Jun 23

Picture this big, spacious fireplace in your favorite lawn or garden spot with perhaps lawn chairs and picnic table nearby Jt would provide a lot of entertainment as well as good barbe­cue foods. It’s a very popular design that can be built at sur­prisingly little cost. And if you’d build it yourself, cost is still less. All needed materials are available from your local building supply dealer. See Page 58 for details on the OF-48-S Majestic Metal Unit. Caution: Block sizes vary in some localities be sure the blocks you get are the same as those listed here.


LIST OF MATERIALS

1     Model OF-48-S Majestic Unit
39   Blocks 8″ x 8″ x 16″   (Header


or Double Corner type)


 14  Blocks 6″ x 8″ x 16″

2     Blocks 4″ x 8   x 16″

13   Blocks 2″ x8″ x 16″ (Note: It will be necessary for 3 of these to be split to 2″ x 6″ x 16″)

 4   Chimney Blocks 8″ x 12″ (16″ x 21 ” overall size)

Blocks should be fire-resistant blocks. (Plus necessary sad, gravel and concrete for foundation and mortar. “Ready-Mixed” packages and ideal and usually sized for your requirements. Ask your material supply dealer.)


 

Select a suitable spot for the fire­place, giving thought to the notes on “Location” given on page 53. Mark off the desired size with stakes and string. The base should be at least 62″ x 38″, and should be larger if extension be­yond the block walls is desired. Follow the directions for a float­ing slab foundation as listed on page 56.

Lay out the first course of blocks as shown in Fig. 1. Then start mortaring these blocks in place. It is probably best to start with the center blocks, which pro­vide a solid   floor  for  the metal

unit and the ashpit area. Be sure

that this is wide enough to ac­commodate the assembled metal unit. Cementing this area with a rich mixture will give a smoother cleaning area, Be sure to slope slightly to front of unit for drainage.

Now proceed with the con­struction, laying out each cours:1 of blocks as indicated by the drawings.

Be sure to provide proper al­lowance for metal parts to ex­pand as the result of heating. This can be accomplished by placing sheets of corrugated paper between the metal unit and the blocks. When the first fire is built, this corrugated paper will bum away, leaving space for expansion. Lay the 8″ x 12″ (overall size 16″x21″) chimney blocks last, putting them in place with the front sides exactly flush, vertically, with the wall that en­closes the back of the metal unit.

Now, with the Majestic metal unit installed, your fireplace is completed. But do not fire the unit for at least two days, giving the mortar and concrete ample time to set and harden. Use only small fires at first to cure fire­place mortar. If desired, the masonry may be finished in an attractive color, using any good paint or compound recommended for block surfaces.

 

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Feb 16

Some basic principles of outdoor fireplace construction

Until recent years, a major handicap in building an Outdoor Fireplace was the difficulty of locating essential metal parts, such as grilles, doors, grates, and the like. Now, metal fireplace units and a wide variety of parts are manufactured by The Majestic Company, Inc., of Huntington, Indiana. Your Lumber, Building Material, or Masonry Supply Dealer will be happy to assist you in your needs for Majestic Barbecue Equip­ment. Don’t take substitutes.

With these metal units, anyone can create an attractive fireplace by using a complete unit as a building form and setting up masonry around it. in any desired design.

First essential for a good fireplace is a strong, solid foundation. In warm climates, where frost is not a factor, your fireplace can be set on a firm bed of tamped ground, cinders, or gravel. In cold climates, where deep frost occurs, your Outdoor Fireplace should be built on either a floating slab of reinforced concrete, or on a solid foundation of concrete or of brick or stones set in mortar and extending 4" or 5" or more below the frost line. You can learn the details on building a floating slab on page 56 of this booklet. For a below-frost-line foundation, see a local authority such as your building supply dealer.

Be sure to provide proper allowances for the metal parts of your fire­place to expand and contract as the result of heating and cooling. When using a Majestic Fireplace unit, this can be done by placing sheets of corrugated paper between the sides of the unit and the masonry. When the first fire is built, this corrugated paper will burn away, leaving space for expansion.

