Frequently Asked Questions about our Fireplaces and Hearths
Are your fireplaces and hearths made from solid stone?
Every one of our natural stone surrounds are hand crafted from natural English SOLID Bath stone Stoke Ground which is light in colour that should compliment any interior design scheme. Quartz lines and fossilized shell all help make each surround and hearths unique and beautiful.
We do NOT OFFER any reconstituted/reclaimed/cast/reformed/cultured stone (poured aggregates into shaped moulds) or ANY foreign limestone (sometimes hollow). We only carve solid English solid natural Bath stone.
Can we fit the surround ourselves?
We fully recommend that you use a stonemason or builder to ensure a professional secured fit. You will receive step by step fitting instructions, brackets and screws, dowel, together with mortar for the pointing of your new surround. We are unable to offer a site visit or an installation service unless within 10 miles of our workshop due to our busy work schedule.
Please note that this is natural stone and therefore is very heavy and must have a minimum of two people to lift and move around at all times. Please do not attempt to lift the stone sections on your own, there must be one person on each end of the stone when lifting.
Any heating appliances must be fitted by a registered gas safe, Hetas, Oftec or electrical engineer as per required regulations.
Your fireplace may arrive with some mositure content therefore slightly darker and slightly softer therefore please take extra care when placing the sections down onto the floor, your stone will harden once fitted and has had more air circulation and dry back to its light natural colour over the coming weeks. The sections may also be dusty.
Please ensure that when bedding your hearths that they are bedded on to the recommended mortar bed as per your fitting instructions, this must be a solid mortar bed not spot bedded leaving hollow spaces underneath.
We will not be held liable for any costs incurred if your installer is unable to fit on his/her arrival due to your fireplace not being previously checked upon receipt and received before the installer is due to fit or with 24 hours of delivery or arriving later than requested on the delivery day or any damage on the day of delivery.
Please book your installer once you have checked and received the fireplace and you are happy to proceed. If after 24 hours there is damage to your fireplace and we have not been notified within the first 24 hours of receipt, then unfortunately we are unable to process a claim with the haulage company and therefore, you the buyer, would incurr any costs in replacing the stone, carving and the redelivery costs.
I would like the surround made smaller/larger
Yes, every surround is individually carved and of a standard size as advertised on this website, but as the stone cutting process involves wet cutting saws, we can also offer made to measure or bespoke surrounds which are currently delivered approximately 5-6 weeks from receipt of order/cleared funds, dependant on design, please contact us for a individual costing based on the design, size requirements and location to see if we can offer a quotation.
If you purchase a standard size fireplace direct from our website it will ask you for the full payment by card/paypal. If made to measure we will ask for a minimum of 50% non refundable deposit upfront to secure your order with the remaining balance cleared and been paid 3 working days before dispatch, and payment has to be paid in full if your initial order is £300 or below and at no time is there to be a remaining balance of more than £500 left to pay so if you fireplace is total costs of £2000 you will be asked to pay £1500 deposit with the £500 remaining balance paid 3 working days before dispatch.
Please note that when cutting the stone, as it is a natural product there may be a few milimetres tolerance on the stone when cutting.
Unfortunately there will be a haulage fee to pay for delivery if a larger oversized pallet is required larger than 1200mm wide as we are charged for two pallets. Free delivery is for a standard size pallet delivery only and for fireplaces only NOT hearths to England and Wales.
Are your fire surrounds suitable for all types of fires?
Yes, all are compatible for all types of fuels, open fires, woodburners, multi fuel stoves, gel fires or gas and electric fires - as stone masons we do not sell or can advise on any fires, woodburners etc.
It is your responsibility to ensure that any measurements meet the current building regulations.
How long will it take from order to delivery and will the driver bring the stone sections into the property?
Standard size fireplaces are approximately 4-5 weeks from receipt of cleared funds, for more detailing or bespoke/made to measure orders delivery schedules are advised during initial correspondence currently 5.5 weeks subject to weather/traffic, you will be updated by email on the status of your surround - however during our busy period Autumn/Winter these timescales may increase - please check before ordering.
Unless 50 miles radius from ourselves GL6 0QD where we would deliver your new fireplace personally FREE, delivery would be via a national haulage company on a secured pallet to England and Wales therefore the driver is unable to assist with any checking or unloading of the fireplace - the haulage driver is not employed by ourselves. It will be your responsibility to carry the sections into your home.
If oversized pallet then there will be a delivery cost.
PLEASE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN ORDERING YOUR SURROUND THAT A LARGE VEHICLE WITH A TAIL LIFT WILL BE DELIVERING YOUR FIREPLACE VIA A PALLET, SO ROADS WILL NEED TO BE SUITABLE TO ALLOW FOR LARGE DELIVERY VEHICLES OF 18 TONNES (similar to size of single bus) TO DROP OFF AT KERBSIDE.
This is classed as a kerbside delivery, a stacker pull along truck is unable to go over gravel/grass nor inclines due to the weight of the fireplace.
With two strong persons, please check your stone sections upon receipt for any damage and advise in the unlikely event of any damage during transit so we can act immediately upon after this time we would be unable to claim for any damages and therefore after this time we would not be held liable as you are signing for goods received in good condition.
We will not be held liable if you have booked a installer before checking that your fireplace/hearths has arrived in perfect condition, in the event that the fireplace/hearth arrives damaged we will do everything we can to offer a replacement but you must remember that the new stone would need to be cut to size, the drying time, carving and redelivery and may be a few weeks from initial delivery to a possible redelivery.
