My cozy fireplace.

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Jun 27, 2006
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Last fall I installed a Majestic BC36 woodburing fireplace in the livingroom of my 1920 home.

Installation was fairly straightforward with instructions and clearances strictly followed.

Definitely the most difficult thing was cutting a hole in the roof to put the chimney through. (yikes)

The permit and inspection by the city was a joke! To get a permit - I had to turn in a drawing of what I planned to do. I was thinking blueprint or something complicated and detailed..but I drew a simple picture of an ordinary fireplace and gave it to the guy at the courthouse.

BAM permit issued, 22 dollars please.

The inspection was even better. I had to schedule an appointment with the inspection guy at a point during the construction where everything is installed - but not covered up with drywall and whatnot. Sooo the guy shows up and I figure he has to measure all the clearances, make sure the chimney vents properly and basically check for fire hazards.

NOPE he walked in the front door, didn't even get halfway across the room and said "looks good." He signed the paper and turned to leave. I then asked him if he wanted to measure proper clearances. "No, not really, if you followed the installation instructions you should be ok." He didn't even check if my chimney poked through the roof. (Maybe I should have let it vent into the upstairs bedroom.)

I stood there with my mouth open as he drove away to his next "insta-spection" and wondered how now I was going to find out if I did something wrong. (The house burning down will be my first tiny clue.)

I had many "test-fires" in it before closing up the wall around the chimney and installing the surround and mantel. Checking the tempurature of the firebox, chimney, and all nearby wood framing. It all checked out ok and I was sick of looking at the huge mess I had created, so I closed it up and finished it off. I even made the lovely toolset and the basket of wax/sawdust firestarters.

...and here is the result:
 

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Happy heating. You know it was done right. That is what counts. The inspector doesn't sleep there, you do. That is why you did it right.
 
I'd have to describe that FP as elegant and artistic. Well done. Did you lay those parkay mosaic tiles? Delicate texture with a nicely balanced color scheme. The FP looks really good in there.

What materials did you use to make those fireplace tools? The texture looks like wood in the photo, but I strongly suspect it is not. Copper? That skirt looks copper, too. If so, I'll bet it looks just as good when the greenish patina comes.
 
Thank you all for your kind complements.

(BrotherBart) I would have done it right even if no inspection was planned.
There are many other repairs, replacements, and upgrades I have done to my home that I probably was supposed to get a permit and inspection for...but didn't. Now I am glad I didn't waste my time.

(Don, Vintage, Harley) Thank you!

(MoHeat) Thanks! Yes everything was done by me. It was my first tile job ever. All those different size tiles were a headache to fit together. The tool rack, mantle shelf, and skirt are red oak. The tools themselves are just black iron. No copper used. The "white" part of the surround is drywall with thin strips of wood to create a raised-panel effect. This detail didn't show up in the photos. I'm better with a hammer than a camera.
 
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