Fireplace Hearth Modifications for Hearthstone Heritage

[landrand]

I’ve been lurking on this site for the last month or two spending all my spare time reading and learning about wood stoves. Excellent site. I’m in the process of remodeling my home in Northern Michigan (Upper Peninsula). Our winters are severe with frigid cold temps. I’ve decided to remove the existing old and useless insert and install a standalone Hearthstone Heritage woodstove which will be piped through the fireplace chimney.

The house is currently about 1600 sq. ft. In the next 2-3 years, I plan to add a timber framed greatroom with cathedral ceilings so I anticipate the house to be somewhere around 2,000 sq. ft. My fireplace opening is 25 1/4” high by 36” wide by 17” deep. The hearth extends into the room 16” and it raised about 10 ½” off the floor. The fireplace/chimney are on an external wall so thermal mass isn’t on my side for heating.

Although the Hearthstone Homestead would have fit nicely on the hearth, the wife preferred the Heritage looks and I like the additional capacity, BTU’s, and ability to more efficiently use elsewhere (non-fireplace install) should the need arise. To accommodate the Heritage I need to add 6” to 8” on the Hearth extension to accommodate the 20 ½” depth leg spread on the Heritage stove. This is where I seek recommendations from the pro’s.

One thought is to build out the hearth with new bricks. Unfortunately, that would look odd since I wouldn’t be able to match the old brick with a new brick. Another idea would be to remove the top layer of bricks only in front of the fireplace opening, built out the hearth just in front of the opening, and install a 24”x36” chunk of 2 ¼” thick limestone for the stove to sit on. I also thought about removing the top layer of bricks across the whole width and installing a 24”x8’ chunk of limestone. Unfortunately, that would mess up the cubby hole for storing wood. Another alternative to get around the brick matching dilemma is to perform one of the above mentioned hearth modifications and apply some kind of cultured stone or veneer over the brick. Any ideas or recommendations from the guru’s would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Harley]

Welcome, and nice setup by the way. I like the cubby hole for the wood - I wouldn't want to lose that either. I thing you are going to have to take out that top layer of bricks before you add a new covering of whatever material, since the top of the flue collar is about 24" when vented out the back, and you don't have a lot of room left to go to get the pipe cleared into the fireplace.

Make sure the floor is well supported where any part of the new hearth goes. As far as design does.... I'm probably the wrong one to ask, but I'd extend it straight out, and keep the "symmetrical" look. Even after removing the first layer of brick, with the new top covering, you should be able to keep the cubby in tact. There might be a little step down, but I think that would look fine.

I agree with not being able to match it with brick, but you have a near endless possibility of coverings for the hearth as far as tile, stove, slab, etc.

Good luck with the project. Don't forget to update with more pictures!!

 

[Todd]

Have you thought about putting the stove on your current hearth and using a hearth extension or granite slab on the floor in front? Do a search for hearth extensionss, they come in all sizes. You will also probably need a rear heat shield for the stove to keep the heat to the front.

Where abouts in the UP are you. I use to live in Houghton, Marquette, and Sault Ste. Marie back in my Coast Guard days.

 

[landrand]

I live on Lake Michigamme, which is about 40 miles west of Marquette.

Haven't really thought about installing the stove on the floor in front of the raised hearth. I guess it would work, but would it look out of place sitting below the raised hearth.

After I figure out how I'm going to install this stove, I need to determine if my chimney is high enough to get the proper draft. I measured from the top of the flue to the fireplace damper and it's about 10'. I think I'll need at least a few more feet.

 

[Todd]

I live on Lake Michigamme, which is about 40 miles west of Marquette.

Haven't really thought about installing the stove on the floor in front of the raised hearth. I guess it would work, but would it look out of place sitting below the raised hearth.

After I figure out how I'm going to install this stove, I need to determine if my chimney is high enough to get the proper draft. I measured from the top of the flue to the fireplace damper and it's about 10'. I think I'll need at least a few more feet.

