Woodburning fireplace remodel help

[osideloco]

Hi,
I am in the process of remodeling our existing wood burning fireplace. The fireplace gets used very little as we live in Southern California so the main reason for the remodel was aesthetics however we do like to like to have a nice fire now and then. The old fireplace had a brick face from floor to ceiling which I removed and am left with the current opening. I was planning to install cement backer board around the opening and then tile with travertine. I have existing glass doors from the original setup that I want to use however when I removed the old brick it increased the height of the opening and would need to shorten the opening to use the glass. So one of my questions is what would be the best method to decrease the height of the opening? Can I use backer board for this or do I need to use brick or ?? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[webby3650]

You've got a big project there! I'm very surprised you removed all the brick rather than just refacing it. You really need to re-brick the face, then you can cover it with a surface that you choose. I would just choose a nice brick or stone and call it good.

 

[webby3650]

I refaced my fireplace myself. It had the same 70's red brick on it, we hated it and wanted to update it. I wanted that State Park feel.
It's stone veneer over the brick, I didn't remove anything except 2 limestone ledges that were awkwardly places to act as a mantle.