The shop
Every fireplace project we run touches multiple trades. Most fireplace contractors in Houston bundle four to six subcontractor crews for every project and hope the subs show up in the right order. We hire the trades directly. Below is the long version of what each one covers and how they integrate on real projects.
Brick, stone, stucco, stone veneer.
The original Chim-Tex specialty trade. Brick chimney rebuilds, full stone fireplace facades, exterior stucco work, and stone-veneer applications. We handle period-appropriate restoration on historic-district work (King William in San Antonio, Heights and Bellaire in Houston) and modern stone-on-steel construction on new builds. The masonry crew sets up its own scaffolding, mixes its own mortar, and finishes the joints by hand.
Custom steel fabrication, in-house shop.
Our welding shop fabricates custom steel fireboxes, hearth surrounds, mantels, and structural reinforcement. Stainless steel work for coastal projects. MIG and TIG capability. The shop also handles fabrication for outside contractors. The reason every Chim-Tex custom build can do something a factory unit cannot is that the firebox is made on-site to spec.
Gas line installs, pressure-tested.
Gas line work is the licensed trade most likely to fail inspection on a fireplace project. We employ licensed gas plumbers who can run new gas lines from the meter, modify existing lines, install drip legs and shutoffs to code, and pressure-test every install. Outdoor builds with kitchen tie-ins often require larger supply lines (3/4" or 1") and we size accordingly.
Wiring for ignition, blower, lighting, controls.
Most modern fireplaces have an electrical component: electronic ignition module, blower fan, remote control receiver, and increasingly smart-home integration. Outdoor builds add weatherproof outlets, recessed lighting, and television-wall electrical. Our in-house electrical crew handles all of it and pulls the permits when required.
Chase flashing, cap replacement, full reroofs. CertainTeed certified.
Chimney work routinely uncovers roofing problems: failed flashing, damaged caps, water-stained sheathing under the chase. We handle chase flashing and chimney cap work as part of the fireplace project, and we will quote a full reroof when the chimney work reveals broader issues. Metal roofs, asphalt shingle, tile, and slate all in our wheelhouse. CertainTeed-certified for shingle and steep-slope work.
Lead: Nate Garza
OSHA-certified safety professional. Runs the roofing crew including the Park Cities Presbyterian Church install in Dallas at approximately fifty feet off the ground.
New chase construction, headers, bump-outs.
Custom fireplace builds require framing work that most fireplace contractors are not set up to do. New chase construction, structural framing around the firebox, headers for picture-window openings adjacent to the fireplace, and bump-outs to accommodate the unit depth. We engineer the framing when the project calls for it and pull structural permits when required.
Lead: Daniel Sanchez
Expert carpenter. Runs the framing side of every custom build. Chase construction, structural framing around the firebox, headers, bump-outs, and engineered framing when the project calls for it are Daniel's work.
Drywall hang, mud, tape, texture.
After the rough trades are done, the project still has to look like the rest of the house. Drywall patching after demo, full hangs on new construction, mud and tape, and texture matching to the existing surface (orange peel, knockdown, smooth, custom) are all in-house. The drywall crew finishes the fireplace project the same way the rest of the house was finished.
Tile surrounds, hearths, slab installs.
The visible finish on most fireplace builds is tile or slab stone. Ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, marble, quartzite, and glass tile installation. Precise cuts around irregular firebox openings. Premium slab installation including marble and quartzite for floor-to-ceiling features. Hearth construction in matching or contrasting materials.
Trade integration in practice
The reason the eight-trade integration matters is not theoretical. The examples below are summaries of recent projects where the in-house trades let us deliver the project without the kind of subcontractor coordination drama that ruins schedules.
Framing crew opens the wall and builds the chase to spec. Welding shop fabricates the firebox shell and ships it to site. Plumbers run a new 3/4 inch gas line from the meter to the firebox. Electricians wire the ignition, blower, and a wall-switch control. Masonry crew sets the marble slab surround. Tile crew finishes the hearth. Drywall crew patches the openings and matches the existing texture. Eleven weeks. One project manager. One bill.
Framing crew builds the outdoor wall structure. Roofing crew handles the patio cover flashing. Plumbers run the gas line from the meter to a manifold that supplies both the fireplace and the adjacent outdoor grill. Electricians install weatherproof outlets and a TV-mount circuit. Welders fabricate the firebox shell. Masonry crew lays the stone surround and the hearth. The project ties into the pool deck without a coordination call to anyone outside Chim-Tex.
Masonry crew removes the failing top section of the existing brick chimney. Roofing crew handles the flashing repair where the original was damaged. New brick courses are laid using mortar matched to the original color. Cap replaced. The integration here is that we did not have to bring in three different companies to do work that has to happen in the right order on the same roof.
Trade-capability questions
Two reasons. First: scheduling. Subcontractors run their own calendars and they cancel on projects that pay less. Our crew is on our calendar and the customer's project is the priority. Second: accountability. When a subcontractor messes up an install, the homeowner ends up in a phone-tree between the general contractor and the sub trying to figure out who fixes it. Our work is our responsibility. There is no one else to call.
For existing customers and projects adjacent to fireplace work, yes. We will rebuild a chimney, do outdoor kitchen masonry, install gas lines for non-fireplace appliances, and handle similar adjacent work. We are not a general remodeler though, and we will tell you up front if a request is not in our wheelhouse.
Yes. Gas plumbing and electrical are the trades where Texas requires individual licensing of the worker performing the work, and our crew members carry the appropriate state licenses. Roofing, framing, sheetrock, tile, and masonry are unlicensed at the state level in Texas and our crew has accumulated decades of combined experience in each.
We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and provide the closed-out paperwork at handoff. The trades that most commonly require inspection are gas plumbing, electrical, and structural framing on permitted projects. Cosmetic finish work (tile, sheetrock, paint) typically does not.
For straightforward installs and swaps, no architect is needed. For custom builds (floor-to-ceiling, see-through, large outdoor builds, anything that involves significant structural modification), we work alongside the homeowner's architect or designer when one is involved. For homeowners without a designer, we can produce drawings to communicate the design and confirm the approach before fabrication starts.
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