Wow! That's thick! Now that you've posted that picture, I have seen that before. A neighbor about a block away has a beautifully manicured lawn that looks very similar to that. I didn't realize it was St. Augustine because it wasn't yellow like everyone else's around here. His is long and a lush, rich green just like yours. My poor neighbor next door...well, I think someone had given him some poor information that stuck just a little too well (the lawn scalpers, perhaps?), because the lawn was drowning and yellow in spots. I did tell him that though we have different lawn types, he would probably do best watering once a week at most. The sprinkler was on every darn day for quite a while (can't imagine what the water bill was!!! horrors!). Unfortunately, as of recently, he's no longer living there (it was his sister's place) - he took great care of the place and was super nice. I have a sinking feeling that the place is going up for sale soon and that always makes me a bit nervous... As far as my bermuda goes, I'm just afraid of it looking like astroturf. You know, that super short, hard looking turf? I guess, thinking about it now, I probably couldn't achieve that if I tried because the under layer is nice and cushy - I will certainly give the 1-2 inch level a try. Thanks for the info!

I agree that you need 2 flues, and the chimney can be built to accomodate two, especially since you're starting from scratch. Unless you are wedded to the idea of burning wood on the outside, I suggest that you consider going with gas direct vent on the inside, because that's the safest and most energy efficient system you can have, and having a plain vented gas fireplace on the outside. For the outside, most of the heat will go up the chimney, but you probably won't care too much because your priority for the outside is the cozy feel and appearance of a fire when when the outside temp drops to between 45 - 60 degrees and you want to take the chill out of the air. If the porch is screened and therefore exposed to the elements, you probably don't want more heat than that on the outside. But I think your priority for the indoors would (or should) be generating heat safely, efficiently and as cleanly as possible. A direct vent system will do that for you.

I have a similar problem...my 10" duct is off by 3" or so due to attic constraints. I'm toying with the idea of a drywall soffit to enclosed the duct and taper it back towards the wall. The Viking Chimney soffit would then tie into the "false ceiling." It's not a perfect solution but I've seen a picture of it and it seems to work ok. I really want my "chimney" to go all the way to the ceiling but I have to compromise. Would like to see a picture of your solution...

I wanted to thank all of you again for all of your helpful input and your understanding on my parents' family room dilemma. I also wanted to update you and share the happy news that the impasse is OVER. My parents were able to agree on a lovely ledgestone which they had installed to the ceiling of their fireplace, a tile hearth, and new drapes. AND, the paneling has been cleaned, freshened and stained ever-so-slightly darker, eliminating the horrible yellow color. I think that they could have gone a little darker than the honey color but, more importantly, they are BOTH very pleased. They are so proud of their progress and are looking forward to painting the trim and having carpet installed over the next few weeks. They shocked me by ordering furniture last week, without my input. That's something that usually requires months (years?) of agonizing and multiple trips with me to every furniture store in town. I love seeing the room come together for them and can't wait to share the "after" pictures with you this summer.