How to Design Fireplaces

Modern fireplace

Fireplaces evoke a sense of comfort and relaxation. Watching a fire can be a meditative experience as the flicker of the flame is alive and constantly changing. Incorporating a fireplace into a home can immediately increase the value of the home if the fireplace is appropriate in scale and design with the room and the architectural style of the home. To design a fireplace that suits a room and a home is a fun process.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook and pencil
• Clippings of fireplaces you like
• Tape measure
• Prioritized list of features you would like to include
• Copy of city fireplace codes on new construction or remodeling
• *opt. Ventless fireplace requirements
• *opt. Foundation inspection

Instructions

Designing A Fireplace

1. Measure the room where the fireplace will go, including ceiling height. Note the location of windows, doors, potential utilities in the wall and whether the fireplace, in that location, will be able to vent to the outside.

2. Read the city fireplace codes and determine if the city or county allows new or remodeled fireplace construction and what limitations they include--such as fuel types and emissions. This will determine the type of fireplace that can be constructed in the home. For full masonry fireplaces it may be necessary to have the foundation inspected if the fireplace is intended for an upper floor. Additional supports or foundation may be necessary to support fireplace weight.

3. Identify the home's architectural style. Books, neighbors and online resources can assist in determining the style. Collect a few image samples of fireplace designs appropriate for the home's style. These also will offer insight into appropriate scale for that style.

4. Determine if the fireplace will have a flush hearth or elevated hearth. Different architectural styles offer distinct design choices. If the home is Southwestern then the fireplace may be organic in shape and finished in an adobe-like material and they often have elevated hearths. If the home is Northeastern colonial then the style may be exposed brick with a detailed wooden surround and mantle and they often have brick hearths that are elevated. In transitional homes the surround may be carved limestone with marble in the reveal which are generally flush-mounted fireplace hearths.

5. Calculate the firebox size. A firebox can run from 24 to 48 inches in length and 24 to 32 inches in height. In general, a small room should have a small fireplace and a large room or volume room should have a larger fireplace. Volume means height. Rooms with double high or vaulted ceilings may need more fireplace size to balance the height. Your firebox size already may be limited by city and county codes and whether your fireplace will be ventless or used for a furnace. Each of these choices will contribute to the size. In a standard-height room, the outside surround of the fireplace should be no more than one third the width of the wall. An elevated fireplace can be between 12 to 18 inches off the floor moving the mantle higher, as well.

6. Determine the fireplace surround based on the architectural style, your style of preference (reference your clippings) and the materials that will be used constructing the face of the fireplace. A rustic design may use natural or cultured marble with a hewn beam as trim. A French country design may use detailed wood carvings above tile inlay. Many styles can overlap based on the general period of a style and similar aesthetics. However, an adobe style fireplace would look inappropriate in a beach cottage.

Tips & Warnings

• It is helpful to draw the intended fireplace on the wall to check proportions. It is easier to adjust the size before purchase and construction than after.

• Full masonry fireplaces built onto existing homes may require additional foundation work and interior demolition. In addition, design of freestanding chimneys should be considered with the assistance of your mason.

References

• Ask The Builder