Cutting through stone / hearth remodel

The existing hearth is shallow and I am wanting to put my T6 in the VCs place. My dad said when the house was built a fireplace space was put behind the stone so it could be opened at a later date for fireplace use.

I will pull the Vermont out and stick a camera behind the stove to get a view and also take some measurements. My idea is to have my T6 recessed into the fireplace which would also make the room seem more spacious. Maybe even upgrade to a large Woodstock stove at a later date.

Will a concrete saw cut through the stone and concrete and leave a finished look? I would rather not have a cut look around the opening but I really do not want to remodel the whole hearth either.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

They cut through my stone when they installed the furnace vent, I didn't do it or wasn't here when they did it but it looks fine so I guess if you know how to do it, it can be done.

 

Thanks weatherguy. I will need to get more info before I can do much else. The thickness of the stone and Mortor will determine the saw I need to rent.

 

I think it looks great as is!
How about just extending the hearth and putting whatever you want on it?

 

"I think it looks great as is!
How about just extending the hearth and putting whatever you want on it?"

There isn't room in front of the hearth to extend it and not be sticking in the middle of the room.

 

That's right where you want the stove. You can extend the hearth down low on the floor so that the overall footprint is not much bigger.

You have a veneer there over block.

You can cut about any stone with a saw and your skill level will determine how smooth it looks. The inside of the fireplace void will be something else though. Brick, bare block, firebrick, who knows. When you face that interior masonry, extend the work to the cut areas. Or, save some of the face stones and break them to be be resintalled in the cut area.

 

Don't forget that there will be a ton of dust even with a wet saw

 

Went to the house today and took some rough measurements. The fireplace is 30" deep, about 42" wide and I am not sure about height other than plenty tall. There is plenty of room for my T6.

My plan is to remove the Vermont and remove most of the stone from the middle of the hearth. Build a wood frame and put plastic around the hearth to contain dust and finish up the edges. I can paint the interior of the fireplace black and determine if I will leave the edge with cut stone or cap it.

The T6 will get a blower kit installed on it and will sit in the fireplace space with around 10" sticking out. It will open up the room and give me a better heater to combat the propane man.

I will post pics when the fun begins.

 

The remodel is in progress. The mason said it is easier to take all the stone down and then rebuild it up as a fireplace. We started this morning and will finish it tomorrow.

Here is a pic for size reference.

The stone is going up. I am going to keep the height so there is better air flow and also I can use the stove to cook on if needed. If I ever go with a bigger stove I want the opening already planned out.

 

Did you find anything cool stashed in the old fireplace? Like n old beer bottle?

 

Sorry Highbeam, nothing cool found in the fireplace. My dad had the house built 35 years ago. It isn't old enough for cool stuff. I have found old bottles in the property dump. That has been cleaned up though.

 

Looking good! I was a bit worried when you said you were going to stick the T6 back in a fire place but that one looks big enough to do the trick. I would still make sure you put a blower on it to help push the heat our of the fireplace if you don't already have a blower. Just out of curiosity why are you switching the stoves around?

 

I am moving from my old place to the family farm. We bought out my parents. They have a VC and the setup was not the best for me. I will put the T6 in and if I need more output I can upgrade to a bigger stove.

 

Looks great!

Big improvement.. You can't really see too much of the hearth in your picture, but that was replaced also?

You like how everything came out?

 

"Big improvement.. You can't really see too much of the hearth in your picture, but that was replaced also?"

The hearth was not replaced. The Vermont Castings that was on the hearth is rectangle shaped and my T6 is too square to fit on the hearth. Plus the fact it is a front load didn't help. The hearth couldn't be extended out because the space in the room wouldn't allow for that. The size of the opening will help with heat flow plus I am putting a blower in the stove to help.

 

I think it can out great! I look at the first picture to what you have now, an it really looks cool. Nice job...
So this is the place your moving to? Are those " D" logs, logs that are flat on the inside and have the log curve on the outside of the structure?

Nice big fireplace opening too.... Looks really nice....

 

Looks great! Didn't realized you had moved but that makes more sense now lol. The T6 has been a heating machine for me so far so I hope it does well for you. How many sq ft are you trying to heat? I am around 2600 but that doesn't count my unfinished basement and up until a month or so ago I had very limited insulation in my attic.

 

I like when I come to a remodel thread late and I get to see the completed project. I get so impatient....

Also, going from an Encore to a T6 should be fantastic! Bigger fire box, tighter loads, easier and quicker controls + a blower. Should make a big difference. Enjoy!

 

So you removed the large hearth and replaced it with the stone that you are standing on in the last pic? Made sure you had the full 16" out front right?