Fake permits is how people get other people killed.

There will be a gasline to plug or cap. It will need to be leak tested after.

There will also be a large hole through the wall or roof for the vent. Roof one not so bad but a wall penetration is much harder to seal off and look nice depending on your siding.

Seeing some comments here, my two cent is leave it, like you care what a stranger thinks though lol.

If it’s gas, you’ll need a fitter to cap the line, which means there is a fan so a wire would be there as well. You’ll have to rip out next and fix the outside where the fan was.

So you got :

Gas

Electrical

Drywall

Outside siding

Trim

Paint

Oh? And it’s on a corner so you will have a gap with the carpet.

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That kind of fireplace requires electricity to work though (might be able to start it with a lighter and batteries but not run the fan

Probably need help decommissioning the gas lines as well. You can buy fake permits on line if anyone asks.

Never had a gas outage. Electrical outages common. Gas fire place used as an emergency back up several times. Reface the fireplace easy DIY job. High heat paint for the metal trim. Will need a pipe fitter that has gas ticket to decommission the gas line. Termination holes exist that need to be filled in the foundation/siding etc... Will need an electrician to decommission the electrical. You will be left with an electrical cover plate on the wall or terminate with an outlet? Chimney, where is it? Does it run up the outside of the house past the roof or through it? The latter is probably as expensive as what either tradesman is going to charge.

I have this same fireplace and in Edmonton. The mantle is colonial looking but the house is not so I removed the surrounding material. DM me and I will send you pics of how it mounts, connects to electrical and gas.

You can do this. It's gonna be a pain, though. If it's a gas unit, find where it starts. Usually, in the boiler room. Hopefully, there is a valve and a union at the start of the run. Turn off the valve, disconnect the union, and cap the line. Best to start there because when you remove the unit, if there is a pipe sticking out of the wall, you can disconnect it with no worry of a gas leak in the wall after sealing the hole. I'd bet the facade around the unit is at best set in place and painted around, a small crowbar will do the trick. Then, look under the unit for where the piping comes in. Disconnect and remove any wall fasteners (doubt there are any). An extra set of hands will help. Also, cap the disconnected gas pipe. It's gonna smell. Good luck.

We did this exact removal in our last house and it wasn't too bad. All the items people are mentioning below are indeed what had to be done but it wasn't a ton of work.

The biggest problem is that the work that is required involves a lot of different skills, most of which i did not have so wound up having someone come in and do 90% of it. tuning up internal drywall and baseboards is pretty easy, but i definitely did not want to screw up my exterior wall.

... and of course you absolutely should not mess around with gas lines on your own.

Removing stuff like this is way easier than properly installing it.

The only thing I'd farm out for a novice is making sure the gas line is properly disconnected and capped.

I think if you replaced that ugly tile with something like this it wouldn't stick out so much. And maybe carry it all the way up to the ceiling, that would look pretty good.

Yeah I’d tell my wife to “get over it” lol. That’s a considerable project.

Lol, terrible attitude for a diy sub. If I was scared of asking or trying something new, our house would still be original 1970s with a dropped ceiling and fluorescent lights as far as the eye can see. Instead, it's 3 years later and I've redone the kitchen, a bunch of electrical, put lvp down throughout the entire floor, and refinished 2 bathrooms. All with no prior knowledge. We're living in the age of YouTube and reddit my man. Anyone can do this stuff with a little perseverance.

Easy, diy

This is a "Direct Vent" fireplace. There will be a gas line that will have to be pulled back to its source. There will an electrical line that will need to be terminated. Also there is a 12" vent pipe poking out the side of the wall. So, you will need to fix the siding on the outside of the house as well as sheetrock, paint, and trim on the inside.

Thanks, that’s helpful.

Thanks. I will look for the vents when I go for inspection. Paint and baseboard is ok, but drywall I have zero experience so that’s an area I may need help.

Wife doesn’t like it, that’s reason #1. The room is smaller than it looks like on that picture so it does take a bit of space. Most houses in the area do not have a fireplace in that room (usually main floor and basement) so it wouldn’t compromise resale value I guess.

But if it’s too much work then it will stay.

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There are lots of other ways to do emergency heat that aren't a big decorative permanent fireplace though.

Many high efficiency gas fireplaces have vent fans and need electricity to work also.

Looks like gas and probably just has a small vent pipe, not a flue.

If you have to ask, you aren’t skilled enough. Hire someone or leave it alone.

As someone who just lost power in an ice storm for 4 days without a working fireplace, I’d say keep it. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.

Playing devil's advocate, why unless it is broken why remove it? It's in a bonus room, tucked into a corner not taking up much space. It's also going to cost a ton to ever put back in