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Building in a new fireplace, stage by stage

Same-day visits in Fern Park are possible when the calendar allows, and the plan is explained in the room.

The footing under a masonry fireplace

A masonry fireplace is heavy and needs its own foundation. Florida's building code sets that footing at 12 inches thick or more, projecting at least 6 inches past the fireplace on every side.

We plan the footing with the fireplace and include the excavation and concrete in the estimate. The footing is inspected before the masonry rises, as the approval process requires. Soil, drainage and the house foundation beside it all affect how the footing is dug and formed, and we explain each factor before work begins.

Airspace around masonry

The Florida Building Code keeps combustible framing away from a masonry fireplace, with at least 2 inches of airspace at the front and sides and 4 inches at the back. That space is left open, apart from the fireblocking the code requires.

We frame the surrounding walls to those distances and check them before the drywall goes up. The airspace is invisible in the finished room and essential behind it. Behind a finished stone or brick face, that gap is the one part nobody sees again, so we check it twice before the face goes on.

Fireblocking around the fireplace

The Florida Building Code calls for fireblocking around a masonry fireplace, following its general fireblocking section. Fireblocking closes the concealed spaces around the fireplace so a fire cannot travel through them.

We install the fireblocking with the framing and point it out before the walls are closed. It is a small part of the job that the inspector will want to see. Only the fireblocking the code calls for goes into the airspace, and the rest of that gap stays open as the code requires.

Dry, seasoned firewood

The EPA's Burn Wise guidance calls for firewood that is dry and split, seasoned six months or longer and kept outdoors on a raised stack covered only on top. Wet wood burns poorly and leaves more deposits in the chimney.

We explain how to buy, stack and check firewood at handover. A new fireplace burns best when it starts life on good fuel. A simple moisture meter tells you whether a delivery is ready to burn or needs another season on the stack. Seasoned wood also keeps the glass doors cleaner.