tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post5111471170607463599..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: The New Hearth - Phase 2Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-79638855408962453402009-09-10T14:20:37.721-04:002009-09-10T14:20:37.721-04:00Nice work!!
I love old bricks. I like to see tha...Nice work!!<br /><br />I love old bricks. I like to see that you are looking after and re-using them.<br /><br />Many of the bricks used in our house (it's stone outside, but has brick inner walls)are stamped with the name of a nearby village where there was a brickworks, using local clay.<br /><br />We also use a stove because they are so much more efficient than open fires, also safer. When we had an open fire an awful thing happened - Oscar was sleeping by the fire and a glowing ember flew out of the fire and set his fur alight. My boyfriend caught Oscar and smoothered the smouldering fur with his hand. Poor Oscar was o.k., but never went near a fire again and when we had a stove and opened the door he would get up and walk to the other end of the room until the door was safely shut.Dorothyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488670649558382921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-69459823944728736292009-09-10T08:41:48.455-04:002009-09-10T08:41:48.455-04:00Oh Bettina, that's a "design element.&quo...Oh Bettina, that's a "design element." ;) I love it that you found and used those old tiles. There is such a sense of satisfaction in re-purposing things, isn't there? Maybe sometime you'll post a photo of it on your blog. I'd love to see it!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-12084855148028610572009-09-10T08:28:41.960-04:002009-09-10T08:28:41.960-04:00we had a problem with the height of our stove, whe...we had a problem with the height of our stove, when we rebuilt around it. but eventually we found old tiles from the greenhouse of our old convent - thrown away into a ditch! we used those in red and black and are very happy with our very own piece of history of the area in the living room:)) I wonder though: is there a reason why the two front bricks are sticking out from the rest of the square???Woolly Bitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11961632742998726155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-74548735367557318062009-09-10T07:50:10.958-04:002009-09-10T07:50:10.958-04:00Geodyne, I'm beginning to see these bricks as ...Geodyne, I'm beginning to see these bricks as real treasures. As I work to clean them up, I can't help but notice how much individual character they have.<br /><br />Barb, Rascal doesn't know yet that his new spot will shortly be occupied by that woodstove! Oh, and I only changed the header the morning of this post, so you actually caught it right on time.<br /><br />Charlotte, I have to admit that we won't be rebuilding the entire fireplace, just creating a walled in alcove for it. Upcoming photos will explain it better than words thought.<br /><br />Julie, um, isn't sawdust made out of wood??? *lol.<br /><br />We thought about a pellet stove after seeing one on <i>This Old House</i>. The pellets certainly do look less messy to work with and easier to store. For us though, the problem was availability and price of those pellets, especially because this stove is our only heat source. Consequently having our own wood lot was one of the "must haves" when we looked for a place.<br /><br />We chose a Woodstock stove for two reasons. One is the soapstone which has an excellent ability to retain heat, and the second is because they are equipped with catalytic combustors, which not only burn particulate emissions, but also exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide, methane, benzene, etc. The noticeable benefit from this is that the catalytic combustor turns these nasties into heat energy, thus increasing the stove's heating efficiency. An added bonus is that these stoves qualify for Pres. Obama's energy tax credit.<br /><br />Pellet stoves definitely have the best EPA emissions rating on their own. When one considers the energy required to make and ship the pellets though, I wonder how well they actually stack up in the end.<br /><br />Deep End, the answer to that is primarily back in this post, <a href="http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/2009/07/bad-news-about-fireplace.html" rel="nofollow"> Bad News About The Fireplace.</a> The chimney was in such bad shape that the fireplace had to come down. Also, fireplaces aren't very energy efficient. The Woodstock Soapstone Woodstove only need to be loaded twice a day!<br /><br />Minikat, the funny thing about that is that he always seems to know when I get the camera out. He invariably presents himself front and center any time I try to take photos!<br /><br />Renee, yes, we'll brick up the old opening by creating a brick wall around the back and sides of the new hearth. Photos soon!<br /><br />Theresa, *lol. Maybe we should do a scientific study. We certainly have enough cat hairs around the place!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-86801327033398591982009-09-10T06:32:45.657-04:002009-09-10T06:32:45.657-04:00So, does cat hair improve the strength of brick an...So, does cat hair improve the strength of brick and mortar I wonder? The new hearth looks great.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574936988046982209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-52395103056670364722009-09-09T21:11:53.361-04:002009-09-09T21:11:53.361-04:00Glad to see that you're keeping Rascal hard at...Glad to see that you're keeping Rascal hard at work snoopervising there. He seems to approve.<br /><br />so is the next step to finish up that opening?Renee Nefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08167893445846427824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-37520163758601854982009-09-09T18:13:17.966-04:002009-09-09T18:13:17.966-04:00It takes me awhile to notice things. Just took no...It takes me awhile to notice things. Just took notice of your new header. Very Nice!!!bspinnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11385723696922637454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-12871327978932473422009-09-09T16:44:18.911-04:002009-09-09T16:44:18.911-04:00Phase 2 looks fantastic. I see the Rascal has bee...Phase 2 looks fantastic. I see the Rascal has been snooper-vising. :-)MiniKathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15395914933366678553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-62081839894947205542009-09-09T14:53:18.613-04:002009-09-09T14:53:18.613-04:00I love the use of the old brick, it was interestin...I love the use of the old brick, it was interesting to see the difference in them. I was wondering why would you get a soap stone fireplace instead of using wood in the hearth? I don't really know anything about fireplaces and it's probably a dumb questions but inquiring minds want to know.DEEP END OF THE LOOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01010018190905285835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-38466400590080217122009-09-09T14:17:06.919-04:002009-09-09T14:17:06.919-04:00I love old brick! Its going to look so good when y...I love old brick! Its going to look so good when your done. We have pellet stove in our fireplaces because the pellet are made out of sawdust. I like them better than burning wood because wood is very bad for the air.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02775727376347737034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-84280335122734997322009-09-09T14:08:52.127-04:002009-09-09T14:08:52.127-04:00I love that you re-use those very special old bric...I love that you re-use those very special old bricks. What an enormous amount of work to rebuild the whole fireplace.charlottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536773648371607808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-46598192414320384912009-09-09T13:56:33.971-04:002009-09-09T13:56:33.971-04:00I love the idea of using the old brick for your fi...I love the idea of using the old brick for your fire place. Each one is so unique and beautiful like old pottery. Rascal has seen to had given the project his stamp of approval or is he marking his territory with the anticipation of a nice warm fire.bspinnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11385723696922637454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-48511423047545267302009-09-09T11:56:13.820-04:002009-09-09T11:56:13.820-04:00I love that you're reusing as many old materia...I love that you're reusing as many old materials as possible, Leigh. It keeps the materials true to the house: you just can't get bricks like that anymore.Geodynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05612024268485020748noreply@blogger.com