The Okell's team are true pros and just finished our Class A Chimney Replacement. We recently bought a 100+ year old home in San Francisco with a very old fireplace/chimney/flue. Okell's came out within a week or so of our initial call to sweep and inspect our chimney. The man who came, Allen, was very knowledgeable and showed me the video scope of our chimney, which was in very bad condition. We spoke with a number of other chimney/flue repair companies all of whom either said Okell's was the best in San Francisco or they offered to install a chimney insert which, we learned, would not be permitted by the City (this is because the chimney insert (which we did not do) decreases the diameter of the flue and it cannot seamlessly connect to the fireplace firebox all of which results in a smokier fire and an imperfect seal at your firebox). As you can see, I did a good amount of research. We went with Okell's and couldn't be happier with their responsiveness, professionalism, and, most importantly, the quality of their work. They scheduled the repair within 1 month of engagement, pulled a permit two weeks before install, sent out the install team to do a quick site check a week before install, scheduled the City inspection before install and which took place 24 hours after install completion (and Okell's attended the inspection), completed the install in two days, and even repaired our wall on the same day of the City inspection. From start to finish, the entire project took 3 days (our living room remained in pristine condition despite the dirty work of chimney replacement). Look - they are not cheap, but that's because they're the best. THEY ARE WORTH IT as is your safety and the safety of your neighbors when you're using your increasingly rare wood burning fireplace. It gives us peace of mind when we have a fire on those cold, foggy, and windy nights thanks to the Okell's team! Special thanks to Derek, Juan, Allen, Gabe, Nick, and Walt. read more

I echo the sentiments of reviewer "Henry M." of Sonoma. We wanted to move on past the soot, cost and effort of a traditional log fireplace in our living room to a new space heating process that was both cost effective and esthetically pleasing. We were unfamiliar with the latest (extensive) alternative equipment choices, and knew little of the relative merits of the current, competing home heating ("fireplace", not furnace) combustion technologies. After a process of broadly searching the Internet and then visiting various Bay Area heating solution providers, we were fortunate to discover O'Kells. There were "no negatives" in our interactions with O'Kells. Our experience was quite the opposite. Michele and Kevin really helped us with our decision-making during several very interesting and effective encounters in their San Francisco studio, and in a home visit. Given our needs, we were ultimately guided toward selecting a Rasmussen gas log installation after we had been initially considering a much more robust and significantly more costly "gas insert" heating approach. The gas log installation looks very realistic, especially given the glowing red cinders beneath the "logs" (numerous different, realistic "wood" appearances can be chosen for the concrete logs). The heating provided is approximately the same as in the burning of real wood and the esthetics are very comparable. We saved appreciable additional cost by selecting the manual operation mode of "ignition by match" instead of remote control. Alan installed the gear in a very professional manner and cleaned up completely before leaving. We also arranged for "no cost" PG&E safety inspections of the gas line both before and after the O'Kell's installation. We are very happy with our choice and would heartily recommend O'Kell's to anyone in the market for modern and pleasing heating gear. Of course, O'Kells can also do anything and everything for "purists" in the mode of traditional wood burning fireplaces. Mike C., Pacifica CA read more

Had a nice guy show us various choices. We haven't decided whether to have has fireplace installed so do not know about installation side of service. read more

Streamline your hearth in your Home~~~~I had a brick fireplace that needed some sprucing up. Okell's Fireplace (Kevin McKee) came and gave a free estimate with great latest ideas for the fireplace. It was measured and selection made made along with a contract price (extremely reasonable). For $450, I had a gas placement with key turn-on & off switch), and a beautiful red marble (measure to contour). Fast, reliable and more than fair. It's worth the investment and last for a Lifetime. read more

