About 15 years ago, I had the idea to turn a water fountain bowl into a fire pit. Everyone told me I was crazy, but then I visited Intimate Flame and met Ryan. I purchased a 36" Star gas element from him, but more importantly, he walked me through exactly what I needed to do to ensure the fire pit would be safe and last for years to come. Fast forward 15 years, and that fire pit was still going strong until the knob on the gas valve finally broke. I reached out to Ryan for advice, and once again, he delivered. With his guidance, I rebuilt the gas valve and riser, and I am now able to perfectly regulate the gas again. Ryan has made himself available to help me more times than I can count and has consistently been a solid resource. I highly recommend Ryan at Intimate Flame for all your fireplace and fire pit needs! read more

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Really enjoyed working with Ryan and his team. We have a beautiful new electric fireplace and through the consultation with Ryan received a great value. Thanks Ryan and team! read more

Standout service, even by remote. Our Harman stove was struggling to light pellets, so we replaced the igniter. Even that didn't fix it, so Ryan suggested it might be the pellets were the issue. Sure enough, another brand ignited straight away. The first brand also left grungy residue, so clearly a quality problem. The amazing thing is Ryan did this diagnosis by remote, advising his colleague who was at my house via the phone. Bravo. read more

I needed to fix the fireplace in my recreation room, because the pilot light was not working. Also needed service in my living room to clean up the fireplace there. Albert arrived within one day's notice and fixed and cleaned both fireplaces in a most professional and careful manner. I highly recommend the Owner, Ryan, and Albert his staff member for any kind of work you may need for your gas fireplace, including a new installation. Ron S. read more

More of a suggestion....I am having issues with the fireplace that I bought from Intimate Flame, so I wanted to call and have it serviced. I called the number on the website and it said "sorry, mailbox is full". Then I checked the website to see if there was another way to reach them...email, etc. Nothing. Because I could not reach you guys, I called another company. I am also in the market to purchase another fireplace for my 2nd home, but I will most likely talk to the other company that I had to reach out to. If you want business, customers need to be able to reach you. read more

Ryan at Intimate Flame was amazing to work with! Quality of work was top notch. Timely response and follow ups. Responsive communication to keep me appraised was great. Ryan has a network of businesses that he can refer you to to address the finishes like flooring, tile, wall patching, etc. was willing to work with me to select the electric fireplace that worked best for us as an insert in our existing wood burning fireplace. Also cleaned our existing gas fireplace that looks like new. Had to get creative to work around the new tile but didn't quit until both he and I were happy with the outcome. Recommended an online Pearl mantle to save me money. Very honest. An immense pleasure doing business with him and his team. Definitely would recommend The Intimate Flame for any of your fireplace needs! read more

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Intimate Flame is motivated to make a sale. That's all. Every thing else is very unprofessional. From the beginning I noticed that installation was unprofessional. The quality of service was bad. They overcharged even for the bad service. He very much rips you off. They punctured the gas line and made the gas leak while servicing the unit (They left without telling me). Refused to come out to fix the leak and telling me they did not touch it. The insert is not problem free after a couple of years. The blower and control unit is making very loud noise. It did not turn off after a couple of hours from the flame is off. The face glass is very hot while the flame is not burning because just the pilot flame is so huge (Ryan told me that the flame size of the pilot light can not be adjusted). The shape/design of fire log looks ugly too. They couldn't get the parts for repairs in a timely manner (2-3weeks) because they do not use authorized distribution channels. I was very upset with their service. Finally switched to a different fireplace service company for service. The new guy did a professional and excellent job at very reasonable price (much less than Ryan charges). The new service company told me that the insert is not installed properly. The unit is not sitting firmly on the inside of the fireplace. The face cover design is so clumsy. It's not aligning well. Due to improper installation of the unit the blower/control is making loud noise. It was also not true that the pilot light can not be adjusted. The new service made the pilot light flame much smaller. I now noticed that I made a bad choice. Only good thing for Intimate flame is that they have a lot of room for improvement if they want to stay on the business. Good luck. read more

I strongly do not recommend Intimate Flame. I called Ryan, the owner, to repair my stove. His crew took my stove back to the shop to work on it. When they reinstalled it it still didn't work right and the reinstallation was sloppy. There were wires hanging down from the bottom that weren't hanging down before. It didn't look good. I called him to work on it again and he told me that the stove needed a new valve and that the valve was no longer available, that it couldn't be fixed. I paid him over $400 only to be told the stove was not fixable. It was repaired by someone else in 2 hours. I called Ryan and asked him to refund the $400 and he said he would but his accountant had to look for the transaction. After not hearing from him for a week, I called him back and he said that he had changed his mind and decided he wouldn't pay me back. He was rude and aggressive and hung up the phone on me. He's not a reasonable guy. Beware! read more

