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Nigel and Gina Easterbrook
20 February 2025
★★★★★
Thanks so much for your fantastic service. Highly highly recommend to all. Nigel and Gina Easterbrook.
Permits & Installation
Done Once, Done Right — Fireplace Permits & Installation, Bay of Plenty
A fireplace installed without a building consent isn't just an admin oversight — it's a problem that follows the property. It can void your home insurance, stall a sale, and leave you personally exposed if there's ever an incident. The permit process exists for good reason, and doing it properly from the start costs a fraction of what fixing it later does.
The Fire Shop handles the full permit and installation process across Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty — from initial site assessment to council sign-off, with nothing left for you to manage in between.
How It Works
How the Process Works
There's more to a compliant fireplace installation than filling out a form. Council needs to see that the right fire has been chosen for the space, the flue route is sound, clearances to combustibles are met, the hearth is built to code, and the product itself is certified. We manage every step.
- Site Assessment. We come to the property, look at the proposed location, and confirm what the installation actually requires — flue route, hearth dimensions, clearances, structural considerations. No assumptions, no surprises on installation day.
- Product Selection. If you haven't chosen a fire yet, we help you find one that suits the room and meets the Ministry for the Environment emissions and efficiency requirements for your area. Everything we install is MfE-approved where required.
- Building Consent Application. We prepare and lodge the application with Tauranga City Council or Western Bay of Plenty District Council — product datasheets, installation drawings, flue specifications, clearance calculations. Written to answer the questions they're going to ask before the application hits someone's desk.
- Installation. Once consent is granted, we carry out the full installation to manufacturer specifications and NZ building code. Firebox, flue system, hearth, penetrations — the complete job.
- Inspection & Sign-Off. We coordinate the council inspection, provide any additional documentation required, and see the process through to your Code of Compliance Certificate.
Why It Matters
What Happens When You Use Someone Who Doesn't Manage Permits
You do the council work yourself. Or you find out at settlement that the installation was never consented and the sale falls through. Or the insurer asks for the CCC that was never issued. We've seen all of it.
We've lodged enough applications across Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty to know what council wants to see and how to write it so the application doesn't bounce back. That experience isn't a selling point — it's just what makes the process run cleanly.
Retrospective Consent
Already Have a Fire In Without a Permit?
It happens more than people realise — especially with older installations that predate stricter compliance requirements. Retrospective consent is possible in many cases. We inspect the existing installation, assess whether it meets current building code, and produce the documentation needed to support a retrospective application.
Get in touch and we'll tell you where you stand before you spend anything.
Inserts & Conversions
Making an Old Fireplace Work Again
An open fireplace loses most of its heat up the chimney. An insert fire, fitted into the existing opening with a new flue run up the chimney, turns it into a proper heater. Where the opening or surround needs it, we install a zero-clearance box so the insert sits safely against the existing structure.
We also replace worn insert flues, remove old gas fires and put in a wood burner in their place, and take out an open fire, surround and chimney completely when you want the space back — with the consent and the making good handled as part of the job.
Hearths & Floor Protectors
The Hearth Is Part of the Install
Every fire needs the right hearth under and around it — it's one of the first things council checks. We supply and install steel ash hearths and floor protectors (wall and corner styles), wall hearths and log bases, hearth extensions, and tiled hearths finished to suit the room, along with ceiling plates and trims so the finished job looks as good as it performs.
Wetbacks & Water Boosters
Hot Water From Your Fire
Many wood fires can be supplied with a factory-fitted wetback or a water booster, so the fire heats your hot water while it heats your home. We'll tell you which fires and models it suits, and quote the fire, the wetback and the cylinder parts together so nothing is missed.
Two-Storey & Tricky Installs
When the Flue Route Isn't Straight
Two-storey homes, flues that need to offset around beams, wall penetrations, sloping ceilings, and fires that have to go up to a second floor — we design the flue route, supply the triple-skin offsets and penetration units it needs, and organise lifting gear where the fire can't go up the stairs. If engineering or a producer statement is required, we arrange that too.
Good to Know
Fireplace Installation Questions
Can I put a wood burner into my existing open fireplace?
Yes — an insert wood burner fits into the existing fireplace opening, with a new stainless steel flue run up inside the chimney. It needs a building consent like any solid fuel installation, and the chimney and surround are checked first; where the opening needs it, a zero-clearance box is fitted so the insert sits safely against the existing structure.
Do I need a hearth under a wood burner?
Yes. Every solid fuel fire needs a non-combustible hearth (floor protector) under and in front of it, sized to the fire manufacturer's installation instructions and the installation standard AS/NZS 2918. It's one of the first things council checks at inspection.
Can a wood burner heat my hot water?
Many wood burners can be supplied with a wetback or water booster that heats your hot water while the fire is running. Not every model offers one, so it's best decided when choosing the fire. The connection to your hot water cylinder is plumbing work, done by a licensed plumber.
Can you install a wood burner upstairs or in a two-storey house?
Yes. Two-storey installations need a longer flue run and often offsets, wall penetrations or extra support, and the fire may need lifting gear to get it upstairs. We design the flue route, include everything in the quote, and arrange engineering or a producer statement if one is required.
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Book your fireplace installation
Servicing Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty. From site assessment to Code of Compliance — handled end to end.