I could not give them any less than five stars! We talked with six fireplace companies and had four of them come out for measurements for a gas insert in our fireplace. Most tried to force us into more expensive units with unneeded options. Kevin came out and impressed us with his Experience, Honesty, Humility, and Candor. We have a large room with a ceiling fan... he correctly suggested that this fan would be far better than using a blower in the insert. "Save the money up front and over the years in reduced maintenance." He listened to our needs and respected them perfectly. Others failed to listen. Michele is our sales/coordinator/advisor/friend -- just as pro-active after the installation as before the sale. The installers were very efficient, very courteous, impeccable in cleanliness... and gentle while explaining how to use the insert. O'Kell's gave us a very fair bid the first time. No hassling, no hidden expenses, no bait-n-switch like two others. They are not inexpensive (hence the three $$$) but their VALUE is high. You can get something for less but O'Kell's is highest quality, superb installation (even chimney swept before installing) at a fair price. This level of total quality can not be found for less. Our gas insert is the Valor G3... WOW! The features, safety and beauty are fantastic. The price was fair, some clowns offered lower quality/featured machines at same price or more! The programming of the remote is easy and Valor has YouTube videos to help. I set a Daytime temperature and a nighttime temperature, then set a morning time range and a nighttime time range. The rest is automatic and easily overridden. read more

Wanted to buy a new fireplace. This would have been about $7K. I started by trying to schedule an estimate appointment, but this place only estimates between 10-4 M-TH. When I asked if an appointment could be made on Friday or after work hours they said No. When I asked if they were willing to let a seven thousand dollar sale go because I couldn't meet with an estimator during their hours, Trevor said yes! Unbelievable. read more

We waited 10 yrs to have 2 fireplace inserts installed. Although the finished product is wonderful, the process with Okells was disastrous. Kevin (Okells owner) did a site visit to our Victorian home which already had 2 existing gas heaters and old disused fireplace inserts. He said that project would be no problem, was a pretty simple project. He explained that Okells has over 35 years of experience and has installed thousands of fireplace inserts. We were excited, sold, and ready to move forward. We went to Okells showroom, selected a Windsor Arch fireplace with antique mantle & tile surround, and a President fireplace with granite hearth & off-the-shelf mantle. Michele was our sales person. "No problem" she said, "we'll handle everything." They told us to pick the installation date, then pick out the tile, the granite hearth, and provide them with our tile contractor's name (Frediani Custom Tile), and Okells would handle the entire installation process, order everything, coordinate with our tile contractor & the granite vendor. But they didn't. We had to step in when things went bad and communication faltered. And every time there was an issue, we were treated terribly by either Kevin or Cameron. Installation was to take 4 days for both fireplaces (which included a one day buffer). Here are just a few of the highlights: * Okells ordered the wrong Windsor Arch fireplace. * The site lead - Cameron - was short, condescending, and arrogant, both on the phone and in person. It was like we were putting him out for inquiring about the process and asking questions. * Our sales rep. Michelle, was good at offering platitudes, but often got things wrong, didn't know what was going on, or took days to respond to email or phone inquiries. * Antique mantle was not brought to the house, as agreed to during the pre-demolition site visit. So the measurements were wrong. * Okells modified the antique mantel without consulting us. * The President mantle was installed, but again, measurements were wrong. A carpenter and plasterer were called in ASAP to correct the miscalculation and patch the wall * Frediani Tile contractors arrive after antique mantel is installed and discover that the cement board for the tile is at least 1/2" too deep. They had to fix Okells mistake, taking an extra 4 hours. * Antique mantle was damaged by Okells. Kevin did not want to repair the mantle the way we requested it, seemed very put out with us for even asking that it be repaired. * Turns out the shelf of the mantel for the President was not level, was 1/4" higher at the back compared to the front. * Okells returns to fix the sloping mantel for the President fireplace. Our painters now have to repair some caulking and wall damage that resulted from repair. Okells kept placating us with, "don't worry, we will take care of it." But they just didn't. We received incorrect or conflicting information from different Okells staffers. Twice Okells threatened to cancel the job and issue a refund, just because we were "concerned" about some of the errors. Both of these threats were made after we had signed a contract and paid 50%. The second time, after Cameron had fucked up, yelled at my wife over the phone, then hung up on her. He was then banned from our residence. (That has never happened before, through multiple renovations and upgrades, working with 20 different contractors, over a 10 year period.) Okells was only ever interested in their schedule and did not consider other contractors. In a nutshell: Okells just wanted to do their thing, not be "bothered" by the customer, not take ownership of their mistakes. We are so fortunate that my wife was able to work from home, and be at the house to manage the whole project. Overall, we love our new fireplaces. But we would NEVER recommend Okells to friends and family. In fact, we have already shared our experience with two homeowners looking for new fireplaces, and the first thing we said was "Whatever you do, don't go to Okells!" read more

