How To Build a Fireplace

What do most people do? I don’t want it to look cheap. Obviously I need to be able to point my remote at something.

Robert,

Is this a fireplace that you use? If so, you need to think long and hard about what you are doing. Any consumer grade electronics like a LCD TV is going to be rated for a maximum ambient temperature of something in the area of 90 F. Any temperature higher than that is inviting rapid and catastrophic failure of your TV. In fact, in general, anything above basic room temp is a problem for any electronics and will cause a much higher failure rate than what would be otherwise anticipated for what ever TV it is that you are buying.

I would suggest that you perform a little experiment. Build a fire in your fireplace just like you might later in the season. Now use a thermometer to measure the temperature at the location you would expect to mount this TV.

I realize from a room organization viewpoint, you may think placing your TV above the wall is needed. We have the same sort of situation here. However, we made two focal points in the room instead and could not be happier with our decision.

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!

It’s a somewhat large outdoor fireplace, you know, the one with the stove top and chimney. We’re cooking out tomorrow and I suck at starting fires… no logs, just planks (junk wood) and plenty of tinder and kindling. Help.
I’m a Girl Scout but for some reason, they don’t teach us how to make fires anymore… they just give us orders that don’t amount to much diconnected.

Many years ago when I was a cub scout they taught us to build a fire this way first put some paper or shredded bark (something that will light easy) down then some very thin small twigs then some larger sticks use these to make a Tee Pee over the kindling low enough that the flam will go through the Tee Pee when this is burning add larger pieces just make sure that there is space for air to get to the fire.
Good Luck
Please be careful have fun and eat a smore for me

Got any?

i once got a gigantic slab of flagstone 5′ x 12” x 2” and set it on some stone i added to the body of the original stone surround.. very rustic, very cool.

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.

We have one of those metal fire pits that are off the ground, and fully enclosed by a screen. The instructions way "Do NOT use on a wood deck or any combustible surface." Problem is, a wood deck is the only place we have to put this. Is this just a precaution they are required to put in the instructions? Do any of you have an outdoor fireplace on a wood deck? If I got one of those fireproof "grill mats", would that suffice?

They do put the warning on there to protect themselves against a lawsuit but if you place it away from any railings and insure it is covered when in use then I have had no problem with mine. I did however use a grid of stepping stones underneath to insure that any hot legs did not do damage to the deck.

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.

I am pretty handy, and am confident that I can handle it with some instruction. I already priced the block, liner, and assorted pieces at a brickyard, so I have access to all the parts.

My question then becomes other than mortar on the block do I attach the tile liner sections together as well, or just stack them. Does the liner get attached to the block? is this harder than it seems?

also have you done this before? and how hard was it for you…would you do it again?

Thanks

i have built 3 of them. they’re 1/4 the cost of stainless steel and will last longer. you don’t have to be a stone mason to build one, however you better be in pretty good physical shape. the higher you go the harder it gets. also make sure you start off with a very good footer. it has to carry a lot of weight. and use mortar designed for chimneys. good luck

I recently hired a small construction/design company to do some small living room remodeling for me. This involved putting up drywall and painting. They said they would be done in 3 days, and they were. The problem was the work was done very sloppy. There are "tape" lines visible in the wall, paint on our carpet, coffee tables, and brand new $800 fireplace. We called the owner, and he gave us alot of attitude on the phone, but sent the guy back out to correct everything. He came back out, but could not get all of the paint off the fireplace, and the tape lines are still there, as well as new "puddy" marks where he tried covering up other things. I don’t want them coming back out, cause who knows what they’ll do next, do I have to keep giving them the opprotunity to fix it, or can I just tell them to get lost? We have a contract that he signed, but he never had me sign it, and it says "payment due upon completion", but it is not complete. Can I stiff them?

Payment is due when you consider it "completed". Let them know you are not paying until it is satisfactory

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.