OK I have done stone on cement walls and block walls using spec mix but Now I am putting stone around a Direct vent gas fireplace and flagstone as a hearth. I am installing a natural gas direct bent unit model Ventana by Valor Fireplace.http://www.valorfireplaces.com/products/index.php?page=386 I have built a hearth base out of 2x6" and 3/4" plywood. I am using 2 1/4" thick red flagstone as a hearth. I will be cutting this and chip facing the front edge. I will make it in 2-3 chunks. Each about 100 #'s Do I just set it on about 1/2" of specmix right on the plywood and level? Then around and above the fireplace and below the hearth I will be using a natural East Desert stone strip about 2" thick I was thinking of just screwing on some expanded metal lathe and then using specmix and wiring up pieces as I go and cutting off the wires later. I can do it over many days and thus will only have to go up a few stones at a time until they set. The first row of stones above the hearth will sit on it but under the hearth I was planning on leaving them raised 1/2" above the floor for the carpet to tuck under. How do I prep the 3/4" plywood hearth base? anything? The vertical surface is 1/2" plywood over framing which is almost solid on the front face but the fireplace comes with this 1/2" cement board around the perimeter and a very large chunk over the top. these areas are not well supported?? I have some rather long stones that will span the top and will rest on the side stones and should support my stones above the fireplace opening so I only need it to adhere to the cement board? Do I need to put tar paper on the wood prior to lathe? any help and or links would be appreciated.

I don't think there is a quick site solution to what you are asking for. My morning coffee reading for the past two years has started on gardenweb and taken off from there, using links and keyword searches in google. It's been a lot of fun, and I've figured out many things that will be useful to me. One of the first things we did when we bought our house was to have all the old, smoke-stinky wallpaper taken out. It was from the 1980's. If it had been from the 1880's when the house was built, I might have tried to keep it. Anyway, I can't remember if it was apartmenttherapy or gardenweb that put me on to Farrow&Ball paints, but I hate to think what might have happened if I had not used their stabilising primer on my 120 y.o. bare plaster walls. Apparently old plaster can be extremely alkali, and can cause all kinds of problems when you go to paint. The primer I used neutralized and "fixed" the plaster, so that paint systems could go on without being subject to some alkali chemical reaction. Also the colors were great for a historic home. So this was one little tidbit I picked up from my browsing that was a big help. Another think I figured out over time was the use of solatubes. I did not think I could use them in this house, because the main places I would want them (kitchen and conservatory) are on a lower floor of the house. But in my browsing I just recently noticed they can have a 20' run and still be quite bright. And what could be more appropriate for a conservatory than natural sunlight pouring in. (Incidentally, the tube diameter is 10 3/4", a challenge to run through the second floor, but I have a plan to make it work.) So, I don't live on the ocean or operate a lighthouse, but I'm gonna have a least 4 Fresnel lenses in my house. How cool is that? Reading Victorian house blogs has been very useful to me. Craig and Yvonne's, The Devil Queen, and especially the Petch House are all great blogs to check. Greg over at the Petch House is wonderfully meticulous in both his execution and in his writing about it. Some of these blogs have lists of links to other old house reno blogs. Reading about what other people have done to their houses over time has given me a wonderful sense of the flow and natural order of work on these houses, and what some of the unexpected twists and turns might be. From reading these I've decided to have a consult with a structural engineer before I do any more to my house. Also, from reading modvic.com, I decided to have an architect use 3D software to model my house as-is and as-planned, down to plumbing run locations for any remodeling. Modvic was a great restoration, but they did not have a computerized 3-d model of the house, and ran into issues both when placing a new stairway, and some plumbing runs. i think the cost and delay resulting was much more than what it costs to have someone come out and measure and plunk it into a computer program. Lessons learned. I think you might enjoy the renewable energy for the home forum here on gardenweb. I spend the most time in the old house forum, then kitchens and baths, and finally, home decorating. Ah, home decor, that elevated place you get to when all the functions of the house are in order and you can turn your eyes to the icing on the cake. What luxury to think about curtains instead of new 20 amp circuits. "What should I put on my mantel for the most eye-pleasing effect?" instead of "how the heck do I get this fireplace working and mantel restored?" Someday I will be there. And to me, no discussion of home decorating is complete without mention of the Cote de Texas blog. Finally, somebody who writes about home decor in terms that an engineer can understand. Check out her top ten #4 entry on curtains. Finally, I know why something looks right to me, in very clear terms and boundaries. So, I don't think there is one place you can go to read and find what you want to know in an afternoon. I think it's more of an evolving process, and an enjoyable one. Best of luck!

"Is it on slab or P&B?" There is a full (finished) basement. Poured concrete. "Custom built , tract built, pre-fab or ????" Tract. Built about 20 years ago. Plenty others just like this. No additions. "Are you certain the foundtion is not moving?" No evidence of problems with the foundation, termites, or water. I had the basement finished, and it looked good when I could see the concrete walls. Outside drainage is very good. At least a few inches of the concrete are visible all around the house on the outside, and I see no evidence of cracks or termite intrusion. "Do doors move IN AND OUT of alignment? How many?" No, the interior doors are okay. I have one that gets a bit tight in the summer when it's humid, and I see that the previous owner sanded it down a bit. I also have a exterior back door that has a diagonal crack or seam in the drywall on one of the top corners. But it does not get stuck.

This is what I got! It has an electric blower motor on the back.i checked with my local code enforcement officer and the local fire Marshall. I live in a very small town and they had no idea about any codes for fireplaces.i went to the 2006 IRC code book and made copies of the appropriate sections and can’t make heads or tails out of that confusing Mumbo jumbo