A Better Fireplace & Stove Co. - Mammoth Lakes, California

Kirk Wallace (Atticon)

HIGHLY recommended!

We got scammed by another local fireplace company that finally filed for bankruptcy and closed up shop but A Better Fireplace remedied our situation with a timely install and amazing customer service. Colin and Shelby were very helpful and were stoked on our new pellet stove, thank you!!

Mary Beth Richardson

Our home has a pellet stove and fireplace purchased from, installed by, and serviced through A Better Fireplace. For this year's service, Colin and Bird arrived within the promised window and couldn’t have been nicer or more professional. They worked quickly and efficiently, and performed a thorough service on our pellet stove and fireplace without any mess or fuss. The only evidence they were here was that both stoves were the cleanest they’ve been since we installed them!

Leslie Hixson

A Better Fireplace installed our fireplace in 2014 and we have been using their service to keep it healthy and running smoothly since. They recently serviced our unit to get ready for winter and did their usual fantastic job. It’s been completely cleaned and tested by them and it’s running perfectly for us since we arrived on 12/8. Thank you to Shelby, Colin and the team. As usual, job perfectly done!!

John Lewis

A huge shout out to ‘A Better Fireplace’ for the fantastic job on our fireplace replacement/renovation. We own a condo in Mammoth Lakes and live in the San Diego area, so except for the initial meeting the entire job was handled via phone, email and online photos. We removed our original wood burning fireplace and replaced it with a beautiful electric unit with new rock masonry floor to ceiling, added a mantle and a 55” TV. We were able to purchase and ship the TV directly to their shop and they provided the appropriate mounting bracket; demoed the existing lava rock and replaced it with beautiful modern masonry; did all the hidden wiring; added additional plugs; patched in some matching carpet on the hearth and sent progress photos throughout the project. The attention to aesthetic detail and the care they took to protect our carpet and cedar paneling was exceptional!! We no longer have to deal with firewood, kindling and flu issues - with the click of a remote we have a beautiful fire with a heater if needed. I wish everything in life was as seamless as this project has been. Kudos to Scott, Shelby and the entire ‘A Better Fireplace’ team. You’re all amazing!!

Joe Exum

A Better Fireplace replaced our wood burning fireplace with a pellet stove when we renovated our Mammoth condo. Our experience was awesome! Amazing product, service and team. Despite several unexpected issues that came up, the project was completed on time, on budget and looks fantastic. We cannot say enough good things about Shelby, Scott, Colin and the rest of the team. We HIGHLY recommend A Better Fireplace and Stove!!

John Yasko

I hate to write a long review, but its important you know all the details about this business! I had A Better Fireplace & Stove Co. rebuild my fireplace at Horizons4 Condominiums around 2004. At that time, the design, planning, demo and build-out of our fireplace was handled superbly by Scott Voss and his team at A Better Fireplace & Stove Co. At that time, A Better Fireplace removed our old fireplace surround and installed a new EPA II approved Buck Stove with thermostatically controlled blower to distribute the warm air, local river rock fireplace surround with raised hearth, and beautiful, locally-sourced natural log mantel with clear finish. It became the focal point of our condominium. A Better Fireplace handled everything from start to finish including the city building permit. The products they used and high-quality workmanship have withstood the test of time over the last 16 years. Other than annual chimney sweeping, the entire system has not needed any maintenance or repairs, a testament to their 5-star rating. Fast forward to 2020, I purchased a property at Snowcreek that still had its original construction, super dark rock surround (I always thought it was lava rock) from floor to ceiling, and had been painted over with white chalk paint to brighten up the space by a previous property owner. Prior to closing escrow on the property, I knew who to call, A Better Fireplace & Stove Co. Only this time around, I had the pleasure of being greeted on the phone and working with Shelby Cottrell, Scott's daughter and the second-generation leader of this family-owned business. Working with Shelby during the pandemic, over the telephone and by email was a delightful experience. She responsive and quick to reply to email and voice mail messages (I seemed to always call after hours and leave a voicemail due to my busy schedule), she was detailed-oriented, thorough, trusted, offered design ideas, provided a realistic timeline, ordered materials quickly once we executed the proposal(which impacts time to job completion), pulled the building permit and oversaw the project from start to finish. Not only that, I mentioned on the phone my past experience with her dad, and she said her dad is still around. Scott was out to our property several times supervising their team through demo, framing, drywall, masonry, installation and testing. He was so kind to remember our previous project and our interaction from many years ago. This business is truly a family business with Shelby's parents offering their support and expertise, her husband completing installations, and their infant (the third and future generation at A Better Fireplace!) greeting customers at their showroom. So the new fireplace is now the focal point of our new home, and let me wrap up, we chose to keep a Quadrafire Castile Pellet Stove (installed by A Better Fireplace 3 years earlier by the Seller) with Moose Mountain Ledge Veneer mixed with McGregor Lake Veneer Flats, a hearth with grey hearth stone with a wall mounted thermostat and the Audio/Video package. At framing they also built in an additional storage cubby above the wood/pellet storage area with electricity for cable box, wi-fi router/modem and sound bar. The finished product is beautiful and we are enjoying it immensely on cold or snowy days.
Don't hesitate to call THE Mammoth Lakes fireplace experts whether you are building a new home or upgrading, replacing, or rebuilding your existing fireplace in Mammoth Lakes or surrounding communities. Their services are worth every dollar spent!

(Pictures are L to R, the original, framing, and completed project)

Charles Evans Jr.

I recently had A Better Fireplace service my wood-burning pellet stove, and I couldn't be more impressed. The team was professional, punctual, and highly knowledgeable. They went above and beyond to ensure everything was in perfect working order and even gave me tips on maintenance. The quality of their work is top-notch, and their customer service is outstanding. Highly recommend them for anyone in Mammoth Lakes needing fireplace services! Five stars!

Charlotte Chamberlin

Installing a new fireplace is a huge investment and it can completely transform a room. We received several estimates from local companies and after recovering from the initial "sticker shock" we went with a Better Fireplace and we are so happy that we did. The process of installing a new fireplace can be complex and requires many decisions on the design throughout the process. Scott, Shelby and the rest of the team spent time educating us and working collaboratively with us to ensure we ended up with exactly what we wanted. Their pricing was reasonable and the final price ended up being slightly below the initial estimate (its always nerve wracking to go into a project without fixed costs but Scott's team was fair in all their charges for labor and material). They isolated the area where they were working to keep the dust out of the rest of the house and were respectful of the rest of the house as they brought materials onto the job site. They coordinated their efforts with other contractors working on the job and kept us informed throughout the process. I would highly recommend the team at A Better Fireplace.