The custom fireplace design process.

How we design and make a custom cast stone fireplace surround with you, from your first measurements to delivery day.

Updated October 2026

A custom cast stone fireplace surround comes together in four steps: you tell us about your room, we draw it in 2D and render it in 3D, we cast it, and we ship it to you. Send your measurements and a few photos, and your proposal with the drawings and rendering arrives within two business days. We draw and cast every piece ourselves in Salem, Oregon, so one team owns your surround from the first drawing to the crate. Custom work takes six to eight weeks once the design is approved and the order is placed; standard models take six weeks.

Buy from the studio that casts it.

The simplest way to get a custom surround is to buy it straight from the company that makes it, not through a reseller or white-label storefront. When you work with us, the people drawing your surround are the people casting it: nothing gets lost between a showroom and a far-off factory, there’s no reseller markup on top, and one team looks after your surround from the first sketch to the crate at your curb.

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

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 we check whether a standard size fits your opening, quote a custom size if it doesn’t, or plan a fully custom profile.

2. Engineering: drawings and a 3D rendering

We draw your surround in 2D and render it in 3D in your actual room, and the proposal reaches you within two business days. You see the proportions, the profile and the finish in context, and we refine them with you until they feel right. Nothing is cast until you approve the drawing, so the surround you receive is the one you saw.

3. Fabrication

On approval, the surround is cast to order, made with a GFRC premix rated 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. Custom work takes six to eight weeks once the design is approved and the order is placed.

4. Delivery and installation

The finished surround ships crated by freight, nationwide, with installation drawings and a finish kit. In-person installation is a paid concierge add-on from Eugene to Portland (including Vancouver, Washington) and from Bend to the coast; elsewhere we support your installer with detailed drawings and direct phone help through the install.

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. Once the design is approved and the order is placed, custom work takes six to eight weeks, because every piece is cast to order. Expedited production is reserved for standard models; custom pieces are scheduled per project.

Custom pieces are quoted per project. Send us your measurements and a few photos, and your proposal, with a fixed price, 2D drawings and a 3D rendering, arrives within two business days. If you’d like to see the colors in your own light first, our $55 sample set has all eight. You’ll see a firm price before you pay anything, and we start casting once you approve.

Standard, resized, or fully custom.

Not every project needs a from-scratch design. Most of our sixteen standard models come in three sizes (Studio, Signature and Grand), and each product page lists the openings it fits. If yours falls outside them, we can make a standard design to your measurements and quote the custom size. Go fully custom when you want a new profile or 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), a free $55 color sample set for the client presentation, and a single point of contact from specification through fabrication and delivery. Spec sheets for the drawing set are open to everyone in the spec library, and we email CAD blocks and 3D files on request. See the trade program for the full detail. Most applications take about three minutes, and we review them within two business days.

Frequently asked questions about custom fireplaces.

Where do you buy a custom cast stone fireplace surround?
Buy it straight from the company that makes it, rather than through a reseller. You skip a reseller’s markup, and you deal directly with the team that draws and casts your surround. That’s how we work: send your firebox measurements and a few photos of the wall, and within two business days you get a proposal with 2D drawings and a 3D rendering. Once you approve the design and place the order, we cast it in Salem, Oregon in six to eight weeks and ship it to you crated.
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, made with a GFRC premix rated at 11,000 PSI, and finished by hand. (4) Delivery and install: it ships crated with installation drawings; in-person installation is a paid concierge add-on from Eugene to Portland (including Vancouver, Washington) and from Bend to the coast, and elsewhere we support your installer by phone.
How long does a custom fireplace surround take?
Custom work takes six to eight weeks once the design is approved and the order is placed. Each surround is cast to order, so the clock starts when you approve the design and place the order, not at the first inquiry. How long the design stage takes depends on how defined the project is. Expedited production is reserved for standard models; custom pieces are scheduled per project.
How much does a custom surround cost, and how is it quoted?
Custom pieces are quoted per project, and they generally land in the same range as our standard collection, adjusted for size and how detailed the profile is. Send us your measurements and a few photos, and your proposal, with a fixed price, 2D drawings and a 3D rendering, arrives within two business days. If you’d like to see the colors in your own light first, our $55 sample set has all eight. You’ll see a firm price before you pay anything, and we start casting once you approve.
When should I choose a standard model instead of going custom?
Choose a standard model when one of our sixteen designs suits your room. Most come in three sizes (Studio, Signature and Grand), and each product page lists the openings it fits. If yours falls outside them, we can make a standard design to your measurements and quote the custom size. Go fully custom when you want a new profile or motif, an unusual scale, or a design matched to specific millwork.
Do you work with architects and designers on the trade side?
Yes. Approved architects, interior designers and custom builders get 10% off published list on every standard model (custom and volume projects are quoted per project), a free $55 color sample set on approval, and one person to work with from specification through delivery. Spec sheets are open to everyone, and we send CAD and 3D files on request. Most applications take about three minutes, and we review them within two business days.

Ready to design your fireplace surround?

Trade & dealer pricing