1st let me start with saying Rudy With intimate flame who put our insert fireplace in a year ago did an excellent job. He suggested at that time that we do a cleaning once a year. When I asked him about how much that would cost, I believe he told me it was 100 to 150 at the time we bought it. When I called I got a machine and left a message that I wanted my fireplace cleaned. They got back to me within a few days. An appointment was made and they showed up on time. The first comment they made was how far they came . I live in San Jose and at the time I bought the fireplace insert I had asked if they've traveled from Fremont to San Jose and they said absolutely. I did not think too much of the statement at the time. Two new individuals came To clean the fireplace. First thing he said was I need paper towels and four batteries. I thought he was talking to his partner turns out he was talking to me. So we Gave them paper towels and batteries. The Cleaning of the fireplace basically was getting off the insert which took a little while. My husband had to help when they were putting the insert glass/frame back in. They use some type of liquid paste to clean the edges one guy did one side and the other guy did the other side. The right side looked clean the left side looked smeared. They vacuumed it, rearrange the logs and placed it back together. All for the low cost of $285 , of course I'm being sarcastic here. Not too long after they left one of the logs fell over. We Called back that day they offered to come out on Saturday ( which was the next day) but we were going out of town and they told us to call as soon as we got back. My husband called them the following Friday. Which was the day after Thanksgiving . One of the gentleman answer the phone and stated he was enjoying his breakfast with his family and could we call him back in two hours. You would think that they would've said I'll call you back in a few hours. My husband called back several hours later and spoke to a lady who said that the appointment book was with the individual out in the field and they will get back to us. They did call back that day and told us they couldn't come out to fix it until 20th December it was November 29. My Husband explained to him it was unacceptable. He wasn't going to wait another month. For the whole year that we've had the fireplace the log stayed in place until they rearranged them. The fact that they didn't check their work was another irritation. Using our paper towels and making us put our batteries in for the cost of $285 was the third irritation. They stated they were trying to work with us. Why should Somebody wait a month for something you did improperly to begin with, it is just wrong. They did not have a problem cashing a $285 check. They were at our house no longer than a half hour they used our paper towels and used our batteries. We were under the impression that when you clean the fireplace they would clean the flute and that's not accurate with this company . My husband also looked up manufacture directions and he stated they did not clean the fireplace as directed by the manufacture . Im not sure what's going on with businesses today. But I find that they think they're doing you a favor instead of you're doing them a favor by giving them your Business. My husband told them he would do it his self. They did advise not to run the fireplace until the log is fixed or it with etch the glass. That Might explain why we were getting condensation on the glass which we never had for a whole year until after they tried to CLEAN it . This Week has been the coldest week we've had. I read some negative reviews and I also read some positive reviews. I'm leaning towards a negative review I think the person we dealt with Rudy to begin with a year ago was very professional I have a feeling he's no longer with this company. Think twice before calling this company. The Van Sickle read more

Intimate Flame Inc - SEE SECOND REVIEW - Fireplace Services Near Me - Fremont, California

One of the employees installed my fire place perfectly. On time and real clean really knew what there crew was doing . read more

Intimate Flame Inc - Fireplace Services Near Me - Fremont, California

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These good folks were able to do a reasonably-priced same-day installation of our gas fireplace remote. Very personable and I would absolutely recommend them. Their contact details are in my phone for the next time I have a need! read more

Very responsive to annual insert maintenance request. Quality service was provided with minimal dust and complete clean up after the fact. Price was fair considering the current cost of gas and length of service involved. read more

Ryan and his team installed a wood burning insert in an existing fireplace in our home. Ryan made sure that he was satisfied with EVERYTHING before he was done. We were so happy with the product and the service that we chose to do a gas insert in a second fireplace. Total success on both jobs! Ryan and his crew are friendly, professional and a pleasure to work with. read more

Intimate Flame Inc - Living room gas insert - Fireplace Services Near Me - Fremont, California

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Got a fireplace from Ryan a bit earlier this year. It was a great experience end-to-end, starting with the consultation about which one to buy, over to the installation. Ryan and his team did a great job, couldn't have been better! They even needed to come out again since there was a minor issue with one of the pipes. No questions asked they showed up and fixed it. Can highly recommend this shop and Ryan and his team. Sadly we only have one fireplace, I knew where to get it from ... read more

