Here we have two opposing fireplaces that I built in a Virginia farmhouse. We thought we’d add some variety and visual interest to these two adjoining first-floor rooms by building one fireplace with an arched fireplace and the other with a large supporting lintel stone to span the width of the fireplace opening.
Both are historically accurate and have been used for thousands of years.
The arch takes longer to build. The massive four-foot long lintel stone was not easy to find. So costs work out to be about the same to build. If you could pick just one for your home… which would you choose?
Originally posted 2016-04-02 13:23:09.
Where can you learn how to build a safe attractive fire place ?
Hi John,
Building a safe fireplace is easy.
The building codes and inspectors won’t let you do anything but build a safe one.
There are quite a few resources out there… from books to YouTube videos.. that have diagrams and step by step demonstrations to help you on your way.
And, of course there are many trade schools out there, as well as, good masons who will guide you along (and for a few dollars) help you out.
But, the key word to your question was “attractive”.
Aesthetics is not covered in the code books, or the free videos, nor something they teach at school.
I’ll have to put together a teaching video on “Attractive Fireplaces” later this year.
But for now, let me give you a good start… perhaps, all you need…
For decades now people have been telling me that my work is amazing, more attractive than anyone elses.
The secret behind my work (not much of secret as I tend to tell everyone) is that I seek out the most attractive finished homes I can, which are quite often historic homes, and then I pay very close attention to the details, trying to figure out how it was done, and why it appeals to me so.
And then, I copy it.
Not, building it “sort of like it”… but “exactly like it”.
After I’ve done a few “exactly like it” then I start to add my own creativity to the mix.
My advice is that you should look at fireplaces until you find one that amazes you, then replicate it.
Now I can say that it takes a developed eye before a person can really pick out a truly great specimen.
Art enthusiasts can appreciate a painting much more than I can because they look at these creations for a living, every day, all day long.
My tastes have refined after having looked at thousands of fireplaces.
I think my fireplaces are the best… and as time has gone by I begin to think there is a fixed guideline in attractiveness… but then I come across a striking exception to the rule which blows my rigidity to pieces.
You are more than welcome to use my fireplaces as a guide in building your own if you wish.
Here’s a few tips for you…
When building the firebox (I often have a professional mason build the inner workings of my chimneys) make sure and lay all the firebrick flat and not on edge, any fresh air vents should be to the side and not on the back, and the back of the fireplace should have a rounded slope, tapering to the front as it goes up.
When laying the stone fireplace front, pay close attention to the pattern, dimensions, and proportions. Choose attractive stone, all at least six inches thick… the fireplace is the focal point of a house… it is where the artistry and skill of a home is demonstrated. Seek perfection.
And finally, never, ever span a stone fireplace opening in such a way that it relies on metal to hold it up… either use a single lintel stone, or a functioning arch.
I hope that answers your question!
(A great question it was… I’ll likely make a posting out of an abbreviated version of this.)