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2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Charter Life Member
Benefactor
Supporting Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
I sold my last house two years ago that had a firebowl outside and two fireplaces inside. Then we decided to downsize.
The new place is really great, but the fireplace situation is woefully inadequate, so I’ve been working to fix that.
Laid it out in the yard so I’m far enough from the house I don’t need a permit.
Then dug a 10” deep footing in the red concrete we call dirt around here, and filled it with a yard of crush n' run in the square area pictured. Got it all tamped down and level.
The round area just has an inch or two of crush 'n run and I’ll top that off with 1-2” PA river rock once I finish the fireplace as my “hardscape” in front of the fire.
Ordered the tumbled block. Three pallets like this, over four tons total, delivered to the house and left on the street. That’s the steel lintel on top.
Had to get it to the back of the house.
And then commenced to stacking. These things are not perfectly uniform so there is lots of leveling, swapping blocks, smacking it with a 4LB dead blow hammer and then bonding it at key areas with paver bond. I've already bought some firebrick splits to line the firebox. I am happy to report that the lintel is perfectly level.
I found a nice piece of PA bluestone for a chimney cap that is thin enough I can get it onto of the 8’ chimney myself when I complete it. Hopefully it’s not too thin. I was going to finish making an aluminum chimney cap, but I think I’ll use a couple of sheets of the aluminum to protect the bottom of the stone chimney cap instead.
More in a few days.
The new place is really great, but the fireplace situation is woefully inadequate, so I’ve been working to fix that.
Laid it out in the yard so I’m far enough from the house I don’t need a permit.
Then dug a 10” deep footing in the red concrete we call dirt around here, and filled it with a yard of crush n' run in the square area pictured. Got it all tamped down and level.
The round area just has an inch or two of crush 'n run and I’ll top that off with 1-2” PA river rock once I finish the fireplace as my “hardscape” in front of the fire.
Ordered the tumbled block. Three pallets like this, over four tons total, delivered to the house and left on the street. That’s the steel lintel on top.
Had to get it to the back of the house.
And then commenced to stacking. These things are not perfectly uniform so there is lots of leveling, swapping blocks, smacking it with a 4LB dead blow hammer and then bonding it at key areas with paver bond. I've already bought some firebrick splits to line the firebox. I am happy to report that the lintel is perfectly level.
I found a nice piece of PA bluestone for a chimney cap that is thin enough I can get it onto of the 8’ chimney myself when I complete it. Hopefully it’s not too thin. I was going to finish making an aluminum chimney cap, but I think I’ll use a couple of sheets of the aluminum to protect the bottom of the stone chimney cap instead.
More in a few days.
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