Another New Fireplace...Work In Progress

scott spencer

Member
Messages
953
Location
Rochester, NY
For the past several weeks I've been working on a gas fireplace for our family room. That's our big family Christmas gift this year. It's a new installation from scratch, and required the building of a chase off the back of the house, 45' of gas line, firebox installation, electrical, inspections, hearth, surround, and a new oak mantel. It's still not quite completed, but I can see daylight at the end of the tunnel now...just need to put another clear finish coat, and then my wife needs to make a decision with the surround material between the fireplace front and the mantel (prolly granite or marble tile)....the dry wall "blue board" is temporarily painted black to drown out the bright blue color. It may be a while before that decision is made, but it's functioning and we're using it as is for now. Here's the progression so far:

FPFooter.jpg

chase2.jpg

FPwall.jpg

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fp1.jpg

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The mantel is mostly QSWO, and red oak on the main front face, sides and feet. The arched molding is one piece of QSWO. I would have loved to put some fluting on those legs but got outvoted by SWMBO....I outweigh her by 100#, you'd think I'd be able to swing these things my way! :rolleyes: :eek:
 
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Yeah, quite the job! Just how deep did you go for the support structure, right down to the footings?

Art - That addition was built by the previous owners in 1987, and the footings for a wood burning brick fireplace were put in then, so yes, it goes down the full 42"...I just added the top tier. They just never proceeded with construction of the FP. We thought long and hard about going with a wood burner. We already have a traditional wood burning open face fireplace in our MBR, which was the original living room prior to the addition being added. That fireplace gets used a few times a year...we love it when it's used but didn't want the new fireplace to suffer the same neglect. There's really not much comparison between the sensations from a traditional wood burner and a gas unit, but a guy I work with put it best...."Yeah, the wood burners are great, you'll love it every time you use it....but you'll love a gas fireplace everyday...". He was profoundly correct. Now if I could just find a decent synthetic crackle noise for it...the silence is deafening. :huh:
 
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Great job, Scott. :clap:

My first house had a woodburning fireplace with a gas log in it, and I said before I moved in that I was going to take out the gas and go back to wood. Then I actually tried the gas fire and saw how easy and convenient it was. The gas setup stayed, and when we bought our current house, one of the first things I did was add a gas log to the fireplace. (It was already plumbed for gas, so it was an easy job.) If we were using the fireplace for heat, I'd do something different, but for us, it's primarily for decoration, so the gas is our preference.
 
Wow! Nice work Scott. I really like the look of that QS Oak. :thumb:

I had gas logs in the last house and I agree with Vaughn, much cleaner. Ours was an insert like yours and would heat our house if the electricity was out.
 
That is looking great Scott. On the fluting, I lose that one too. Something about "you're not the one who has to dust them" or some such nonsense.
 
scott very well done and the way you have that premiere piece of qtr peeking threw under the flat sawn is top notch..:thumb::thumb: i think fluting would been nice on the vertical sides as well but your the one that has to deal with the out come:)
 
Happy Wife == Happy Life.

(Friend of mine gave me that saying. I should say, a WISE friend of mine...)

True dat! If Mama ain't happy....ain't nobody happy. We try hard to give her the illlusion that she's having a nice life! :bow: :congrats:(How did it get like this? :huh:)

Between you, me, and the tens of people that'll see this....I had built the foundation, framed, roofed, and sided the chase, and had just finished saving over $200 by spending 5 hours installing the black iron pipe gas line myself when the "fluting" option was suggested....thought it'd be a gimme at that point! I looked at her in disbelieve when I realized she was really going to oppose me on that tiny issue after I had busted my hump to get this thing installed for her... I even asked her if she felt guilty (bad move...:doh:). It's like trying to make a Siamese cat feel guilty! One of these days!! :eek: :rolleyes:

Scott
Founder and CEO of Wimps R Us

p.s. (don't tell my old football teammates! )
 
Finally complete

It seems like it's been a long time coming, but the tile surround is finally done. What you're seeing is actually a second attempt. SWMBO took quite a while making a decision with the tile, then she didn't like it, so out it came. :eek: Tile #2 got the nod of approval though, so this is gonna stay!

There will be a few minor trim pieces added, along with a final clear coat, but this is pretty much it:

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Wow i thought you were done on the previous pictures.

Scott what adhesive did you use on the tiles to get them to adhere around the edge of the fireplace?

Looks real neat.:thumb:
 
Wow i thought you were done on the previous pictures.

Scott what adhesive did you use on the tiles to get them to adhere around the edge of the fireplace?

Looks real neat.:thumb:

The adhesive is mainly a silicone caulk adhesive, along with a few dabs of hot glue to prevent slipping while the caulk dried.
 
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