Remove the giant fireplace?

[mollywood21]

I need help on what to do with my giant brick fireplace. I like it and wish I could keep it but it sticks out 4 1/2 feet from the wall and takes up way too much in my cramped den. It originally had built-ins on either side but they were removed before we moved in. We host a lot of family parties and there just isn't enough room on the side or in front of the fireplace for a standard couch. It creates a traffic jam or we are tripping over the hearth. We are eventually going to open a wall on the left to add space (had an engineer out) but I wonder what we can do with this giant in the meantime. I'd like to keep some sort of a wood burning box or stove (no option for gas) and I'd like to keep a mantel if possible. Is there some way I can reduce this profile at all?

First image, you can see how far back the bookshelves go and the couch sits past the hearth. We don't currently have our furniture like this since it blocks so many entrances. The second image you can see the back of the fireplace (we redid a bathroom on the other side) and the last image is the best I had of the chimney in the ceiling. We are doing major renovations so we don't mind big projects. Also, the small entry on the right near the basket on the wall is already closed off. The wall on the left will completely come down opening up another twenty feet into the sunroom. We just don't know what to do with this crazy room and giant fireplace and still have some sort of wood-burning heat source and mantel. Ideas?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If you remove it you could put anything in its place, including a smaller fireplace with a mantle.

 

[EbS-P]

We also have a huge fireplace. We want over lots of options. We decided that less is more. We left it as is. Made other modifications.

I your case I would explore the possibility of removing the raised hearth making it level with the floor. To keep it code compliant it needs to stick out at least 16” from the front of the fireplace. If you ever want a stove or insert the 16” inches is measured from the front of the heating appliance. So in would go out even further. Say 20”

 

[stoveliker]

In my view the width could be decreased,but other than removing all brick (hearth and chimney) and replacing with a freestanding stove and double wall stove pipe, I don't think you're going to significantly add space in front.

 

[bholler]

If that is a real ridge beam it's very likely that the fireplace is supporting it. So is it possible to remove the fireplace? Sure. Is it going to be easy? Probably not

 

[begreen]

If that is a real ridge beam it's very likely that the fireplace is supporting it. So is it possible to remove the fireplace? Sure. Is it going to be easy? Probably not

That was my first concern. Get a structural engineer or architect to look at the current setup and engineer a plan for support. Then, once the fireplace is gone a modern, zero-clearance fireplace could replace it. They take about a 24" deep space which could exist in a bumpout chase on that side of the house for a flush appearance in the room.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

If that is a real ridge beam it's very likely that the fireplace is supporting it. So is it possible to remove the fireplace? Sure. Is it going to be easy? Probably not

Reminds me of something my excavator said when we built our house. "Son I can do literally anything with the machines I have but you may not like the bill."