A fireplace is often the focal point of any room.
Constructing a corner fireplace in a room with a cathedral ceiling will create an impressive focal point. The fireplace should be designed to fit on the side with the highest ceiling point, versus the low side of a vaulted ceiling, to allow for better overall venting. It will require more materials to build a fireplace on a high wall, but the visual impact will add to the overall beauty of the home. Plan to use stacked stones, cut stones or brick if the budget will allow. Natural materials that fit on the front facade of the fireplace and reach into the tall ceiling space can create a true work of art.
Instructions
1. Measure the height of the wall to accommodate the corner fireplace. Plan to build the front facade across the corner, slicing across in kitty-corner fashion. Allow interior space for a chimney flue and firebox to be hidden behind the facade. Design the fireplace interior to be constructed of fire bricks or metal housing, in which pipes will carry the heat and smoke to the top of the chimney.
2. Plan the design to insulate the firebox and chimney area with heat-resistant materials. Design a drywall facade to reach from the mantle area to the top of the ceiling, if the budget is limited. Plan to install this drywall by constructing framing from 2- by 4- inch lumber boards over the fireplace interior. Add drywall directly to the framing. Sketch a stone or brick facade, if the budget will allow the expense.
3. Plan to use a system to draw wood-burning fireplace smoke upward. Design a masonry chimney or order a specially built metal chimney system designed for fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. Make sure the system is constructed of at least three pipes, with three different diameters, built as consecutive inserts from largest to smallest, with proper insulation between them.
4. Design a real stone or brick chimney to extend above the home's roof on the exterior, if a masonry is used from top to bottom. Plan to build a faux wood chimney, if a metal piping system is used. Don't plan to install bricks or stones atop a chimney without a stone or brick wall system. Use metal flashing to protect the roof area from any potential sparks if real wood will be burned.
5. Add fireplace amenities, such as a mantle or fireplace logs, to the design plan. Measure to find out where to install bolts to hold a metal or wooden mantle to the fireplace facade. Design closable glass doors over the fireplace that are built to accommodate the temperatures in burning real wood logs.
Tags: stone brick, budget will, budget will allow, chimney system, corner fireplace, facade Design