A chimney is not always necessary. If you plan to burn only charcoal in the fireplace, the three masonry walls around the metal unit are all that is required. However, if either wood or coal is the fuel to be used, the fireplace should have a chimney. It is also wise to provide the chim­ney with a cap to keep out water and possibly a screen to check flying sparks from wood fires.

It is wise to provide a means of adjusting the depth of the firegrate beneath the grill, since a charcoal fire should be placed much closer to the grill than a wood fire. In the Majestic metal units, this adjustment for charcoal or wood is provided.

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Mar 3

I want to build/buy a recessed shelf to go in the wall above my fireplace mantle, but below my flatscreen TV. I’ve heard this can be done (I’m building a new house so incorporating it is no issue.) Does anyone know of anyone who manufactures something to help me? Thanks for any help!

I do not recommend installing a tv on top of a fireplace if you are going to be using the fireplace. Heat is the worst enemy of all tvs and electronics. TVs should be mounted close to eye level to avoid strain on the neck when watching tvs.

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Jan 28

I have a small log cabin that was made by hand and I am trying to find out where I can get instructions, books, or websites that explain how to build a fireplace with chimney out of cement mixture and river rocks.

Thankyou!

the weight may be too much for the support,
i bought a wood stove, w/ lined flue, and a roof pass. and used fake rock to make a fire place look
less weight, stove weighs 300 lb
in my cabin

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Jan 17

My house has a brick wood burning five place. Inside the fireplace, built into its right hand-side wall, there’s a little metal drawer (iron, probably). The drawer’s face is about 2×4" and it is 4" deep approximately and is about 6" from the floor of the fireplace.

Anyone has any idea what that’s for? I searched the internet without finding any info on it.

it’s a hideyhole for gold…..where it is says that when a fire was going, no one would see it due to the stack of logs and ash…. your house’s builder put it there for his ‘bank’…..

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Dec 25

we had wood saved under a tarp to protect it, and it worked for several days, but the last rain soaked the grround, and while the wood stayed dry on top—the bottoms soaked up the moisture from the rain..
All we have is what we toseed up on the dry corner of the porch, and what was near the fireplace.

I make a fire with my dry wood and stack enough wood for my next fire by the fireplace. It actually drys back out pretty quickly

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Oct 4

I am looking at houses to buy very soon and a fireplace preferably wood burning is very important to me -Tennessee-a house I really like doesn’t have one and I would have to build on in a corner angle (outside wall) prefer brick and later add mantle bit I need to know how it will cost so I can figure it in my negotiations. Thank you

Dan the Brick man knows what he is talking about since this is the business he is in.
A masonry fireplace from scratch is a big ticket item, you are looking at $7K at least for a single story. If Dan says $10K then odds are it will be $10K. Brick laying is not cheap.

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Sep 25

I’ve seen the plans and it does not look that difficult. Anyone have experience / advice to share?

Depending on your knowledge of firbrick, fireclay and the various refractory mortars you will use, it could be difficult. If you are interested in hiring and live near NYC, you could call Innovative chimney corp. They do great work. 1-866-899-8989. Good luck!

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Sep 22

This assembly circulates room air through a vent in the fireplace, around the firebox wall and forces heated air back into the room.
This assembly is straight wired to a switch. I have removed the assembly but I cannot locate any identifying info due to it being burned in house fire. I want to locate a source to purchase a replacement.

You can call a heating contractor. If you plan on doing it yourself then you would have to dissassemble or remove the motor and assembly and take it to an electric motor supply place so that they can match it . There are probale some specs ingraved on the body of the motor.

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Sep 16

I would like some direct links to some websites that offer free blueprints and steps to building your own mantel for the fireplace…Thanks in advance!

www.this old house.com. or just google free mantel blue prints. or just go to home depot and ask for their free class.

Posted in How To Build A Fireplace | 5 Comments »

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