Renovating Builder Grade Fireplace
The time has come to remodel our family room and the first thing we need to improve is the builder grade masonry fireplace. Our goal is to create a single main focal point of the fireplace wall, instead of our current setup which has a second focal point of the TV mounted on an adjoining wall.
Objectives:
Fix/replace cracked hearth
Reduce draftiness
Install TV above mantle at a comfortable height
Current Plan:
Totally renovate, hearth, surrounds and mantel
Install a gas insert
Our understanding is that if we move to a gas insert that we could potentially lower the mantel height by as much as 20" from where it is today. We probably wouldn't go that far, but a lower height will certainly help with the TV viewing angle.
Our thought is that just lowering a mantle would look really weird. While we cannot (easily) lower the fireplace opening since it's masonry, we thought that replacing the raised hearth with one level to the floor would help keep proportions for the mantle in better balance. This would leave us with a fireplace "floating" 11" above the floor. From photos we've seen, we feel we can design the surrounds and mantle in a way where if wouldn't look weird. Our hope is that the underneath the raised hearth is masonry. I don't know if it needs to remain for structural reasons.
Are there some other factors that we need to consider? Have any of you done or seen a similar renovation?
Some measurements:
Fireplace front opening width: 41 3/4”
Fireplace front opening height: 33”
Width at the back of fireplace: 21 1/2”
Fireplace depth: 20-1/4”
Width of hearth: 68”
Height of hearth extension: 11"
Depth of hearth extension: 19-1/2”
We are doing a full redo of the family room. We'll be removing a half wall and adding built-ins. Cost is an issue but saving up enough and doing it "right" is more important.
Thank you,
B34N
Comments (7)
Mark Bean
5 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (56)To the original question - does anyone like builder grade oak cabinets - my answer is no. But that's mainly because the particle board parts of the drawers and carcass usually come apart at some point, like the drawer front that came off in someone's hand. The thread seems to have veered off into a question of whether even solid oak cabinets are liked, and or dated. I love my oak cabinets even though they need to be refinished. They are good quality, custom built though, and I think that makes a difference. I also like painted cabinets, and might even go that route next time. This thread kind of reminds me of something that happened in 1978. We bought our first house that year, and so did some good friends. Both our kitchens had painted cabinets. Mine were brown with yellow doors, which I hated, along with the fact that they were older. I stripped and refinished them and they looked so much better. They were a slab style solid wood though I can't remember what kind now. My friend's cabinets (and house) were newer, white, raised panel with arched top. I thought they were gorgeous, but she thought they were terribly dated since wood was really in then, so she started stripping hers too. That's when she found out that the doors were made of particle board, and stripping ruined two of them. All that to say that painted vs wood comes and goes as we've discussed here before. If you like your cabinets and they are in good shape, keep the wood finished. If not, paint them. Whichever you choose, it will come back if it's not in now, and it will be out if it's not now. And that's probably the same with arched tops, beadboard panels, aprons between cabinets, and so on....See MoreHow can I maximize usable storage in builder-grade cabinets?
Comments (16)I have a question, which might also help richmondcat: How are cabinets with >36" drawers beefed up so that no center stile is necessary? I know most would have a face frame added, but if richmondcat's cabinets are partial overlay, which they appear to be, the face frame would already exist. I assume cross bars would need to be added between drawers. If the style would work with the rest of the kitchen, would legs under the corners of the toekicks provide enough extra support? richmondcat, I've re-worked several old cabinets, and added a trash pull-out to one. (No removing stiles for wide drawers, though.) It worked because I was doing the hacking myself, and had plenty of time to invest. Unless your current cabinets are extremely well made I'd tend to agree that the investment in time and money wouldn't be worth it....See MoreHelp with upgrading my builder grade kitchen!
Comments (7)I think if you're going to do built-ins for the bar cabinet, you really need to match your kitchen for a seamless look. Why not place a piece of furniture there, that you can take with you when you move? Maybe something like this modular piece from PB, in black? https://www.potterybarn.com/products/modular-bar-suite/?pkey=cbars-furniture&isx=0.0.1854 Or, a buffet that you can serve food on when you have company? I'd put in the effort to move the light over the dining table one or two feet to the right. Then maybe rotate your table 90 degrees?...See MoreBuilder Grade Fireplace Remodel
Comments (2)I know there are different codes for this, but I am struggling to find a clear answer. If you just search for fireplace clearances, it is very confusing with all kinds of different information. Here's how it works: when you build a masonry fireplace from scratch, there is the basic building code specifying clearance to combustibles and such, and those are well known and static. However, when you buy a factory-built fireplace, that same code calls for it just to meet the manufacturer's approved listing requirements. That's the trick for those metal prefabs - they need to be approved and listed as a conforming appliance - so that means the manufacturer must design it to meet ASTM, UL, NFPA, ANSI etc codes, and those codes are what a masonry fireplace follows anyway. What that trick does allow though, is a manufacturer can think up a unique design, as long as they have that design tested for compliance. They may have had to build-in tradeoffs, like a thicker glass screen, or double-wall construction, or thicker metal, or a taller hollow base, etc. to get an approved listing. And their installation instructions will be very clear about those requirements, here is a SPECIFIC MODEL of fireplace JUST AS AN EXAMPLE: So if you'd like a combustible mantel, surround, or hearth, what you should do is find your model's instructions. That will tell you exactly your clearances. If you can't obtain those, then follow the basic masonry fireplace clearances to combustible materials as a fail-safe method....See More
groveraxle
5 years agoYou have nothing in your ideabooks. I suggest you start a fireplace ideabook to save those fireplaces that meet your criteria. If you're thinking of keeping the hearth, getting a smaller firebox, and then using a mantel similar to the current one, it's going to look odd.
I would suggest lowering the hearth, then going without a mantel, something like this:
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