Fireplace Overhaul

[Elbinwyp]

I am hoping to get some opinions to make sure I have thought this fully through. Attached are 2 pictures of the fireplace in the old farmhouse we just moved into. The hearth is 20" and the lintel is 27.5". Both of these numbers are preventing me from setting a rear vent free stander on the hearth. I am hoping to put in a 3.0+ rear vent free stander.
I had a mason out and he quoted me $2000 the re-face the fireplace, drop the hearth low enough to fit rear flue under the lintel and extend the hearth to fit a free stander. I would then have an installer pull the propane insert and line chimney with SS flex.
To me, the fireplace estimate seems reasonable.
Am I missing anything?!?

 

[begreen]

That sounds reasonable. It will look good when done, though I am not sure why reface the fireplace. The current stonework looks pretty nice. Read up on the hearth insulation requirements and mantel clearances for the new stove to be sure everything is done to spec.

 

[Nick Mystic]

You will need to explain in more detail what the mason is going to be doing for the $2000. You say he will re-face the fireplace. Does that mean he is going to remove all that stone work and put a different facing on it? If he is only going to drop the hearth extension down a few inches and extend it out a few inches, then I'd think $2000 is a bit steep. I have a similar set up to yours except my fireplace opening was tall enough to fit a Jotul F 600 (3 cu. ft. stove) in front of it and run the rear vent directly into the fireplace without doing any modifications. Is the rest of your fireplace going to be up to code for placing a stove directly in front of it? Gas inserts have different clearance requirements from stoves, so you need to check this before you start remodeling. What is behind that stone work facing, for instance? Is your gas insert sitting inside a masonry fireplace or is it a pre-fab unit?

If you have a masonry fireplace then I would leave that stone work alone and just drop your hearth extension down a few inches and put a stove on it like you plan on doing. My hearth extension is only 17" and you say yours is 20", so you should have plenty of room for the size stove you are looking to buy. I positioned my stove so that the rear legs sit just inside the fireplace opening because I wanted the fireplace to carry half the weight instead of my hearth extension carrying the full load. If you did something similar you would only need to add some sort of hearth pad in front of the current hearth extension to meet clearance requirements for many stoves. Here are a few photos of mine to show what I'm talking about. I do all my loading from the side door where I have six feet of non-combustible hearth for clearance.

 

[Elbinwyp]

The fireplace is a true masonry fireplace. It had a wood stove in it prior to the propane insert, so it is lined with firebrick. The mason expressed concerned about matching the existing stone, since it is not uniform like bricks. So he said, lets pull everything off, see what we have, and then build it back up from there. He said ~$1000 in materials and ~$1000 in labor. This would include lowering the fireplace opening to match the lowered hearth. Is it reasonable for me to ask him to make the existing work?
As far as setting the stove in the opening, I think we would have to drop the hearth pretty low (only ~2" from the floor) to gain the clearance for the stove as opposed to getting the clearance for the rear flue. Based upon my understanding, lowering the hearth also increases the horizontal front clearance as well? I am looking at the Woodstock IS or Progress. The IS is front loading and will require a decent front clearance compared to the Progress. Seems like a bit of a balancing act.
I would guess the ~3" of stove tucked under the lintel doesnt impact the amount of heat that radiates (assuming there is an insulation block off plate).

 

[oconnor]

You are best to select a stove first and work towards the clearances it needs. You may need to consider the mantle as well, as stoves usually have higher clearance needs above them than inserts do.

Also look at the K and R values that the stove requires under and in front of it. Many need only ember protection, but some need more. Makes sure that gets factored into the work.

 

[begreen]

With that amount of change I would design around a shipping stove only. Personally to me there is no comparison in looks. Put the Progress there.

 

[Elbinwyp]

Thought I would follow up. Mason finished in 3 days. Removed face, raised lintel to the structural lintel height, added another layer of firebrick to hide the stained brick, extended hearth 12" and added brick. Bill was $2000. We are quite pleased. See the attached before and after. We also have a deposit down for the Woodstock ideal steel. We will be addressing the front clearance this summer.

 

[NickDL]

Looks nice. Did you want to go to the brick instead of keeping the stone?

 

[Elbinwyp]

Our house is an old farmhouse and we felt the brick would fit in better with the rustic theme of the house. Our goal was to make it look like it was the original brick fireplace.

Anyone know how much those Heat n glo propane inserts are going for these days? I did some research and it appears that model (Grand XT) was one of their higher end models.