I read the mixed reviews so had O'Kells and one other well rated Yelp contractor come out to give us an estimate for a gas insert into a Victorian coal burner fireplace. I was wary but we chose O'Kell's because they felt more "on it" and professional . We are very happy with the result. The first contractor was ok and gave an estimate that didn't include permit and inspection. Kevin from O'Kells came by and gave a higher estimate that did include permit and inspection. He recommended Garcia plumbing to do the gas line installation. They were great. Advantages of O'Kell's include the fact that they have a huge showroom and you can actually see and feel the fireplace options. This is important. We changed our model order 3 times before we finally decided and they were ok with that. One caveat: O'Kell's required a 50% deposit and did not give us the Home Improvement Contract that is required by CA law that includes the information about deposit limits and consumer rights. My reading of CA law is that a contractor has to give you a statutory contract if they do more than $500 of improvement on your home and they can't charge more than 10% deposit. So beware and do your own research on that with Ca Consumer protection. read more

These guys were great start to finish. I was amazed at how easy they made the process of installing my new gas insert fireplace. They were courteous, neat, and professional. The job came in exactly on quote, and they even went out of their way to help me with the paperwork I needed to finance the job. I love the new Valor insert, and the energy savings has been noticeable, as well as the fact that I no longer am freezing to death in my own home anymore. Thanks Chris and Kevin for all your help! read more

This is an update to an earlier review. The short story is that my bad experience at first must have been a freak mistake because once OKell's and I starting working again (through James) things went great and I now have the gas insert that I wanted and it looks/works as I expected. The more detailed version goes like this. James contacted me several weeks after my difficulties getting in touch with him. He was apologetic for the poor service experience. I went into the store to talk with him and it appears that my emails got missed or lost in the shuffle. I understand that mistakes like that happen so we got back to the topic of my project. James answered all of my questions about the costs and steps in my project and we decided to proceed. The installation went off as scheduled and OKell's did a great job of keeping me informed about some additional custom work (part of the initial job quote) which required a couple of additional installation visit. So, I'm very happy with the gas insert and with the service I got from OKell's after we moved past the communication mistake. My recommendation to other people looking at hiring OKell's would be this. The company has great products and the employees were all good to work with. My mistake was in depending too much on e-mail to handle my questions and concerns. I think that if you can make store visits and phone calls in addition to email, you'll be very pleased. read more

When you read the contract for the installation of your new fireplace, and come across the line that says the roof seal, etc. are your responsibility, you can be sure that's a guarantee that your roof will leak. Sadly, we took the chance because this was the only place to get Morso fireplaces installed by a dealer who's a licensed contractor as well. Save your money and your breath because complaining will do no good - buy your Morso from Tubmakers in Berkeley and find your own licensed contractor to handle the installation. read more

We have converted a fireplace from wood-burning to gas logs. Michelle and the rest of the Okell's team were terrific. Very helpful visit to their showroom where they fully described all of our options, costs, etc. They did not try to "over-sell." Michelle listened and responded to our needs and the constraints we gave. Next, they performed an inspection of our chimney. Showed us the video footage, pointed out some issues that needed repair and discussed options for that. They have now performed the repairs and installed the gas log set. Throughout the day of repair and installation, the 2 people couldn't have been more professional and very friendly -- nice people to have in your house. They were very careful about preparation and keeping things clean. In summary, we are very pleased and would definitely recommend Okell's. In fact, that is how we found them -- through recommendations from friends who are prior customers. read more

Best selection of fireplaces, woodstoves and gas inserts. Also have an impressive array of mantels. They were patient with us and explained what we would need and why. They also will do installation. When we asked about a fan for our gas insert...they could have soaked us for several hundred dollars more. They told us with our small house we would have adequate heat without the fan. We looked other places before buying here. Don't waste your time elsewhere. These folks know their business. read more