Ryan and Rudy were fantastic every step of the way in replacing an ill-fitting gas insert with one that complimented the original historic front on our fireplace. With the complications of our install situation, they came out multiple times during the planning phase to try different things and discuss options -- and they really listened to us and delivered on our priorities! The day of the install was not without challenges (love these old houses), but Ryan and Rudy worked to re-route the electrical, get the insert installed, and create a custom inside surround that really lets the original tile/stone on our fireplace shine. The thermostatic switch on the insert fan ended up being faulty, and as soon as we notified them, they came right back out with the right parts and plan to fix it in very little time. A+ on service and quality across the board -- a joy to work with these guys! read more

Intimate Flame Inc - Insert added with custom interior surround to let historic original fireplace front become the focal point. - Fireplace Services Near Me - Fremont, California

Ryan and another man came to service our insert. $285 later I had a filthy family room and a mess on my floor. Instead of vacuuming they blew dust everywhere. My floor was a mess and my glass smeared. They used my paper towels and my rags to clean things. Behavior was certainly unprofessional. I never received a receipt even though I requested one and felt ripped off for 25 minutes work and a mess in my room. Would not recommend their service. read more

Intimate Flame Inc - Part of the mess left on my floor. - Fireplace Services Near Me - Fremont, California

Extremely happy with the communication, promptness, quality work, and ease from start to finish. Doing a large remodel in my home and they helped with the whole process surrounding the fireplace install. They were very kind and very helpful with any questions I had. I appreciated the whole process from picking out the fireplace to the install. Would highly recommend their services. read more

No one present, door locked during posted hours. Big scary dog jumps up on glass door which is luckily secured. Customer is encouraged to email all questions, rather than coming back in. Location very convenient. But who wants to spend $5000 plus when it would be very INCONVENIENT to have zero response if your expensive purchase needed service........? read more

I had a gas insert installed by Ryan back in 2014 and have had it serviced over the years but had an issue with the fan staying on, I call the Intimate Flame just after Thanksgiving stated the issue and Ryan said this time of year it's super busy but I will fit you in, it took a little over a week but he arrived and knew exactly what it was with in a few minutes. He did a full service of the fireplace and was so professional, blew out the the dust and dog hair :) and fixed the fan and gave my unit a A+. The cost was reasonable for a service call by any contractor in the bay area. Ryan made some suggestions for a fire pit in the backyard and that's on my list for next summer. read more

Intimate Flame Inc - The before and after, what a difference. - Fireplace Services Near Me - Fremont, California

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We went to Intimate Flame when we were researching fireplace doors and gas inserts. On the plus side, they are super convenient to our house, they have a nice selection (plus lots of brochures), and the owner was very knowledgeable and friendly. After doing more research on-line, we decided on some doors, which were widely available for much less than Intimate Flame's price. I called Intimate Flame twice to see if they'd match the price; once the owner was gone for the weekend (the person that answered didn't want to take a message; he asked me to call back the following week), and the other time I got their machine (during business hours). So we went ahead and bought on-line, which worked out fine. We'd certainly shop at Intimate Flame in the future, but you need to price-compare before buying. read more

Back in early December, I wanted a gas fire installed by Christmas. Ryan was totally helpful and responsive. He suggested the fire to order, kept me informed when he received the fire, came to do the installation right on time, finished on time and, here's the 5 star bit, when the remote control failed a few days later, came out after 10pm and replaced it! You can't get better service than that, and the fire is GREAT! read more

We recently had a gas fireplace installed by this company and the responds and attention to detail was very unprofessional. When trying to contact them about the installation before the drywall stage, we were told that they did not check messages. Because of their non responsiveness, the person who came out to do the hook up used tin sips to cut the side of the unit to gain access to this value leaving a mess, he then used plumbers tape instead of gas tape, and when I called to have them come back out to install to code, I was told that they would not come back out. Any company which jeopardizes the integrity of a gas installation should be used with great caution. If ratings were less than one star I would have chosen it. read more

My very old pellet stove insert finally gave out. I contacted Intimate Flame for a quote on a new one. Even though they were in the process of setting up their new offices/showroom, they were able to accommodate me. They installed my new stove a week ago. Kim and Ryan treat you well. read more

