reposting... first one didn't seem to post...

oldbat2be -- I love your prior remodel and wish you the best of luck on the next adventure.

I'm about 90% done with a FR remodel, following a kitchen (and windows, foundation, front yard). I used tile around the fireplace surround and debated taking it to the ceiling but instead used a combination of custom paneling to complement the built-in TV area and builtins.

One thing not mentioned is that, depending on code, you may need to have at least 16" of noncombustible material on your hearth. You'll need to take that into account in your tile and space planning. Your current fireplace seems a bit short.

We used 5x5 and top cap trim pieces to frame around the outside of the surround and to line the inner edges. There was also some quarter round used. The tile was also a difficult one, a relief arabesque.

OB, thanks so much for the paint info. I just love the beautiful Vancouver Day. You have such a lovely home.

I was thinking a white mantel to tie in the beautiful white baseboard and wall molding. I was posting on my iPad on the way home from vacation and couldn't clearly see your mantle. It is lovely and the fact that your brother gifted you with it makes it perfect!!!

I can't wait to see how your final room looks. It is going to be stunning!!!!

Hi gooster - thanks, I'm looking forward to this adventure! It's so much fun to have something to plan for/fall asleep thinking about.

Please post pictures of what you did; would really like to see. Your trim work sounds lovely. Thank you for the info on the requirement for 16" of noncombustible material. Do you know if that goes for a gas fireplace too? At some point, we may convert this to gas.

We haven't had a fire in this fireplace for ?? a good three years. Part of me wonders if I should close it off and take advantage of the space provided (not much, but a little).

I'm also thinking about a (maybe) 18" deep floor to ceiling built-in in the corner nearest the bathroom, perhaps with a wide pullout drawer at the bottom. It would be nice to store a comforter there vs. lug from one of the bedrooms. I've always considered this a waste of space.

@Lanaroma,

Those are not only gorgeous, but they are also not really fireplaces in the ordinary sense. They all look like masonry heaters which are a very special category of solid-fuel appliances. They have a long (centuries-old) history in Russia, Scandinavia and eastern Europe. I adore them!

Thanks for.posting them.

L.

oldbat2be: it is always nice to have a fun project to plan for/shop for/research for/etc. The not so fun part comes later, when things are still not done :(

In our jurisdiction, the zone in front of the firebox needs to be 18" for our size of opening. Your local code may vary. So, depending on how far the firebox intrudes into the room, you may need to account an additional area of hearth space. You can line the hearth with the same tile or perhaps one with the darker color in the pattern.

My fireplace is very different, as it was in an old 60s addition in a 1930s home. The goal was to mimic the original LR fireplace but incorporate the new tile. The hearth is a bit more elevated than yours and the cabinets and fireplace take up a full wall.

Here's part of the new. I'll post more photos in a new thread when the rest is done:

This post was edited by gooster on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 1:44

That room will be wonderful. In my world tiled fireplaces are very common. I'll post on of mine just so you can see how we did it.

I only hope it is not up side down. Like so many ipad photos post.

gooster, that tile is gorgeous, and I love the marble hearth/seat. The white arabesque goes beautifully with the marble. Really like how your fireplace turned out. I know what you mean about the things still not done.... that would be our wood burning stove room, and DD's bedroom and...

ice1 - Thanks for posting your picture, what a fun fireplace. I read on the 'Does having a pet...' thread that you're in Iceland, how did you find GW?

Here is a rearranged family room. Thoughts, input appreciated as always. There are 4 of us. DH likes to stretch out on the sofa.

oldbat2be: thanks! the tile is even nicer in person. It is a world of difference from the lava rock mix that it replaced. I love the tile you chose in the rest of the house.

I do like the new layout you are considering. I had been wondering if there was enough room on that wall to fit a sofa. Is it possible to extend the wall down a bit at all? It think it would be nice to be able to fit a small, narrow side table to the side of the couch.

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This post was edited by ice1 on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 18:39

Oldbat2be, I have been lurking for years. We build our house 5 years ago and found us a canadian blueprint that we got an icelandic architect to changes to icelandic standards, my mother lived in Florida for 38 years and from being a teenager I wisited her every now and then, i have always been facinated with american homes. I accidently found GW when looking for something for my kitchen. I like that new layout. Looks like you can see the tv from both sofas.
I have to tell you, your kitchen is one of my favorite. Expecially that back splach.

This post was edited by ice1 on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 18:44

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This post was edited by ice1 on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 18:40

4 times is just to much.

This post was edited by ice1 on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 18:37

ice1, gooster, holly-kay, it makes me smile to know you all remember my kitchen/tile and take the time to mention it! I'm hoping for another distinctive tile, with this version.

gooster - that's an exterior wall, so I don't have a lot of leeway to change. (I think that's the wall you meant).

ice1 - Thanks for your kind words about my kitchen (you're now one of my favorite GWers :)). I'm curious about the changes you had to make to the Canadian blueprint, to conform to icelandic standards.