Nice showroom that carries a wide range of fireplaces / inserts but unfortunately super overpriced. Got a price that was over $1,000 higher than the exact same model found online, and the high price did not include installation. Sorry, I'm not sure 3 minutes of your expertise justifies a grand. Will come here for ideas but not to buy. read more

We could not have been happier with the service, selection and pricing. We had a number of design questions which O'Kell's was able to expertly assist us with. Their advice and guidance was NOT geared towards increasing their revenue, but rather towards the right design and product choice. We made some errors with measurements and they were absolutely understanding and helped us modify our order accordingly with no restocking fees or other charges. Everyone there was very service oriented and helpful, but a particular shout-out to Michelle who even helped load my car! Terrific experience in every way. Highly recommended! read more

I am currently in the process of removing my old fireplace and replacing it with a new gas fireplace. Before walking into Okell's I had been to three other fireplace providers in Marin County. Not one was able to provide me the level of customer service and knowledge that I received from Charlie and Trevor at Okell's. They both took the time to understand our project, view photos of the site, and walk us through the process of selecting the correct fireplace for our home. I'm extremely pleased with the service I have received so far and look forward to my site visit Monday 4/15. I will update this post after the site visit, and will continue to update as I proceed through the install. But, so far so good. I recommend Okell's highly. read more

Okells made custom doors for all our fireplaces. We had a great experience, from the design and estimating right through the installation. They were very willing to adjust the design at the last moment and the installation people were clean and courteous. read more

I enjoyed working with O'Kells. Their team from sales through installation were professional and timely. We had a non-functional coal burning fireplace converted into a gas insert. I worked with Michelle on the sales side, and a number of people for installation. Michelle was accommodating and even helped us in recommending plumbers. I appreciated that she made sure to point out which of their recommendations tend to be low, mid, and high end pricing. On installation, we were unsure if we could save my old tiles which were in rough shape, but we agreed to give it a "best effort" shot at shaving them and the installers were able to make it happen. Very happy overall. read more

Recvd a timely callback from Trevor. He gave me some trustworthy advise on the phone. I took my problem glass into their showroom a few days later and both Trevor and Allen exceeded my expectations re helping me and advising me. Thanks to them. I recommend them. read more

Okells was fantastic and our new fireplaces are beeee-you-teee-ful! Last winter the 40+ year old ugly brown box heaters in our old drafty victorian gave up the ghost, and the Mister and I decided to make the upgrade to gas fireplaces. Okells was the choice. They came out to the house to give an estimate & assess what we possible, and we went to the showroom to see what they were recommending. Paid our deposit, got on their installation schedule, and everything was smooth as silk. They were responsive to advance questions I had as we worked with plumbers to move the gas lines and ready the space for installation. They arrived when they said they would, the work was efficient and their installation team friendly, polite and informative. They handled the scheduling of the city inspection and were here on site with the inspectors to get it all done. They took the time to show me how to work all the gadgetry once it was installed. Highly recommended! read more

We loved our experience working with Okell's Fireplace! Everyone who helped us select and install our new gas insert was helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. We worked mainly with Charlie and he was great! We had lots of communication with Charlie and others during the process of choosing the fireplace, having our house reviewed to assess the work needed, selecting a plumber to help with the gas line, and coordinating the work. All communication was prompt, painless, and thorough. The folks at Okell's always followed up and made sure we were moving forward. Their estimate of pricing and timing was spot on and I always felt I knew what to expect. We love the new fireplace -- it fits our old San Francisco Edwardian perfectly! Thank you to everyone at Okell's Fireplace! read more

