Modify or demolish unique fireplace for gas insert?

[Arlington]

Hi folks. I'm new to this forum and to fireplaces. I just bought my first home and it has an old wood-burning fireplace that hasn't been used since before the 1980s. I'd like to install a gas insert, but the fireplace won't accommodate the units I've seen. I'm looking for some advice on what I should do, please.



The house was built in 1910 and I think the fireplace is original. It's made of brick and is in pretty bad shape. The bricks are badly aligned, the mortar is crumbling in several areas, and the fireplace is pulling away from the wall (though seems stable) on the right side. It has at least three different paint jobs on it.

We thought we might be able to sculpt and even out the surface with MH Ready Patch, but gave trying to rescue it when we realized it might not fit a gas insert. The problem with fitting a gas insert is that the firebox is 36" wide, which is a normal size as far as I can tell, but there are big cylindrical columns that extend straight out from the edge of the firebox. This shot shows what the columns look like:



Here's a shot showing how the columns stick out straight from the edge of the firebox:



From what I've seen in the fireplace shops I've visited, gas inserts all have a surround that needs to go flush around the outside edge of the firebox. Will having these columns prevent us from installing a gas insert properly?

I've thought of demolishing the fireplace, but I'd have to leave all the brick between those columns and the wall because the outer edge of the firebox is in-line with that brick. Could I find a wooden fireplace surround to go over all the remaining brick, or is this getting too complicated? Here's a top-down shot showing how far out the brick extends from the wall:



Thank you for any advice. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to fireplaces, so please feel free to correct any terms I'm using improperly and set me straight!

 

[DAKSY]

Go to your local hearth shop & ask if there are any gas inserts with customizeable surrounds that will fit your situation.
Do yourself a favor & take ANOTHER pic of the existing unit from across the room & looking straight into the firebox,
so they can get a better view of what you're up against.

 

[Arlington]

Thank you for the reply, DAKSY. I will take a better picture tomorrow in the daylight.

I did ask a few hearth shops what might work, but I only had dimensions and a description, no pictures. I have a hearth shop assessor coming out to check out my house tomorrow afternoon, so I should have a good idea tomorrow.

 

[blades]

If there is that much in depredation in the fire box then I would be highly suspect of the flue also- to me - demo and start from scratch.

 

[webby3650]

That's a strange looking set up. There's some inserts that have 1 piece surrounds that can be ordered the size needed. Most panels on a gas unit can be trimmed down. We often do an inside fit with the panels. The way all the brick looks, it may be best to remove the brick face and start over. You could remove the brick, straighten it up with some mortar and tile it. Then put a new mantel up to cover the transition.

 

[Arlington]

Thanks for the suggestions, blades and webby. I was leaning towards a demo, but the guy from the hearth shop who came to check it out said that I'd risk collapsing the whole brick structure if I did a demo. Do you think that's a valid concern? Another problem is that the bricks on top run front to back, so I'd have to cut them flush with the edge of the firebox.

Sorry I took so long to come back with the photo of the front. Here it is:


and here's a closer view of the firebox from the front:


Another alternative I've considered is coating the whole fireplace with stucco to clean up the look and getting a custom-cut surround for a gas fireplace to fit in the firebox. The hearth shop rep said his primary business is in HVAC and he could have a custom surround cut fairly cheaply, though we didn't talk specifics. Are these options even worth considering, or do you think this fireplace is too far gone?