The custom design process.

From dimensions to a crated, design-direct surround — how a bespoke cast stone fireplace gets made.

Updated June 2026

A custom cast stone fireplace surround is commissioned in four steps: design collaboration, engineering (2D drawings plus a 3D rendering in your room), fabrication, and delivery or install. Buying design-direct from the studio that casts the piece keeps the design intent intact. Oltre casts to order in Salem, Oregon on a six-week lead time, with expedited three-week production at 35% above list.

Buy from the studio that casts it.

The cleanest way to get a custom surround is to commission it directly from the manufacturer, not through a reseller or white-label storefront. Design-direct means the people drawing your surround are the people casting it: nothing is lost in translation between a showroom and a far-off factory, there is no reseller markup layered on top, and one team owns the result from the first sketch to the crate on your driveway.

For an architect or designer, that single line of accountability is the point. For a homeowner, it means the rendering you approve is the surround you receive.

The four steps.

1. Design collaboration

It starts with your room. Share the firebox opening dimensions, the existing hearth, the floor stain, and the millwork profile, plus a style direction — classical, transitional, or modern. A few photos of the wall are enough to begin. This is also where a standard model is resized to fit, or where a fully bespoke profile is scoped.

2. Engineering: drawings and a 3D rendering

The surround is drawn as 2D shop drawings and rendered in 3D against your actual room before any deposit. You see the proportions, the profile, and the finish in context and refine them until they are right. Approval happens on the drawing, so there are no surprises in cast stone.

3. Fabrication

On approval, the surround is cast to order from a GFRC mix tested at 11,000 PSI and finished by hand. Casting to order — rather than pulling from inventory — is what makes custom geometry and custom sizing possible in the first place. This is the six-week production window.

4. Delivery and installation

The finished surround ships crated by freight, nationwide, with installation drawings and a finish kit. Across Oregon and Washington we install in person; outside that radius we support your installer with detailed drawings and direct phone help through the install.

A custom Oltre cast stone fireplace surround installed in a residential living room
A custom Oltre commission, drawn against the room before casting and installed to the millwork.

Timeline and cost framework.

Two timelines run in sequence. The design phase — drawings, rendering, revisions, approval — varies with how defined the project is. Production is a fixed six weeks from approval, because every piece is cast to order. When a schedule is tight, expedited three-week production is available at 35% above list (the surcharge is calculated on list price and does not stack with trade-tier discounts).

Cost follows a clear path rather than a black-box bid: order a sample box to confirm finish and color in your light, send dimensions for a fixed quote, and fabrication begins once you approve it. You always see a firm number before a deposit.

Standard, resized, or fully custom.

Not every project needs a from-scratch design. Each of the sixteen standard models already resizes to your opening, so a “standard” surround is still made to fit. Reserve a fully bespoke commission for when you need a profile edit, a new motif, an unusual scale, or a design tuned to specific cabinetry. If you are weighing materials before geometry, start with what cast stone is and the material comparison.

The architect and designer workflow.

The trade program is built for specifiers. Approved architects, interior designers, and custom builders receive trade pricing — 10% off published list on standard models, with volume and custom quoted per project — plus CAD blocks and spec sheets to drop into a drawing set, finish samples for the client presentation, and a single point of contact from specification through fabrication and delivery. Application takes under a minute with a 24-hour response. See the trade program for the full detail.

Custom process questions.

Where do you buy a custom cast stone fireplace surround?
The most direct route is to commission it from the manufacturer that casts it, rather than through a reseller. A design-direct studio takes your firebox dimensions, draws the surround against your room, casts it to order, and ships it crated nationwide — which keeps the design intent intact and removes a markup layer. Oltre works this way: send your dimensions and a few photos, approve a drawing and 3D rendering, and the piece is cast in Salem, Oregon on a six-week lead time.
What does the custom process actually involve?
Four steps. (1) Design collaboration: you share dimensions, the existing hearth, floor and millwork context, and a style direction. (2) Engineering: we produce 2D shop drawings and a 3D rendering of the surround in your room, refined until you approve it. (3) Fabrication: the surround is cast to order at 11,000 PSI and finished. (4) Delivery and install: it ships crated with installation drawings; in Oregon and Washington we install in person, and elsewhere we support your installer by phone.
How long does a custom fireplace surround take?
Plan for the drawing-and-approval phase first, then six weeks of production once the design is signed off. Because each surround is cast to order, the six-week window begins at approval, not at the initial inquiry. Expedited three-week production is available at 35% above list when a project timeline is tight.
How much does a custom surround cost, and how is it quoted?
Custom cast stone generally falls in the same range as the standard collection, adjusted for size and profile complexity, rather than jumping into ultra-luxury pricing. The framework is simple: order a sample box to confirm finish and color, send dimensions for a fixed quote, then fabrication begins on approval. You see a firm number before any deposit.
When should I choose a standard model instead of going custom?
Choose a standard model when one of the sixteen profiles suits the room — every standard surround already resizes to your opening in width, height, and depth, so "standard" still means made-to-fit. Go fully custom when you need a profile edit, a new motif, an unusual scale, or a design matched to specific millwork. The standard collection covers most projects; custom picks up where it ends.
Do you work with architects and designers on the trade side?
Yes. Architects, interior designers, and custom builders get trade pricing (10% off published list on standard models, with volume and custom quoted per project), CAD blocks and spec sheets for drawing sets, finish samples, and a single point of contact through specification, fabrication, and delivery. Approval takes under a minute with a 24-hour response. It is built for specifiers who need the surround to drop cleanly into a documented project.

Ready to commission a surround?

Trade & dealer pricing