The hauliers will require a signature upon receipt. It will be your responsibility to carry the sections into your home. Two strong people are required to lift at all times. There are NO phone calls beforehand, deliveries are 8am-6pm Monday to Fridays - subject to traffic, weather and number of collections and deliveries the hauliers have in your particular area on the day.
If you think there will be difficulties with a pallet lorry of up to 18 tonnes with access please contact us before purchase to discuss options as you will be charged for a redelivery if no signature upon receipt or roads are unsuitable.
You are welcome to collect personally from our premises in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire at an agreeable day/time this will be Monday to Fridays 10-2pm, no weekends collections, no charge is made for collections. We do not accept collections by hauliers.
A suitable vehicle is required and each stone section will be for loaded into your vehicle, it will not be palletlised if collecting and we would advise you to bring some additional packing material such as old blankets etc to help for the journey back home, this will still be the same timescales.
Once given a delivery date every effort will be made to meet this date though we hold no liability if delivery is unable to be made through adverse weather which may effect the cutting of the stone and also the delivery of your new stone surround as I am sure you will appreciate it is totally out of our hands.
HEARTHS
Due to busy time of year we are only accepting orders within 30 miles of our workshop GL6 0QD for a personal delivery otherwise you are welcome to collect from our workshop Monday to Fridays on a pre arranged day 10-2pm. We no longer offer UK deliveries on hearths.
What payment do you accept?
We currently accept payment by bank transfer or a personal cheque which will need to be cleared and paid in full before dispatch of your fireplace or alternatively cash on collection if local. If you wish to pay by debit/credit card you maybe able to do this via paypal.
IF YOU PURCHASE DIRECT THROUGH OUR WEBSITE YOU WILL PAY FOR THE FIREPLACE IN FULL - not a deposit.
If communicating through emails or messages, if the total balance of your fireplace or hearth is £300 or over we will ask for a minimum of 50% non refundable deposit for made to measure fireplaces/hearths - at no stage can there be over £500 owing on account with the balance paid and cleared in FULL before dispatch of your fireplace/hearths which is a minimum of 3 working days before delivery.
If installation is carried out then the remaining balance is due is to be paid in full on day of fitting.
How much are the delivery costs?
Delivery one FREE to mainland England and Wales ONLY within 50 miles for a standard size pallet containing a fireplace (no Isles or Ireland deliveries or Scotland), to a residential address, please contact for a delivery quotation if you live outside these areas or for a larger fireplace - only one free delivery per customer/address.
Deliveries are Monday to Friday 8am until 6pm for a standard size pallet on a 48 hour turnaround to mainland England and Wales, if this fireplace has to go out on a next day delivery then there will be an additional £50 delivery fee. If the pallet is in excess of 1200mm wide then there you will be invoiced for £80 haulage costs as we are charged for 2 pallet spaces, they do try to deliver 8-1pm although this is not guaranteed, due to traffic, weather, number of deliveries/collections they have in the area on the day of delivery etc.
We no longer offer deliveries to Scotland.
Also if you live in the London congestion area we will need your full address to offer a quotation as this delivery will not be a free delivery due to fees.
If the haulage company needs to redeliver due to poor access or no adult to sign for acceptance of your surround, alternative delivery address from initial advised delivery address etc then ALL redeliveries will be charged at a minimum rate of £50.00.
You will be sent a seperate invoice if any of the above needs to be increased from the free delivery charge, or you are welcome to pay any extras by credit/debit card over the phone or bank transfer. The fireplace will not be released from the hauliers/ourselves unless costs are paid in full.
HEARTHS
With regards to hearths we are only accepting orders within a 30 mile radius of GL6 0QD for a free personal delivery - no palletised deliveries. We are no longer offering UK deliveries if hearths purchased only.
If you are purchasing just a back inner floor hearth on its own or with another back inner floor hearth then there will be a £80 delivery fee if not purchasing a front hearth or fireplace at the same time and again only within 30 miles delivery radius.
NO INNER HEARTH IS INCLUDED IN THE COSTING OF ANY FIREPLACES LISTED AND NO STONE LINED CHAMBERS ARE INCLUDED - THESE ARE BOTH ADDITIONAL EXTRAS IF REQUIRED.
How do I clean my new surround once installed?
As our fireplaces are made from natural stone which is solid throughout, it is left totally natural and not polished. Please use a little warm water and using a gentle nail brush or sponge gently scrub out any marks, you can also seal or impregnate your fireplace for added protection once the stone is fully dry from installation.
We sell 500ml natural stone sealer for £30 if delivered with your fireplace which can not be applied until the fireplace or hearth is fully dry.
Changed your mind?
If you have ordered a standard size fireplace as per the listings advertised on our website you have the right to change your mind within 7 days of receipt - called cooling off notice. We would ask that you return the fireplace fully secured to a pallet and arrange for a return to Simplicity Fireplaces. This will be at your own expensive and this cost will not be refunded and you will need to arrange this.
The fireplace will then be checked within 24 hours of receipt and we will refund you back the monies MINUS the original delivery cost we have paid and also a 20% handling charge. Refunds will be made by the same method of initial payment made.
If you have ordered a made to measure fireplace or hearths -there will be no refunds as this fireplace has been made to your specfic requirements and therefore it will be scrapped as cannot be resold due to your own personal measurements NO REFUNDS.
We offer a free stone sample so that you can see the colouring and texture of the stone. It will contain fossils, shells, possible iron, and veins within the stone it is a natural material and over 145 millions years old. You are also welcome to visit the workshop to see the stone at a pre agreed daytime. However there are no fireplaces on display.
We are able to offer a installation service for our fire surrounds within 25 miles only from Nailsworth, this is to solely fit the fireplace only no removal of existing fireplace / hearth or fire etc or plastering etc. please contact us for costs.