I have never been treated so badly by a business. I contacted the Intimate Flame in Fremont to schedule an appointment. We made the appointment for later in the day. My appointment was at 3:30. At 2:30 I receive a call asking if I can change my appt. I said that I could come earlier. As I'm driving (30 min drive from my office) I receive a call saying that they cannot meet with me at 3:00 without an explanation. I arrive at the showroom at 3:00 and there is no one there. As an interior designer, they not only lost my business (at least 1-2 fireplaces a year), any referrals that I would give them and I will be sure to let all the other people in the building trades know not to do business with the Intimate Flame. I consider it disrespectful to waste an hour of my time with no apologies. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THE INTIMATE FLAME! read more

We used Intimate Flame for a gas fireplace insert. We originally went there to get a new pellet stove to replace our broken one after we visited Dublin Custom Fireplaces and did not even seem to peak any interest from the sales team there. When we got to Intimate Flame, Ryan enthusiastically showed us his line of pellet stoves and walked us through his process. We did not even think about gas inserts because we thought they were too expensive. But on a whim we asked. Ryan then, with the same enthusiasm walked us through the gas inserts and process and showed us the price was about equal. He visited the house and determined the size we needed. He even unsold us on a fan option as our house was too small to need it. The installation was VERY professional, always there on the button (or in one case early before I was dressed, but he patiently waited). They came one day to remove and take away our pellet stove and clean the chimney. One more visit to install the gas line. The plumber they used is fantastic and am glad we now have his name. Lastly they came and installed the gas insert. Ryan supervised everything. I heartily endorse and support this great team. read more

Ryan and Rudy just guided us through the whole process of selecting and then installing a gas insert fireplace. Included in this process was refacing our existing fireplace with Marble, installing the gas line into the fireplace, and installing the electricity to support the operation of the fireplace insert and its fan. Ryan was incredibly easy to work with through this process. He was very responsive and all went as he said it would. My wife and I are beyond ecstatic over the result. I would strongly recommend Ryan and Rudy to anyone considering covering their existing fireplace into an efficient, beautiful, and easy to operate gas fireplace. read more

I saw Ryan yesterday and he helped me reset my remote control and showed me how to clean my fireplace. No charge, just great customer service. Highly recommend this place. read more

Wonderful working with Kim and Ryan at Intimate Flame. From start to finish they were true professionals. The job went off without a hitch. if your looking for to upgrade your fireplace or get a new wood stove - look no further, they will make the process easy. read more

I can not say enough good things about Ryan and Rudy and The Intimate Flame. We've used them for two fireplace inserts: one valor and one kozy heat. I've also contracted Ryan to install chimney venting on a major house remodel. He really went above and beyond dealing with a city inspector: contacting the manufacturer of the conduit and getting a letter approving his method of installation to appease the nitpicking inspector. His prices are much lower than competitors on the Peninsula, and he knows what he's doing and always show up on time. He's very responsive over email and via phone, and gets the job done right. A+ for these guys. read more

We went through this place last year for our gas fireplace and this year again same issue happened. the fireplace would take few attempts to turn on with the remote. So we needed the same service as last year. Ill be honest they did a great job last year. But this year Ryan is just is stuck up and has so much attitude. He was charging $130 for each fire place (we needed 2 done) then i asked him ok can we get some sort of discount since we are having 2 done and went through you guys last year. (he lowered both down to $120 ok whatever fair enough) then a week later i decided to go with him and waited for his response. His response - "im sorry i just cant do business with you and your uncle" me on the other hand so confused as to why he cant do business with him. Then i called him and apologized if we said anything wrong on our end. (Which we are customers we weren't trying to low ball him- as a business owner he should know people always try to negotiate prices WE ARE CUSTOMERS)Why do people develop an attitude just because they run their own business? He takes forever to return calls and every-time i called him after that hes been extremely rude. But each time i kept my cool cause of the price being fair. Today he finally returned my call to schedule an appt and he kept giving me a Saturday appt. Prior to that few weeks ago he was also giving another Saturday appt. like maybe some people want to enjoy their sat and not stay home having to worry about getting a fireplace fixed or cleaned maybe some people want to enjoy their weekend and can only do a week day DUH. And when i asked him if he could come any weekday he got all grumpy and would come at me with the "well i cant do business with you and your uncle blah blah blah you either chose what i have or forget it!" lmao F THAT! he kept saying this each time i would speak to him. And another time he was like "so your uncle finally agreed to my prices huhh?!" (ummm ok were customers we want the lowest price possible no duh no need to rub it in- unprofessional) i dunno. Anyways we contacted a better place who isn't stuck up and is more than happy to take our services! yes we really needed service done but we aren't the desperate to be disrespected just because he had a low price. honestly at this point even if other companies were higher id be more than happy to pay them vs this stuck up guy ha! read more