Yes, this version would allow TV viewing from both sides.

Here's a picture of the tile in a lighter colorway:

And one last (not the colors I'd choose, but a nice detail shot). The tile measures 7" from point to point and is 6" high.

Photoshopped. I think I'd make the dark blue in this tile, more of a grey. I'm aiming for a monochrome look. Possibly also make the light blue more like the Vancouver Day you can see in the front hall, which I've added to the wall color.

Olb2. That is going to be one fab fireplace. I absaloutly love that tile. We build the house out of stirofome cubes filled with concrete , that makes it insulated from both sides. We could have build it just straight from their blueprint but we wanted the livingroom and kitchen bigger. The house is very modern . Think Danish modern. The house is tiled one the outside . It is a split foyer house. This is our third house. The no 2 house was very american influenced on the inside. As icelands houses are mostly all heated with geothermo heat. We have underfloor heating in all the house, believe me it is very warm. Sorry you probably have more info that you want.

This post was edited by ice1 on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 8:13

oldbat2be: The tile looks beautiful and will complement your mantel so well. Doing the custom color blends will really allow a lot of flexibility with your trim pieces as well. Re the door, I was referring to the passageway between the FR and the stairs/BR. The sketch had a very wide opening and I was wonder if if was feasible to narrow this down and matched the other entryways, to gain a bit of wall space.

gooster - glad I asked for clarification. Hadn't thought of that. Great idea; my only concern is enough room (with a new wall) to still get things up into the attic. (It's really a full second floor, not used except for storage. On a somewhat regular basis, we lug various beds and mattresses up and downstairs as things change or as company arrives).

ice1 - I loved hearing more about your house (and would like to hear still more and see more pictures!). The concept of geothermal is very foreign -- and attractive-- to me. We looked into it but couldn't justify the cost. Would love to go this direction at some point in the future. Most interesting to hear it's the norm versus the exception.

It wouldn't even have to be a narrowed down to the width of the other doors. Even extending a stub wall by 18" would gain you enough distance to fit an end table and you would gain a better viewing angle to both the fp and tv. I think you would still have 42" to get stuff through.

OB2B - Where do you find all this amazing tile??? Just absolutely gorgeous!

Lovely tiles! By the way, the blue palette is classic. Think Delft tiles. In fact, the traditional wood stoves (or masonry heaters) in the last two pictures I posted are called "Dutch" in Russian ("gollandka"). The style developed in Russia when blue-white tiles from the Netherlands were popularized by Peter the Great.

Liriodendron:

You're right about the traditional masonry heaters. But the reality is more complicated. We have old-style masonry heaters, Western-style fireplaces and combination fireplaces/masonry heaters.

The first photo I posted appears to be a combination fireplace and masonry heater. The fireplace most likely opens into a living or dining room area and is mostly decorative. The big hulk behind it that is covered with white tile is the masonry heater, most likely opens into a kitchen, may even have a stovetop on the other side.

The second photo shows a Western-style fireplace.

The third photo (with a pink tiled woodstove) and the last three photos show traditional masonry heaters.

I'm not very clear about the Czech construction. Looks like a smaller masonry heater. Same about the antique white fireplace in the fifth photo. I suspect it could be a "Dutch" masonry heater converted to a Western-style fireplace.

Here is a link that might be useful: Delft Tiles - History

OB2B. I would love to show you more from my home. We are leaving soon for my husbands unions log cabin and staying the weekend. When I come back home I´ll post some photos. As we live on a volcanic island we have ample of hot water and the homes have been heated like this for over 30 years. and just for fun my light and heat bill of the house that is little under 3.000.sf we pay 300 $ and our bill is the same every month. I have four children and five grandshildren. Everyone is going to the cabin. one of my sons lives in Copenhagen with his little family and they are here with us. We will be 14 at that cabin. The cabin is a beautiful norwegian house also heated with geothermo.
Sorry for the rambling.
Ice

I am following this with interest because we are contemplating building a new house or tearing out a center wall and extending an exterior wall to make our family room larger. I am not looking forward to the mess if we choose the latter.

I am curious about the door leading into your Master bath. Where is the M. bedroom and why do you have a door leading from the family into the bathroom? Perhaps there is something that I cannot see. :)

I am following this with interest because we are contemplating building a new house or tearing out a center wall and extending an exterior wall to make our family room larger. I am not looking forward to the mess if we choose the latter.

