This was our family room fireplace when we moved in...you've seen it in action here...
...the problem is...was...that it wasn't SAFE to use it...we discovered that there were cracks in the mortar...not really surprising for a 50 year old fireplace...but fixing the fireplace would have been a MAJOR-MAJOR project...as in thousands of dollars...so...
...we opted to go a different route that would still allow us to enjoy our fireplace...we cleaned it out really well...
...and...you guessed it...we bought a fireplace insert...nothing fancy...just plain cast iron...
...it has it's own chimney so it won't be using our cracked one anymore...and it will be safe...you can see the shiny bottom of it coming out of the top of the new woodstove...
...and unlike the fireplace...this woodstove is capable of heating our entire house...if we leave the doors open...the heat will naturally rise upstairs...
...and it has a lovely glass door so we can still see the fire...
...the only drawback is that the mantle had to come down as it was not far enough above the stove...so there are holes that need to be patched...not sure about mounting it higher yet...still debating...and wondering where we'll hang the stockings...
...so now on these chilly snowy evenings...we're enjoying our fireplace again...
how very nice!! love, k
ReplyDeleteThe house looks very mid-century modern! Do you like that particular style? I like it, though the couches are rather uncomfortable!
ReplyDeleteThat is nice. Probably reminds you of the setup in Balsam Grove, downstairs heat going up stairs. All your renovations are special. MOM
ReplyDeleteWhat a splendid stove, it looks great you'll have lots of fun with it.
ReplyDeleteI love our stove, we would have stuck with the open fire but it wasn't good for my asthma!
The chimney had an odd configeration which meant smoke came into the room!