No, I was thinking placing the stove on your current raised fireplace hearth, and using a hearth extention on the lower floor in front to meet your clearances.

 

[landrand]

The stove will be on a raised hearth about 9" above the floor. I think I just need a floor protector 16" in front of the openings. I don't see any mention of a hearth extension in the manual. I was going to rely on a floor tile for this, like you see in the picture.

 

[Harley]

I think I'm following what you are saying..... are you trying to limit the "depth of the "new" hearth 22 or 24"? (16" of original plus 6-8" of new?) If you have room (tough to tell by the picture, but personally, I'd probably bring it out a little farther if you have the room for it. If I'm understanding correctly, this would put the stove pretty close to the edge of the hearth, with some floor protection below (tile, etc.).

Depending on the actual setup, you would be fine for clearances, etc., but I recently built up and extended my hearth (for a heritage). The hearth extends quite a bit in front of where the stove sits, and I'm glad I layed it out that way. The cleanout process seems a lot easier, and many times, when you swing open the front door some ash is bound to drop from the door itself. I think its easier to have it all collect on the hearth, rather than having to clean the hearth... and the floor.

 

[landrand]

At a minimum, I need 20 1/2" for the stove to sit on cause thats the spread between the rear and front legs of the stove. That would be too tight, so I figured if I extended the hearth with brick another 8" that would give 24" of space for the stove to sit on. If I take the top layer of bricks off I'd probably put a limestone cap on the top of the hearth. I figured I'd lay a 24"x8' chunk of 2 1/4" thick limestone on top of the bricks. I could get a limestone cap that would be 26"x8' as well. This would overhand the brick base 2" and give a little more room. Unfortunately, the limestone cap is expensive. It's something like $26/sq. ft. I wonder if their is some other material I could use as a hearth cap that looks good but cheaper than the limestone. The reason I'm leaning toward the limestone is cause that's what my mason recommended.

The room is 16' wide by 20' long so it wouldn't really detract from the room size if I had to extend the hearth out. The only issue is the farther I extend it out, the more it costs. Thanks for your help.

 

[Harley]

It's something like $26/sq. ft. I wonder if their is some other material I could use as a hearth cap that looks good but cheaper than the limestone. The reason I'm leaning toward the limestone is cause that's what my mason recommended.

The room is 16' wide by 20' long so it wouldn't really detract from the room size if I had to extend the hearth out. The only issue is the farther I extend it out, the more it costs. Thanks for your help.

Wow That is a lot. Actually, I think there's tons of possibilities for the "covering" of the hearth. What I was thinking was removing the top layer (or it may even be eisier to remove all). Then building out the hearth with either brick or metal studs <see how DonCT did his in the picture section - I think his thread is call "so it begins">.

Either way once you get a good level base for the new hearth, you could use tile, stone, a large slab or 2 of rock (you could probably get something a lot cheaper tham limestone.

 

[Rhone]

If I had that setup, I'd find some tile I really like and build out that hearth, and cover the whole hearth, extension, and even the floor in front with the tile you liked. That will make your fireplace look clean, won't interfere with the beautiful fireplace, and your beautiful stove won't be resting on an abused hearth. It will also go with all your new renovations. For the sides & front of your built up hearth extension I'd use the same bricks. This is how I'd do it

Gently remove the 2 rows of bricks that's your hearth now but leave the sides. That will give you 64 bricks from my count. Then I'd fill in the hole created with cement, level with your sides & the floor of the fireplace. To do that attach a 2x6 with tapcons to build a dam in the front so the cement can't leak out. I stuffed the crack on the bottom with rope caulk and covered the 2x6 with bee's wax so the cement wouldn't stick to it nor be able to leak out. Wet the area you intend to pour in repeatedly until it stays moist, you want the cement to cure slowly. Pour in the cement, make sure it's level with everything else. You can be low by about 1/8" and the mortar when you tile will handle the rest but make sure at most in any spot it's not more than 1/4" low. Then, remove the 2x6 and wire brush off the rope caulk and any bee's wax. Build an extension, you want the front and sides to be the brick from the hearth you removed, so compensate the framing size for it, put some cement board for the top, and tile the whole thing. I included a picture of what mine looked like afterward (sorry it's dark). It will raise your current hearth a little higher than it is now, I think 1/2". It's not a difficult project, I had fun and it really helped make the place look clean and new.