I am curious about the door leading into your Master bath. Where is the M. bedroom and why do you have a door leading from the family into the bathroom? Perhaps there is something that I cannot see. :)

Woohoo, my builder's crew is back, demolishing away! I'll post pictures as they progress:)

Day 1, 8:41 AM Window - gone. Ceiling, being stripped away. Beadboard, removed. 1 kid still asleep, 1 just woke up. (I warned them..).

motherof3sons - Thanks!! Like everyone else, lots of time spent looking at things online. I love the tile but haven't figured out the right colorway.... I downloaded a trial version of Photoshop CC (usually I use Photoshop Elements) and learned how to photoshop planes. Here's the latest but I think there's still too much green; goal is monochrome.

Lanaroma - thank you for the information and posting the link to the delft tiles, I really enjoyed reading and seeing more of the polychrome patterns (nice to have a name for what I like as well).

ice1 - Hope you had a nice weekend with the family! Please keep rambling, it's great to hear more about how your live, how you use energy, and your family. Lucky you to have such a large one.

newhomebuilder - the renovations were definitely worth it, in our case, but it took working with an architect to envision the possibilities.

The master bedroom is past the bath, so the bathroom is between the bedroom and the family room.

I still don't understand. So do you have to go through the bathroom to get to your bedroom?

The tile mock-up looks good. Can't wait to see the whole thing finished.

We are still contemplating adding on or building new.

newhomebuilder - the master bedroom has two doors, one to the front hall and one to the bathroom. I've updated the drawing above.

The room looks so bad it's depressing, especially with the window boarded up and panelling down. Also, I always forget how much smaller a space looks, framed but without drywall.

More progress. Framing for the front half is done. 11 foot ceiling :) DS has been in with his climbing rope, swinging from the rafters. (Actually, we all have given it a try).

To the left of the fireplace:

The next picture below is of the landing area at the bottom of the attic/upstairs stairs. The door you see straight ahead leads to the master bath, to the left (not in view) is the door to the upstairs.

As you can see, we are framing this in as a door way. Ceiling will be normal 8' in this area.

I would like to keep the opening as wide as possible (because we store furniture in the attic occasionally and will eventually finish a few rooms up there) and need to be able to get large items through the doorway. On the other hand, this has always been a wasted space here and I'd like to make use of it.

Lots of benefits to reducing the size of the opening. I think it will look better overall; more wall space in the family room, opportunity to take advantage of framed space to the right as either a book shelf, or 18" or 24" depth cabinet.

Framed depth on right hand side is currently 9" and opening is 48".

I think this next option would look best but am concerned about the ability to get, say, a sofa or mattress through the opening.

What would you do?

The room is looking great. The ceilings will look beautiful

I see what you meant about having issues potentially getting a sofa or boxsprings up the stairs. There are some tight corners there. Did you abandon the though to put the tv to the left of the fp?

Darn it, I keep adjusting my original layout, versus the revised. Thanks gooster! I definitely like the idea of the TV to the left of the fireplace because it allows for a second sofa/more seating.

Here's the revised plan, forgot to point out gooster's idea taking shape, of extending the stub wall (the wall in red) - we started that and will probably extend further. (18-24").

Wow what an amazing space you are going to create! I love the tiled fireplace. I have not seen that many times ...what a unique piece of art it will be for your home.

I do have a question for you I saw in your dining room you gorgeous sideboard....can you tell me a little more about it? I'd love to find one like that with all the little drawers.

Thanks kam76, still looking at different tiled patterns for the fireplace.... what I have currently photo-shopped does not thrill me.

The sideboard is by Bob Timberlake; actually only 8 drawers. 4 banks of three, on the top row; then 2 banks of five on the middle, then 2 large ones on the bottom. I love his furniture.

Wow, OB you are really tearing into it! We are redecorating our living room and I had such a bad case of not knowing for sure what I wanted to do decor wise that I was just paralyzed with indecision. When I went to Ethan Allen to order chairs to pair with my antique table I arranged for their decorator to come help me. You are just making it happen! I am impressed.

Thank you for the M. bedroom explanation. I feel better knowing you have a door into the room from the foyer. :)

I love what you are doing. Funny about the rope swing. Sounds like you are a fun family.

As for the opening, I would case in, but leave it wide. You can still place a piece of furniture on the hall wall opposite the stairs. It can stick out into the opening and does not need to be completely hidden by a wall.

Deleted - Double Post

This post was edited by newhomebuilder on Sat, Aug 10, 13 at 17:41

holly-kay, all I'm really doing is getting the 'bones' right, the decorating is a long way off.... What color/fabric did you end up selecting for your chairs and when do you get them?

newhomebuilder, thanks for watching out for me:) The really fun part will be when the window goes in; that I know will make a huge difference. OK, I'll add another 6 inches to the opening, for a total of 38". That will give me a 19" wall space behind, for a built in of some sort.

More progress pictures hopefully next week (we need two consecutive days without rain to continue, since next step is opening the roof up).

