building the hearth for my Napoleon NZ3000.....what a quest!

BG, we've been burning in it since Saturday, but no stones on it get. I'm putting the lath and scratchcoat up the next day or so, then that will have to set up for a couple days (I won't fire it TOO hard til I know the cement is dry, don't want it to dry out too fast), then we'll hang stone around mid-week.

I know you were poking me....I have to keep a small fire going out there, it has finally turned into winter here in central PA! Last coat of mud goes on the drywall today, along with the metal lath on the cement board. Wifey is getting uber-excited, she can barely contain herself. She breaks down into tears when she goes out and sees that fireplace......that makes the whole thing worth the misery ......

+1 Just think how special Christmas Day will be in the new hearth room!

Cheers!

I'm guessing that's all Mrs. Overkill can think about

Very nice progress.

Thanks for the kind words, fellas. Believe me, hearing this compliments keeps me focused on the end game. I'll say this, and I mean it........you guys all helped me get.his fireplace where it is

You have absolutely NO IDEA. She's absolutely cuckoo about this room.....
Even though this room is driving ME cuckoo

I can empathize with you there Scotty. Built a sunroom for my wife last winter and it has become her second home. I am redoing the ceiling/roof as the roof was leaking (who knew you can't use Roxul & vapour barrier in a flat roof? ). It simply has to be done for Xmas. Spray foam guy comes tomorrow!

Great job Scotty. Please keep posting the pics of the progress - you damn near inspired me to finish around ours! It's been 8 years I should be getting to it soon.

'Bert, I'd love to see some pics of yours too? What fireplace do you have?

I'll keep updating as I progress. The drywall guy has some final sanding, and he's also going to prime and paint that whole room for a reasonable cost, so I gave him that job too! I wanted to get my scratchcoat of cement up today, but I don't have enough sand in the garage so I have to wait til tomorrow night at the earliest. I should have the fireplace stoned (at least most of it) by the end of next weekend. We're getting our Christmas tree (hopefully) next weekend, so I have to put a part of the flooring down this week sometime (where the Christmas tree will be put up). Come hell or high water, we're having our Christmas in that room......

You got a full month til then. No prob, your a natch at this.
Just don't take on any side jobs

I hope so, Realstone. I'm usually the pessimist at my house, well I had to scold my wife today 'cause SHE was being a bit pessimistic. She kinda broke down and said she is sincerely worried about me as hard as I've been plugging away at it (I was off for the last 9 days and most of them I've pulled a 16 to 20 hour shift out in that room). I told her just a couple more weeks and we'll take a break from it. I won't have it COMPLETELY done, but it will be done enough to enjoy for Christmas. I have a HUGE train layout I put up for the kiddos every year, a lot of antique Lionel and Marx trains from the 20's 30's and 40's. They absolutely LIVE for this time of year, and I am going to get that room useable. I've already got a 10' Christmas tree in my head for the room, some garland for the beam, stockings on the mantel (even though it isn't even MOUNTED yet!). I made her a promise and I am a man that intends to follow through..........even if I have a heart attack in the process.

I took a 'break' from the room this evening and hauled another cord up from the main woodstack, and stacked it neatly off the back porch. I enjoyed that like you cannot imagine! Just that little bit of time to play with my wood......

Yep, I'm nutty as glazed cinnamon buns.....

The pics now would be really sad - it just has drywall around it. Looks like chit. That was all that we could afford when we built 8 years ago. It worked and still does. I didnt really know how to finish around it then, but now with your idea of steel studs where it says not to put combustable material and the durarock product to attach the brick too I might move on it. I have the wife picking out the brick style now. Not as ambitious as you with getting it from the local mountain and all (plus I have no local mountain). So we will be looking for cultured stone. I thank you for your post it has inspired me to re-visit this project. I will start a thread on it to hopefully inspire someone else. My Fireplace is a BIS Ultra. Really like it.

If you need any pointers, I'll pm you my phone number. The steel studs are the way to go......get the heavy gauge ones. Keep me posted I'm anxious to see your project and to be the one watching the post rather than the one working on it for a change!

Is that 'O' gauge Scotty?

It's easy to get overwhelmed by a mountain of jobs and a short deadline. Don't kill yourself, just keep plugging away.
Just remember the old adage: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Great job Scotty, looks super. Take time off in the morning for some hunting.

Looking awesome Scotty! This is such a great thread, really living/enjoying vicariously thru your work. Now I get to look forward to Christmas AND the completion of your build.

I am a big DIYer myself and am going to start finishing out the upstairs (~1000sqft of bonus room, man cave, kiddo hangout...) this Christmas. I've already started running lights so I can see up there. Will probably take me a year or so to do it and am planning to put another stove in the space. You're giving me a lot of good ideas, but I think if my wife sees this thread, the schedule/timeline may get pulled in.

Make sure you take lots of pics and share with us! And for the record, your fireplace inspired me, brother. One of my all-time faves right there!

Ditto. Like Scotty said previously, reading and seeing your progress encourages me to keep the pace and quality up.

Some updated pics of my progress......

Got the metal lath up earlier in the week....



Started the scratchcoat on Thursday evening....



Finished the scratchcoat yesterday afternoon. Some detailed pics of the holes I made in the chase that I will be putting the stacked stone registers in. I hauled some flagstone off of the mountain on the first day of deer season that will make perfect grids for those registers.




was going to install some stone today but the painter is coming to finish the pain t today so we'll get the stones all hauled in this afternoon after he finishes up and we'll be off to the races tomorrow. I'm hoping to have all that hardware stones up and grouted by Tuesday or Wednesday, if all goes to plan......

If this Hearth doesn't make the Home page screen, I am gonna cry...

That is stunning Scott. Absolutely breathtaking to look at. I just showed my Wife and she threw her coffee at our Pre-Fab Fireplace

Your Wife will be a Happy Woman when this is over (is it really ever done?) and you may finally get a break (Again, is it ever really done?)

Congrats bro..... Looks Awesome.

Soon Scotty, soon!

Un- freaking real as usual Scotty. I f you lived nearby I'd try to hire you to build the brick patio my missus wants

BTW share pics of that train layout if you can. My son is into the 'I love trains' stage and I'm thinking about building one for him. To bad I gave away all my HOs from childhood.

Quality down to the smallest detail Scotty. It will pay off for years to come.

You must be pretty handy with the trowel. You didn't even need to mask off the stove.

Epic.