I'm not sure what you mean when you say cast stone. I've looked at a couple of different stone fireplaces. Most of them aren't contemporary looking. I'm going with a more tuscan design in my home and I've decided on Terrathena. Check out Le Chateau on their custom fireplace versions. Terrathena.com Also check out Missionstone.com Here is a link that might be useful: Terrathena Stone Fireplace Surrounds

island - I don't miss those fireplace doors at all! :) We'll try and sell them on Craigs List but wonder if anyone will want them. LOL. Yes, we did replace the entire firebox. We purchased a Heat & Glo direct vent gas fireplace and had to pull out the old firebox and reframe for the direct vent unit. There are many styles of doors they offer, and the prices vary. We liked the fancy arched ones, but not for $999! We went with the Folio, clean face front which was no charge. Figured we would put the "savings" toward the flooring. We can always get a nice fireplace folding screen if we want. Check out the Heat & Glo website for more information. www.heatnglo.com. We went with the CLX 6000 model which comes with a remote, nice embers and log set, and a blower. Let me know if you have questions! tinan - Yes, the smell was awful! I wondered the same thing about the noxious coatings. Ugh! At least the smell is gone now. Enjoy your new furnace!

I can't tell from the pictures how much of the black fireplace front is something that can be covered and how much is opening or vents. The windows are pretty close on either side - how much room do you have for the surround? It seems like one might overlap the windows - if the legs fit, there still is where something like where the Bordeaux flares out wider for the mantle. We did a very simple surround by facing it with remnants from our kitchen quartzite. We felt that the stone at the side had to cover at least 6" to not look too skimpy with the fireplace front. I think we ended up making it around 8".

To me stacked stone fireplaces look quite modern and seem very versatile in terms of decorating around them. I have had custom-made elegant wood fireplace surrounds with marble tiles, one white painted wood with white marble streaked with gray lines and the other stained wood in a honey color with beige-veined marble and they looked wonderful with Axminster carpets and English-style decor. If that's too traditional for you a stacked stone fireplace seems like the perfect answer. Just picture in your mind's eye what draws you in and go with that. I can't quite picture a stacked stone fireplace for me because the antique Chinese porcelain I collect calls for something a little more formal. Ours is made of bricks which are painted over with a cream color and that's right for me, not too formal and not too informal. We didn't have a choice, it was already there, but it was painted two-tone in beige and brown and that had to be changed immediately.