Rundle stone fireplaces: the Alberta look, and what it costs
A stone fireplace anchors a whole room — and Rundle stone, quarried in the Alberta Rockies, is the local material that does it best. Here's what a surround costs, and how the build actually works.
A stone fireplace is the one feature that anchors a whole room — and Rundle stone, quarried in the Alberta Rockies, is the local material that does it best. Here’s what a surround costs, and how the build actually works.
Rundle stone — the Alberta local
Rundle is a grey-brown quartzite from the Rundle range near Canmore. It splits into flat, layered pieces that stack into a tight, natural face — the look you see on lodges through the Rockies. Because it’s quarried here, it reads as of this place in a way imported stone never quite does. On a Calgary wall, that matters.
What a surround costs
The price follows the wall — its height, the access, and whether there’s a sound surface to build onto — not the square foot the way a floor does:
| Scope | Typical |
|---|---|
| Refacing over sound existing brick | $2,000–5,000 |
| Full stone surround, floor to mantel | $4,000–9,000 |
| Floor-to-ceiling feature wall | $8,000–15,000+ |
Two ways to build it
Refacing over existing brick
If the brick behind is sound, stone veneer goes straight over it — no demolition, less mess, lower cost. The dated brick disappears behind the new face, and you keep the structure that’s already there.
A full build
New construction, or a wall that needs to come back to the studs — framing, backer, then stone. It’s more work, but it gives total freedom over the shape, the hearth, and the height.
Is porcelain safe around a fireplace?
For the surround and the hearth, yes. Porcelain and natural stone both take the radiant heat around a normal gas or wood fireplace without trouble. The firebox itself is a separate, heat-rated component — what we clad is the surround around it, which is well inside what these materials handle.
Autumn is fireplace season
The feature you want lit in October is the one to build in September. A fireplace is the rare reno with a clear season, and the lead time is worth planning for — stone fireplace & surround is where a build starts.