Would be negative stars if this were permitted. Short story is they lacked the knowledge (competence) and selection we needed and gave us worse than lousy service. Long story follows: Some in early 2011, we ordered fireplace doors. The first transaction resulted in our spending thousands of dollars for a set of fireplace doors that never worked and did not meet our needs. This resulted principally from poor service and information they provided -- not being able to provide us with doors that folded flat when open, whether bi-fold or not. We were given the impression that such doors were simply not available. It turns out this is not the case. The other problem we had with the doors was that there was a gap along the bottom which they though was a big mystery when. They said the only solution was a door flange. It turns out there are at least three options to fix what an issue that they should have known about when the came and measured and inspected the fireplace for the doors. When the doors did not open as we needed, we were given the "bargain" option of having them converted to bi-fold for "only" several thousand dollars or order other doors. In October, 2011 we reluctantly agreed to eat the cost of the original doors so we could get a set of doors that would be more to our needs but still not entirely meet them. The price of the new set of doors were to be discussed between Okells and the manufacturer (apparently giving us a "break") and sent to us for approval. That was the last we heard from them for over six months. Then in early May we get an email sending us a "work up" of a quote for the new doors but with no figures. The reason for no amount stated was that they hadn't yet called the manufacturer. When we called them they agreed to call the manufacturer the next day and let us know what was happening even if there was no action. Three weeks later (at the time of posting this review) we have still not heard back from them. We went to another fireplace store (Custom Fireplace Patio and BBQ in Dublin) last weekend and ordered flat opening, bi-fold doors for over half the cost of the what Okells was going to give us. They came and measured this week and the order will be delivered and installed within three weeks (and a review will be posted then about them on Yelp). read more

These guys know there business. They came on time and inspected my chimney, verifying earthquake damage and provided me quote to repair it. We chose to have gas installed and ability to burn wood. It took a few weeks to get work scheduled but glad we waited. The work was excellent and now have a fireplace that I can use with gas logs and at anytime change to wood. You can't find better people. read more

Very professional, efficient and delightful staff, from start to finish. We just got the Jotul wood burning stove - getting the fire started is effortless, and the it heats up the whole house pretty fast. If you like amazing service and high quality products go with them! read more

Mark at Okell's helped us solve the problem of our Valor fireplace not lighting. We had purchased the fireplace from Warm Solutions 5 years earlier. In December, it stopped igniting. We called and emailed Warm Solutions close to 15 times. They did not return our calls. Finally they sent someone out but another several weeks went by before we received a response asking for $664 to proceed which included replacing 2 parts. We had taken the parts to Mark at Okells who tested the parts at no charge and pronounced that they worked perfectly. Mark recommended a technician, since we hadn't purchased the fireplace with them. He came out and found just a simple adjustment was needed to get the whole thing working again for very small cost. I highly recommend the professionalism, service, and friendliness of Okells. read more

Recently had O'Kells install a gas insert in a bedroom with an existing blocked fireplace. When the estimator came to the condo, not only did he do the estimate, he also helped my daughter with an existing gas insert fireplace issue (installed by others) which she very much appreciated as it improved performance. In short they were knowledgeable, efficient, and very can do. They were very fast in getting it installed. They were quick to answer questions, had good suggestions, were thorough, and were very supportive. This was a totally worry free experience. Trevor and Kevin were nothing but friendly, professional, and very knowledgeable. BTW Paul the plumber (Expert Rooter and Plumbing 650 742-6746) was very reliable and reasonable. Also highly recommend him. read more

So far so good-we are only at the beginning of our process but so far Michele has provided great customer service and the site visit to inspect the chimney went smoothly and was very educational. Hoping next phase goes smoothly as well. read more

First time customer. Sales and Management did a great job getting us what we needed for our outdoor fireplace. We ended up choosing a Firerock brand 42" Outdoor Fireplace Kit and a 24" natural gas log set. Our mason had never used a Firerock kit before and was impressed with how quick and easy it was to assemble. I'd gladly work with them in the future. read more

Great selection in thier showroom, the service goes down from that point. I'd look at what they have but i cant recommend them. Sorry.

