So I started my hearth area demo

Bravo Smokey, you did a real good and big job on that floor/hearth. The stone slab can be a very nice . Hope you can find somes fitting with the rest and at a reasonable price...
Being back on the work, the one outside of the home, will be a real holidy after the past few homeworks done on the hearth

Damn, that looks amazing. I wish I had gone that route when I did my hearth. I ended up just laying the hardiboard on the floor over the wood and then tiling it. I had considered cutting the floor up and boxing it out then building the hearth up from the basement; lord knows I've got plenty of block laying about to actually do it. Ahh...one day I'll get around to doing again. Outstanding work!

Your sunroom used to be the front porch. They just closed it in later. This was often done.

What type of stone pillars are you planning on using? I recall your concern for clearances to combustibles, could you then have a mantel of the same stone. God knows that hearth can support it.

Josh, the structural part is done (well), and the rest is mostly cosmetics. So it's now up to you to decide what "you" and (her?) like best for looks. It's all personal taste, unless you're trying to be "period correct". If so, I've got almost 20 yrs of "This Old House" magazines if you want me to look up specific details. So far I like your tastes.

wsherrick wrote:Your sunroom used to be the front porch. They just closed it in later. This was often done.

I actually do have a photo of that. They didn't just close it in . They torn down the front wall and opened the living room to the sunroom and they didn't do that great of a job either which is why I'm taking out that aluminium and vinyl crap!

michaelanthony wrote:What type of stone pillars are you planning on using? I recall your concern for clearances to combustibles, could you then have a mantel of the same stone. God knows that hearth can support it.

Reclaimed Richmond cobble stones or field stones of some sort . I have until spring to pick all that out . I also have to make a trip to the Virginia Lime Works to get all my like mortar. I am making the stone columns 12"x12" with a tolerance of an 1" give or take .
I keep goin back and forth on what I should do with the original brick on the chimney. On one hand it looks very interesting , on the other like crap. It depends on what mood I'm in I guess. I could grind out all the old mortar and repoint but that is not needed structurally . I could also add a bit of thin stone or brick to the face as well. When the company installed the liner I had them leave the thimble out enough for me to cover the face of needed. Now keep in mind I am taking down the sheet rock on the ceiling and exposing the beams like the rest of the house so it will have a very rustic, cabin like feel. And I don't really want to keep it period correct except for the sash windows which I have been restoring 1 by 1.
The clearances for the bookcase and mantel will work to meet code all I need to do is make a small decorative heat shield an inch above the stove pipe and I can put the mantel 24" above it.

I need to make some phone calls tomorrow as to the availability on the glenwood 6 or 8 . William and Keith and a few others have made up my mind

I plan on adding to this house in the near future as well so it will grow in size .

I am excited about picking out stone and starting the rest of the hearth build but I need to get the stove burning again and a few months will give me time to really get all the materials . I am also going to make a trip to a few stream beds in the mountains to get some stone . Who knows maybe that will be the stuff.

By all means all of this work is new to me so any suggestions that wil help me or save me from disaster , keep them coming!

joeq wrote:Josh, the structural part is done (well), and the rest is mostly cosmetics. So it's now up to you to decide what "you" and (her?) like best for looks. It's all personal taste, unless you're trying to be "period correct". If so, I've got almost 20 yrs of "This Old House" magazines if you want me to look up specific details. So far I like your tastes.

Hey thanks for the offer I might take you up on that sometime. Didn't they renovate a lot of new England homes on that show?

And yes my wife will be involved in the picking of stone and cosmetics. She is the one tht gave me the green light on the hearth project.

I'm On Fire wrote:Damn, that looks amazing. I wish I had gone that route when I did my hearth. I ended up just laying the hardiboard on the floor over the wood and then tiling it. I had considered cutting the floor up and boxing it out then building the hearth up from the basement; lord knows I've got plenty of block laying about to actually do it. Ahh...one day I'll get around to doing again. Outstanding work!

Thanks for the kind words! I was going to do that as well and I'm glad I didn't . The floor around the hearth wasn't being held up by much of anything so most likely it would have fallen in! It is very satisfying to know I can any stove there I want ! It really wasnt that hard it just took a lot out of me physically ...

Josh if you want a finished look for awhile until you gather all the materials, you may try something like this guy did using concrete molds for a cobble stone effect. We all know things can and often do come up to delay our projects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSBLapyViu0

echos67 wrote:Josh if you want a finished look for awhile until you gather all the materials, you may try something like this guy did using concrete molds for a cobble stone effect. We all know things can and often do come up to delay our projects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSBLapyViu0

Hmm very interesting ! It looks pretty good!

I'm fine with waiting until spring to finish the hearth . It will give me enough time to think about the work I need to do.

Yeah right. you're gunna wait till spring?

joeq wrote:Yeah right. you're gunna wait till spring?

Haha well I need to do a lot of salvage digging, stone picking and wood working in the mean time . Plus I really need to get the stove up and running. It's getting a bit to cold outside not to run it. I refuse to run the baseboards in my house and I ripped all the ones upstairs out. They are just for emergencies or if we leave the house for more than 24 hours in the winter so the pipes won't freeze. Right now I'm running my kerosene heater.

But I am rather antsy about finishing . Plus it's too cold for the lime mortar . It has to be done in spring .

Back in working order ! So so warm

Hell Josh, you're set till spring. You're doing a good job there my friend.

X2

Well I Did it ! I just called Doug and put my name on the Glenwood #6 he is restoring. I will pick it up around May!

It better be cold next winter!