I think chances are you're going to have problems with your chimney. I had a 12 foot chimney, exterior, it stunk. I purchased an extend-a-flue increasing it 4' and now it's awesome and looks great from outside.

*EDIT* I just noticed I repeated what Harley said, he's quick!

 

[Harley]

*EDIT* I just noticed I repeated what Harley said, he’s quick!

That's because I didn't lay out the actual way to do it. Is that the one you did, Rhone? Looks great - you could never tell that it was modified at all. Looks real clean.

 

[Rhone]

My situation isn't exactly like here because I didn't have to coninue afterward to extend it nor lay brick. If I had a brick hearth like here that I could've pulled out before tiling I'd have extended it, and filled the area with cement like above. My brick was custom in the 60's and no where to be found by the 70's. A bank here has the same brick, I'm pretty sure my fireplace is made from the extra of that project. I keep telling my wife I need her to chip out about 60 bricks out of the bank wall, she says she's just too busy and I keep saying she can go anytime at night because they keep it well lit, wouldn't even need a flashlight. She still hasn't found the time.

When I removed my old hearth it had to be built back up so the new tile would be the same level as the fireplace firebox. A carpenter told me that technique, and it's the same technique that would be required here after popping the bricks out of the hearth. It worked like a charm! I'm assuming building the frame, and laying bricks is easy. That's the part I didn't do, if not Masons love easy inside jobs in winter. After dealing with the hearth I had to cut out the floor and continued my hearth there. If I had those 60 bricks from the bank, I'd have extended it. The part extended on the floor, the wood floors expand & contract, causing havoc with the grout either leaving a gap or cracking/chipping it. I'm going to see about getting a transition.

 

[landrand]

Rhonemas,
Thanks for the detailed procedure. That certainly got my wheels turning. There's only one issue I see and that is I'd be decreasing the height of the fireplace opening by 1/2". Right now, my hearth height opening is 25 1/4". That really limited my stove selection. I initially was going to go with the VC Encore but you need an opening of 26 1/2" for exhause vent pipe to fit underneath the lintel. In fact, I believe the only larger standalone stoves that would work with the fireplace opening was the Hearthstone Homestead and Heritage models.

I've been calling around to see if I could get a better price for the limestone. I found a place where a 2'x8'x2 1/4" thick limestone would cost $283 which is $17/sq ft. That's getting much more reasonable. Now the question becomes, is it worth the extra effort to build up the hearth with concrete and a apply a tile cap when I can just plop a chunk of limestone on it for 100-200 bucks more.

Can you explain what you mean by a transition on your hearth to prevent the wood expansion from cracking the mortor joints?

My next question is, how far should I extend the hearth? Would a 24" hearth be enough when the stove depth is 20 1/2" or should I go out further?

 

[begreen]

You might want to look at the Quadrafire Isle Royale. It's a top loader, full-sized stove and with hearth legs option, the stove pipe exits at 25". Or you might consider removing the top course of bricks from the hearth. Ideally you want the pipe to be heading uphill at about 1/4 per foot after it exits the stove.

http://www.quadrafire.com/products/stoves/woodStoveDetail.asp?f=IsleRoyale

 

[landrand]

I already bought the Hearthstone Heritage stove. Although I want setup to be flexible so if I ever do buy another stove or perhaps move this stove somewhere else, the hearth would be setup to accommodate most standalone stoves.