We choose to work with O'Kells because they installed our original wood burning fireplace and we thought they did a good job. This year we had two gas inserts installed. O'Kells sold and installed both. One of them works just fine. I am giving a bad review because of the second installation. When they installed it they did not take into consideration the configuration of the existing flue (which they created for us). Instead they said it would be a straightforward install. Now that it is in place the flue makes booming reverberations. O'Kells is refusing to fix this without our paying an additional $1,300 plus. Even though they took pictures and studied the set up they refuse to give us a break or consider any credit whatsoever for fixing the issue. We weren't even asking for the entire credit, just some of the cost of the original that they now say needs replacing. I now have to go to small claims court to get money to pay a different contractor to come in and fix the problem. Very upsetting that a business with a supposedly good reputation would treat a repeat customer so unfairly. Carolyn Firmin read more

Several of my friends have gone to Okells for a gas fireplace and have been very pleased with the results. I went into the show room and spoke to Trevor about the different types of inserts and logs. I was also given a brochure that featured all that they carried. I bought the President unit for a home built in 1939 and it looks great. Since there are so many no burn days in San Francisco it's so nice to have a gas fireplace which can be used any time. The technician Mike did an excellent job of installing the unit and educating us about the use of it. He even helped my elderly neighbor that lives across the street change the batteries in her unit although it is no longer under warranty.I thought that every interaction I had with this company was respectful and professional. read more

We have used Okell's for two separate residences since 2005 for three fireplace gas inserts and will happily use them again. Each transaction has been professional and courteous. The manufacturer had to send replacement parts for one of our units and Okell's handled the re-installations promptly and without question (we are a bit picky). I've called multiple times and have never been left on hold for an unreasonable amount of time and have always had my calls returned promptly. We shopped around before we found Okells, and the selection is much larger than we found elsewhere. The styles they carry are more sophisticated than others, as well. Strongly recommended! read more

I contacted O'Kells on the advice of a contractor. From the first contact they proved to be professional, and friendly. Teena scheduled an appointment and explained the service, Sean followed up with sketches and a full explanation of the work to be done, and the workers were on time and were courteous. There was a misunderstanding regarding the final bill, but it was taken care of immediately, and to my satisfaction. I would recommend this company for your fireplace needs. read more

Wow! Was lucky enough to be helped by Trevor, who was patient with all of my questions inn a search for a direct vent fireplace. He had an answer for everything that I put out to him, and if he didn't know, he looked it up. Highly recommend! read more

The customer service here is unsatisfactory. They do not reply to emails in a timely manner and do not regularly answer the phone- which makes the overall experience pretty difficult. I have had an easier time remodeling the rest of my house than I have had with this fireplace project. I have 3 more fireplaces that need remodeling and I will avoid working with them again. read more

Over the years we've bought two sets of fireplace tools from Okell's... Today I called about getting a new grate: Trevor was super nice on the phone and had me speak with Juan at the warehouse -- I went over and Juan had the perfect grate picked out for me. And they accepted my old burned-out grate for recycling. Everyone was super nice. read more

This review is a bit late, but we think we should do it anyway to remind other possible buyers. We bought a wood furnace and need to change to gas furnace because of spare the air. Okell will not allow us to do so even when we willing to pay for restocking fee. We finally have to threaten to bring them to small court claim to get their attention and allow us to return it. What an experience!!! read more

I have an older Edwardian/Victorian. Kevin, the estimator, took me through the whole process and dealt with all my questions (I had a lot). Being a builder/architect, I was looking for a pair of nicely integrated, new, hassle free gas inserts that worked for my 100 year old building. They had the right solution with the Valor line of products. I did the gas piping work (not too hard) and they handled the separate insert insert, flue, metal trim plate, etc. work. Nice end result. They installed two units in two separate flats and also did some R&R on two other inserts that I had installed a few years back. So all in all, two new fireplaces and flues plus two repairs and flue upgrades all accomplished in about 6 hours while my tenants were away at work. Home run, all around. They knew exactly what to do on my old building and did so with good communications, good paperwork, great scheduling and a decent price. Clean, tidy, well prepared, courteous and they or sure went the extra mile on making both the new and repaired stuff look and work great. read more

Our over 18 months long home remodel project includes a new gas fireplace. Michelle from Okells fireplace is an angel sent directly from heaven to us. She's extremely knowledgeable on her products. She doesn't sell you things you don't need. She's very helpful and resourceful. But most importantly she has Buddha like patience. Our fireplace wouldn't be completed without Michelle's help. If you ever go to Okells fireplace, seek out Michelle. Even if you have to wait in line, it is absolutely worth the wait. read more

Field tech and sales person failed to provide details on how to prep the space. Installer came in with a bad attitude. More than a disappointment! read more