Ryan was amazing. Very Informative and had the exact part I was after. I would recommend him to everyone. Bryan read more

AWESOME CUSTOMER SERVICE!! Ryan is a SUPER nice guy always very helpful and easy to work with! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND INTIMATE FLAME!! I had my gas fireplace installed several years ago and never used it because the contractor never installed an on switch. After procrastinating for years I finally went to Intimate Flame and Ryan suggested a wireless thermostat remote which he and Rudy just came and installed! It works perfectly! They even dusted and polished it all up for me it looks great but unfortunately he doesn't do windows...lol I wouldn't use anyone else for my fireplace needs and if I ever need anything Ryan will be getting my business along with my referrals! Ryan, Thank you so much, your the best!! Just my 2 cents I was reading some other reviews about price shopping and getting a "good deal" well that is all relative if you ask me; getting a good deal can mean a lot of things its not always about price..yes price is a factor but to me customer service is something you cannot put a price on. Have you ever gone to a nice restaurant where the food was a little pricey but the service was exceptional or a restaurant where the food was exceptional but the service sucked which would you go back to. Personally I'm going back to where the service was exceptional and where I felt the most taken care of and appreciated as a customer! You are always going to find a good deal if you shop around but you will NEVER find this kind of service...again just my 2 cents!! read more

My gas fireplace quit working. Ryan, on his way to a family home for the Holidays, but took my call. He walked me through the troubleshooting of the unit. Problem found and resolved in a matter of 30 minutes. Who does this??? Great service and very helpful. Yesterday I became a life-long customer of Intimate Flame Inc. Thank you Ryan! read more

Ryan and assistant arrived on time for the scheduled cleaning and preventive maintenance of our pellet stove, which IF had installed about 5 years ago. They did a quick and efficient job of the cleaning and pm work and everything was clean when they finished. read more

I have a Harman pellet stove originally purchased from The Intimate Flame. A month ago the stove stopped working and Ryan refused to service it because of the distance from Fremont -- I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Consequently I'm having a great deal of trouble finding a resource to repair this $4k pellet stove. Talk about being left high and dry! Ryan did say he would like to help me, but in the end he did not. Even despite urging from the manufacturer, Ryan simply stopped returning my calls. Extremely poor customer service. I'm surprised to see such high ratings for these guys -- I'm glad other people have had good experiences. Personally, though, I would not do business with this company. Service after the initial sale is a hugely important factor when considering a pellet stove. These guys let me down in a big way. read more

Really, whatever bad review they got. They always have an excuse?? I am not the customer?????? Really???? Why did I waste my time to write the review if I am not the customer????????? read more

We just had the living room re-textured and painted, after which we couldn't re-light the pilot light. Service Tech Ryan came out, and after removing logs and shining lights found the painting crew had shut off the gas behind the unit. He stuck with it, found the source, checked all wires and electronics during the reassembly process, dusted and cleaned, left the unit looking brand new and working beautifully. Intimate Flame continues to be our go-to source - for selling a quality product and providing quality service. read more

I purchased an Enviro M55C pellet stove that Ryan recommended and it was the best decision I have made for the house. The stove is quiet as Ryan promised and can kick out enormous heat when needed. The stove was the best priced out of all of the suppliers in the Bay Area and installation and setup costs were also reasonable. Setup was quick, efficient, and curtious. I am going to recommend Ryan to all of my friends looking for a new stove/heater. read more

I bought my Harman pellet stove a few years back from the Intimate Flame and recently had trouble with the starter. I called on a Friday and spoke with Ryan (the owner). He was at my house at 9am on Monday to fix the problem. I live on the coast by Half Moon Bay so it was long way for him to come. He was very professional and fixed the problem very quickly. I would recommend anyone in the market for a good stove or insert to give them a call. They offer top quality products and first class service. read more

Wow.... The Intimate Flame in Fremont is the place you need to go for your fireplace needs. I was first directed to a place in San Jose and their showroom was a mess, they had nothing but brochures to show me and the sales people were like used car sales people. Ryan from The Intimate Flame was the complete opposite. He was very knowledgeable, patient with us and his showroom had everything he offered. Immediately scheduled an install and he was right on time and right on budget. Great experience and I would recommend him highly. A Grade. The final photo will be coming after stone is installed. read more