| Fireplaces are found in homes across the | | | | |
| world in all countries that witness severe | | | | Building a fireplace |
| cold during the winters and rains. A cozy and | | | | |
| warm fire in the fireplace is enough to warm | | | | If you were the kind of person who likes the |
| anyone's heart on a chilly cold day or night. | | | | old world charm of a country house, you would |
| Traditionally built with either stone or | | | | want to have a fireplace in your home. A |
| brick, these fireplaces had brick faces and | | | | fireplace is sure to provide warmth and heat |
| wooden mantels with ornate and carved designs | | | | and is a great place for a family |
| on them. The entire fireplace could take up | | | | get-together or an evening party with |
| an entire wall of the room. This was | | | | friends. You can build a fireplace in your |
| considered all right as rooms too were large | | | | house if you already don't have one. |
| sized. | | | | |
| | | | What to do before you build a fireplace |
| Creating a rustic charm | | | | |
| | | | Before you begin building a fireplace, you |
| Brick fireplaces are generally found in great | | | | must find out if your house can have a |
| numbers in rural houses and cottages in the | | | | fireplace in the first place. You need to get |
| countryside. With winters being severe and no | | | | the necessary permissions from Building |
| gas or electricity to provide heat and | | | | Regulations authorities or from anyone else |
| warmth, fireplaces were an important | | | | that would be concerned with smoke bellowing |
| structure in every home. These fireplaces | | | | out of the chimney of your house. |
| usually had a wooden mantel, which was | | | | |
| decorated with carvings or with other prized | | | | Once you ensure legalities are in place, you |
| treasures by the members of the house. | | | | need to find out if a fireplace can actually |
| | | | be built in your house. Since fireplaces take |
| Since the fireplace was generally considered | | | | up a lot of space, you must make sure that |
| as the place where all the family members | | | | the fireplace looks like a part of your room |
| gathered, one finds many old paintings, which | | | | and not otherwise. |
| feature a brick fireplace when depicting a | | | | |
| village scene or portrait. | | | | Materials for building a fireplace |
| | | | |
| Brick fireplace designs | | | | Brick and stone fireplaces need materials |
| | | | such as concrete, bricks and stone besides |
| Brick fireplaces were designed and built | | | | chisels, hammer, mortar mix, grates and |
| along with the other structures in the house. | | | | surrounds, water and a professional to help |
| There are few examples of houses, which added | | | | you build the fireplace and the chimney. Most |
| a brick fireplace later on. A brick fireplace | | | | old houses would have traces of a fireplace. |
| also meant a chimney as an outlet for the | | | | You can build the fireplace at the same |
| smoke and soot that was generated from the | | | | location. |
| fireplace. | | | | |
| | | | In case there exists an outlet for the |
| Any thing wrong with the fireplace meant that | | | | chimney as well, the job becomes easier. If |
| the room could be filled with soot that could | | | | you can find a chimney but no grate |
| darken the room and make it difficult to | | | | available, all you would need to do is to get |
| clean up the place. The size of the room and | | | | a professional to install a grate and a sweep |
| its location were considered before a | | | | to advise you on cleaning it up. In case the |
| fireplace could be built. | | | | fireplace has been blocked, a builder is the |
| | | | right person to advise you. |
| Replacing a brick fireplace | | | | |
| | | | Replacing a brick fireplace |
| When wood was the only available material for | | | | |
| burning, fireplaces were much in demand. | | | | You can also build a new fireplace in the |
| Hence the idea of replacing a fireplace would | | | | place of an old one. Using materials like |
| never arise in the first place. But the | | | | cast iron and supplying gas and electricity, |
| invention of gas and electricity led many | | | | you can combine the rustic charm of a |
| households to stop using and building brick | | | | fireplace with clean and easy maintenance. |
| fireplaces and adopt newer ways of heating up | | | | Replacing old fireplaces can be done easily |
| the room. Newer cities and towns also adopted | | | | with minimum destruction of existing wall and |
| gas and electricity and brick fireplaces came | | | | with the help of professional builders and |
| to serve a mere decorative purpose rather | | | | designers. |
| than a functional use. | | | | |