finished to match your trim and flooring. The mantel gallery shows the range.
Concrete mantels and hearths. Cast in custom profiles and finishes. We explain the process on our page about a concrete mantel for a Bellevue fireplace, and the matching concrete hearth follows the same approach.
Steel and iron details. Surrounds, brackets, and forged hardware, including custom metal fabrication built to your dimensions.
Full-service remodels. Design, fabrication, and installation as one project, for homeowners who want a single point of contact.

Luxury remodeling in Bellevue, in practice

For a high-end remodel, the work is less about adding features and more about getting proportions, joints, and materials exactly right. That might mean a stone wall that runs the full height of a two-story room, a mantel cut from a single slab, or steel details fabricated to hide every fastener. We bring the same hands-on approach to custom fireplace design in Bellevue whether it’s a modest update or a complete estate remodel, and the first step is always a conversation about how you use the room.

Commercial and multi-unit work

Crafthammer also builds for businesses, including lobbies and reception areas where a fireplace or feature wall sets the tone. The approach is the same, with added attention to code requirements, durability, and installation schedules that work around a business that stays open.

From First Photo to Finished Hearth

You send photos of the fireplace wall and rough measurements.
We sketch ideas. Because the person drawing also builds, the sketches respect real materials.
You see the cost before anything is built.
We fabricate mantels, hearths, and metalwork in our Seattle shop.
We install, set, and finish the work in your home.

What do we need to give you a number?

A few clear photos of the fireplace and the wall around it, the width of the opening, the ceiling height, and a sentence or two about the look you want. If a TV or built-in shelves are nearby, include them. That is usually enough for a first estimate, and if something needs a closer look we’ll say so.

Who actually does the design and the building?

Design and fabrication stay close together here. The artist who sketches your fireplace is part of the conversation about stone weight, mantel thickness, and anchor points, which is why the finished piece looks like the drawing. That closeness is the difference between custom fireplace design that looks good on paper and a fireplace that looks good in the room.

Can you work with my designer or builder?

Yes. If you already have an architect, interior designer, or general contractor, we coordinate with them directly, share drawings and templates, and schedule installation around your remodel. If you’re working on your own, we handle the design ourselves.

What happens on installation day?

We arrive with the finished pieces, protect your floors and furniture, and set the work in place. Stone is laid on site, while mantels and hearths are fitted and anchored. We clean up before we leave, so the room is ready to use.

For older homes, our page on rustic fireplace rebuilds in Bellevue covers brick and river-rock fireplaces.

Talk to us at 425-800-8180

Choosing Materials for Bellevue’s Light-Filled Rooms

Bellevue homes tend to have big windows, wide views, and a lot of glass, so a fireplace competes with daylight. Material choice is how you keep it from disappearing into the wall, and good custom fireplace design starts with how much light the room gets and where the eye needs to rest.

Stone for texture and shadow

Natural and stacked stone add depth that flat paint can’t. A full-height stone wall ties a tall ceiling to the floor and gives a large room somewhere for the eye to land.

Wood for warmth

A solid or live edge mantel brings warmth to rooms that lean cool and contemporary, and it softens a wall of glass and hard surfaces. We work with you on thickness, finish, and how far it projects, so it suits both the fireplace and the furniture around it.

Every Bellevue room deserves custom fireplace design that answers to its own light and layout, and the choice of stone, wood, or concrete is how that answer takes shape.

Iron and hardware

Forged brackets, straps, and fireplace accessories give a design a handmade detail. They also solve practical problems, such as hiding the support behind a heavy mantel.

Concrete and steel for a clean edge

Concrete gives a honed, quiet surface that suits newer Bellevue builds, and steel adds a crisp line or a hidden support. Both can be made to exact dimensions, which matters when a surround has to meet glass, cabinetry, or a TV wall without gaps.

Whatever you choose, the finished piece should look like it belongs to the house, not like a separate purchase. We match tones to your flooring and trim, echo lines from nearby cabinetry or window frames, and keep the scale in line with the room.

Bellevue Fireplace Questions, Answered

How much does a custom fireplace remodel cost in Bellevue?

Custom fireplace design is priced to the project, so we don't quote from a price list. The number depends on the materials, the size, and how much of the existing structure is reused. Stone usually costs more than a trim-and-paint refresh, and a full-height stone wall costs more than a mantel and hearth. Send photos and dimensions and you'll have a number before any work begins

Can you update a brick fireplace without tearing it out?

Does a fireplace remodel in Bellevue need a permit?

Do you work in neighborhoods outside Bellevue?

How long does a custom fireplace project take?

Ready to rework your Bellevue fireplace?

Send a photo of the room, the opening width, and your ceiling height. We’ll tell you what’s possible for your custom fireplace design, what it costs, and how we’d build it.