If you can decide where you want the TV, one way to make it look better would be to plan on wall mounting it. Your builder could then put an outlet on the wall where it will be behind the TV and put cables (e.g. HDMI and internet) in the wall going from behind the TV to behind what ever console or cabinet you use for components.

Hiding all the cords makes the TV area look better.

If the fireplace is gas only, then usually there isn't a requirement for a non-combustible surface in front of it. However, that only helps if you do the conversion as part of the remodel. If you have a wood burning fireplace, code will require the non-combustible surface even if you don't use the fireplace - because someone could use it (possibly a new owner).

The non-combustible area doesn't have to be raised. We put in a black granite hearth that is flush to our wood floor to satisfy the requirement.

Look!!! The weather is good so now they're tackling the roof.... can't wait to get home tonight to see the progress. This is from about an hour ago.

Thanks cloud_swift, the wall mount may make the most sense. With a wall mounted TV, where does one put the cable box? Just run long(er) cable from TV to desired location? Currently, fireplace is wood burning, though we haven't used this one in perhaps 3 years. It's not the widest room, so getting rid of the raised seat/surface in the front of it may be a good idea. Would it look weird to have the 'raised' fireplace with a flat combustible surface?

That's so cool!

I am watching this very carefully and not sure I want to go through all that. mess.

That's looking great!

For the wall-mounted TV, the cables to the set top box (STB) can run in the wall and come out at the bottom, where a small cabinet can hold your STB and other accessories. You can get wall plates as well to finish off the holes for the cables (at HD in the media section). In my kitchen, the new Joey STB is small enough that it actually fits behind the tv. Both TVs are on swivel mounts that can extend, tilt and angle to whatever viewing angle is needed.

I too wanted to peak our roof in the FR, but decided against it.

I saw the torn up LR on the slice of life thread and instantly recognized the before pic on this one. Wow can't wait to see the finished project. It is going to be awesome.

You could put your set top box anywhere that an HDMI cable could reach to, but longer ones get thicker so you might want to keep the distance down to 12' or so. Running down to the baseboard for a piece of furniture that holds the set top box is the most obvious.

I think a floor level hearth could look fine - especially with a tiled fireplace surround. Our situation is a bit different because we have an EPA phase II sealed fireplace with an intake vent below the firebox, but here is how it looks with a floor height hearth:

The TV is wall mounted (it can extend, tilt and angle). The components (receiver, STB, BlueRay player are in the cabinet to the left. there is a power outlet behind the TV and HDMI cables go in the wall (from the TV up to the attic space, over and back down to behind the cabinet).

The cabinet door for the components has speaker cloth and the remotes work through it.

Also, there are Ethernet cables from behind the TV and behind the cabinet to the closet where our switch lives. No visible cables. We also put speaker wire in the walls.

We are so pleased with how this is coming along! When you aren't doing all the work yourselves, it's so much fun to see the rapid progress.

Here's a shot from tonight. It doesn't look that wide, but the ceiling is 6.5-7' at the highest, horizontal area. The roof is largely done outside and much of the trimwork too. Monday, the big window should go in and the crew will also tackle the cedar siding.. Next week, the drywallers should be here too :)

This weekend, I need to determine interior and exterior electrical requirements. Thanks for checking in!

Posted too quickly.... Newhomebuilder - the mess this time is not too bad. Much better than our round 1 renovation . I am simply amazed by how the room has been transformed.

gooster, thanks, I'll look up the Joey STB. We've decided to strip off all the old drywall and replace with new, so any rewiring should go quickly.

Hi CLBlakely - thanks for recognizing us! I should post again on the thread because this is definitely a 'happy' picture, lots of progress. I felt guilty because the demo picture was so ugly and so many pictures on that thread are lovely.

Thanks cloud_swift! Very helpful to see your pictures, nice to see the floor-level hearth. Love your woodwork and fireplace and boy that TV is MASSIVE! I hadn't thought about a built-in but that may be the way for us to go.

One last comment - it's going to be a big, tall, skinny room at 12x17 x 12 tall. I'm sure this brings its own challenges. As always,input appreciated. Best, oldbat2be

This post was edited by oldbat2be on Fri, Aug 16, 13 at 22:24

Lots of progress! Electrical is mostly done and drywallers come tomorrow or Friday. I haven't picked out tile yet for the fireplace.

Mantel is gone. My brother the timber framer has promised me a reclaimed wood mantel.

Drywall progress.

Fireplace (looking towards front hall):

Panning over to the right (intend to place a large sofa here).

Picture window:

This is looking fab. I'm amazed the floor is undamaged after all that work.

loving this thread! so nice to watch as it all comes together. keep posting for those of us who live vicariously!
It is an exciting project and its gonna look great!