We just had a fellow in to measure our basement bathroom and give us some quotes. (He will get back to us Monday (It's Friday today). He said there are huge increases in price depending on the thickness of your glass- We decided to go semi-frameless, because of the angles involved- we need something on top anyways to hold it all together. So, how thick is the glass, could you go slightly less thick? Also, our appliance centre sells glass showers, and they said they have the best price in town. (I'll get a quote from them too, to compare to this guy- who is making a custom shower pan and walls for us). Maybe you could try another couple of sources to get an idea of prices. We have decided on having cultured marble and unfortunately, in our area, there is no other manufacturer- so I can't compare prices on that. But, with glass, there should be lots of sources.

I'm putting a flat panel over my TV, too, with a frame and some art that will pull down to keep it out of sight when not wanted. It allows all the seating of the room to be oriented in the same direction, which is also the 'veiw wall' in my house-- I won't have multiple focal points fighting for attention. BUT I have a backup plan: the wiring will also run to my 'second choice' location, in case turns out that the anti-above-the-TV people have a point. My fp is in a 'chase' [FP salesman told me that's the right word for installing it outside the footprint of the room], just like yours. I think it is very likely that I won't be able to have the FP and TV on at the same time. At least for plasma screens, 95 degrees is supposed to be some kind of magic number: warmer than that, and the tv suffers. How this translates to those who have plasmas but no AC is a mystery to me. Still, I'll go with an LCD, which is supposed to be more mechanically robust, and I'll keep a thermometer up there the first few times I try to run them at the same time. If your fp will accomodate it, a blower with ductwork that would carry some of the heat to a secondary location might be a good idea. I think it would be easier if the FP wasn't in a chase: you could have some vents etc. on the side to conduct cooler air to the tv area, warm air away from it. As to storage, though: I agree it would be tunnel like and ruin the look of a chased fireplace. The wall o' shelving/cabs thing mostly developed as a way to make fireplaces look like they were in chases when they weren't. Remember too that 'zero clearance' refers to the firebox: there are rules about the setback for protrusions at 90degrees to the fireplace face, varies depending on model, should be in your owner's manual. Perhaps you could have some matching cabs in the corners, as far from the FP as possible, with no connecting elements... My plan is to put the equipment in a bench like unit beside the FP, sort of like an extension of my raised hearth. It will have a kind of traditional look, as if its main function is to cuddle up as near the FP as possible. The equipment itself isn't attractive, so the less I see of it the better, and this will keep it below eye level. Haven't quite figured out how to face this bench, though; I want something to obscure the equipment, but still allow the remote control signals to penetrate. I'm thinking mission style slats backed by sheer black fabric might do it, though I hope a better solution will present itself. The media itself can be further away, in a cabinet outside the fireplace zone. Not ideal, but workable, I think.

Thanks for the feedback - it sounds like the insert surround could then be smaller than the 8" we've seen, as long as it's enough to cover the hole... I was concerned that this size might be required by code. If it isn't, then perhaps we could trim the surround panels so the vents aren't blocked after all. Best of both worlds!

" I am wondering whether we can really improve this ... OR... . Once that's decided we can proceed with a plan. " That is best decided WHILE developing the plan, within the scope of a real budget as LWO suggests. "Where should I seek help for this kind of dilemma?" See who is available where you are. You can usually get a sense of that without making a commitment. See if a KD that works with spatial changes and offers alternative options is available where you are. If you find the "right" one they will hold your hand, discuss pros and cons, do a couple of layout options, and will have some form of 3D to help visualize. A bonus if they take you to similar jobs they have done and/or mock up space IRL. No one who does that would work with "reasonable" as a budget-they will want a number to shoot for. You can do it here with a "layout thread" positing a full plan and letting the layout folks at it. That alone doesn't take care of budget questions though. From what I've seen it helps if you are clear on your goals and decisive (since you will get opposing opinions at times.) You can do a combination of the two. Go back and forth. Layout here and pros to make sure you meet budget. It can be longer process. Some KD's will resign from that if it gets to indecisive. Some of what to do and what it will cost depends on what is below-basement, finished?, crawl space? slab... Every now and then we swap the DR and the kitchen but no way to tell without a full house plan.