Throw a log on the fire: two fireplaces renovated
We restored two fireplaces last month, but I finally am getting around to posting the pics. To give you some orientation: There are two chimneys with three flues each in our three story house. We tackled the front chimney which vents the boiler through one of the flues (which was relined). The parlor FP above…
We restored two fireplaces last month, but I finally am getting around to posting the pics.
To give you some orientation: There are two chimneys with three flues each in our three story house. We tackled the front chimney which vents the boiler through one of the flues (which was relined). The parlor FP above it was restored and it’s flue was relined to burn wood. The bedroom FP above that was restored to a gel-burning FP. The mantels, surrounds and hearthstones were also reset or replaced where missing.
I had been warned by other brownstoners that it would be messy. And it was! Think of it as surgery on the house. Centuries of soot and a bunch of guys with jackhammers. But, it took only five days, although my partner decamped with the dog to his mother’s house, while I huddled in the two rooms that were dust free.
The finished products are more than worth it. The wood burning fireplace drafts just perfectly: not a wisp of smoke even on Sunday when we had those strong winds.
Here is the link to the pics:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/15516153@N02/a63B5C
If you watch it as a slideshow, make sure you click on the ‘i’ for descriptions and titles (all pics have them).
Thanks to the brownstoners who helped with my questions about FP restorations.
Enjoy!
Looking over past posts on this subject, I glean that the fireplaces in our brownstones were likely built originally for coal and that their shallow depth precludes the concept the archetypal “roaring fire” using wood. Has anyone undertaking this type of project spoken with experts about actually staying with a coal fuel (whether coal, anthracite, or coke). Is it legal in NYC? What are the ecological effects of using coal in a fireplace versus wood?
Thanks,
John Ife
Yes 12:49 that is the gel burning FP. Gel is a gel with isopropyl alcohol in it (so it’s a biofuel for what that’s worth). Comes in cans (approx. $3 each) which last 3 hours. The log is just a ceramic log to look like birch. The gel burns with a flickering large flame with crackling (they add sea salt) and gives off a mild heat. Look up sunjel, realflame, etc. the manufacturers.
I think the easiest tip for a smoky FP (based on my reading) is to crack opn the window a bit in the room where the FP is and make sure all other windows are closed. Also burn hot fires. Before lighting the FP make sure the draft is not reversed. Light some paper and see where the smoke goes. If it does not go up, use a hairdryer or some burning paper to heat the air in the flue just before you light the fire.
The fireplaces look great! May you enjoy them for many years to come!
I notice your flooring looks a lot like the pine subflooring in my house – only yours looks better. Did you do anything to restore it? Are you planning to redo it or put hardwood over it?
Thanks for the info- the details are great and the cost sounds reasonable- would expect this guy gets a lot of work from this forum!
I see you don’t have fir bricks in the fireplace pictured above so I’m assuming this is the gel-burning FP. ‘Scuse my ignorance but what is “gel-burning”? I wish I could say our fireplace doesn’t smoke but it does. Any tips?
If you do not want to go the whole wbfp shebang, really look into gel inserts/ logs/ FPs if your fireboxes are not sealed up. That is the one in the pic above, and it has very realistic flames that are not fixed like some gas inserts and it also crackles. And it is the easiest thing to put in. Just buy it and place it in the firebox.
For 12:36:
1 wbfp + relining boiler flue came to 6.5 K
He threw in doing the bedroom FP and charged $100 extra for resetting the bedroom mantel. I bought the slate mantle slab myself.
He took me to see one of his jobs in a brownstone in Bed-Stuy before we started. I liked it and then found he’d done work for quite a few neighbors who all seemed to have no problems with him. Also based on the opinions of other posters here, I decided to go with him, although we had got some other cheaper quotes. I just wanted the job done right, and did NOT want a smoky FP.
Thanks for putting in the time posting. This helps me think about what I want to do in a place I’m considering buying. Cost would help too.
Manny LaSalle. 917-292-1825.
Did a great job. I can give details if anyone wants them.