How to Design the Perfect Stone Fireplace

handmadehouses.... Perhaps the single most enjoyable feature of any home is the fireplace. And yet today many homes are built without one, or if there is one... little thought or creativity is put into into it's design and construction. In this episode Noah shares an abundance of tips and guidelines in the creation of the perfect stone fireplace. If you find this information of value please subscribe to our channel here on KZbin and consider joining us within the Handmade House Academy!... noahbradley.le...

[@androcracy]

100% agree regarding tv’s over the fireplace!

[@lindahodgkins4197]

Absolutely agree.....no TV over the fireplace. I have had this discussion with family and am so glad you made that comment. Fireplace is a place for the soul, a place to relax. I spin wool into yarn and the fireplace is my favorite place to treadle my spinning wheel and unwind.

[@rayfarshi4340]

Deaf Mr. Bradley ..... My name is Reza and I was born in Iran and had an opportunity to live and work In the USA for 26 years , I did work on flooring and restaurant business for 25 years and loved America for what it stands for , your programs and video goes to to the heart of what has made America to what it is , today .. a great country .... Doing things the right way ... Your arch stone fire place looks great , attention to details to build it right and purpose of keeping a natural way of life .... PBS and TV shows like a This old house helped me to better understanding and familiarized so many to so many positive aspersions .... Thank you for your part and your videos for adding and sharing your knowledge. With all of us 🌹 wish you well and may America stay as beautiful as is for ever 🌏🗽🌎

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

You are welcome Ray! Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful comment!

[@cigiraydin]

It's remarkable how you deliver such an astonishing statement (9:13) in such a humble manner.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you!

[@ryanclark2017]

I REALLY appreciate your approach to continuing timeless artistry. Something that stirs and comforts our humanity. The mark of a true home. IMHO.

[@bottytoohotty]

They don't make em like you Sir anymore. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Glad you enjoyed it David! Thank you!

[@b.cooper8719]

I really enjoyed this video. That is a beautiful fireplace and your commentary was great! Well done.

[@1889michaelcraig]

I am a Mason of twenty three years and in that time i have only built two chimneys. I agree. It is a dieing art.

[@arbinnunez109]

so true man fireplaces are a focal point I hope my next house has one

[@therusticway7119]

great to see someone who thinks the same as me regarding fireplaces

[@TexasBKVideo]

Noah, I've sold Real Estate for 29 years here in Texas, and I'm continually amazed at the lack of fireplaces in homes anymore. And you're right, even in the high end homes, if they have one, it's a rinky-dink one not designed to do anything. I really enjoy your videos and explanations.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I've seen the same thing. I even had one couple come into my life to have me build their home simply because they had done a major search and found that I was the only one within a 100 mile circle who still built masonry chimneys! I was shocked... what was twenty years before built as part of every home! If this country ever experiences a major energy shock there are going to be a lot of freezing cold people, who have lost touch with the benefits of having a place to enjoy a fire.

[@endacollins1]

Hi I am a stone Mason and I have to say that is one sweet looking fireplace very well built and the fact that you gather these stones through time that have memories must make enjoying it that much nicer bravo

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you for your kind words sir!

[@pointerg6181]

Hi Noah, just came across your videos. I am currently in the process of designing my own home and will build it myself. I found this video very informative. The calming benefits a fire provides cannot be overstated. Especially in these challenging times. Thanks for sharing your perspective.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thanks pointer G for a great comment. Glad to have you here. As you progress with your build, please send me some pictures. I wish you all the best with your endeavors!

[@nateroberts3308]

I agree i want to build a log lodge with a giant center wall fireplace. I intend to buy a property with plenty of oak trees. Then build on a hill using the materials off my plot.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Sounds like it will be an amazing place!

[@johndifrancisco3642]

Now THIS is what I wanted to see! Beautiful fireplace. Nice idea to take the painting off the wall so it stands there like a piece of art. Great color on the wall too. Really made it pop.

[@brickit26]

Nice choice of materials, It's all about the details.

[@JanColdwater]

Beautiful fireplace!

[@denisela3403]

That's a beautiful fireplace. 😍😍

[@miguelpulido558]

Mr . Bradley,,! You are the very best,,!

[@RhondaDrennan]

What are dimensions of the fireplace and the fire box. We love yours and want one just like it in our new home.

[@Alarmmanjjj]

GREAT Info Noah. Thanks for taking the time to teach us all :) Its the little things that matter

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you... so true... take in the big picture.... and then focus on the details

[@kadadjmel9855]

@@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley ااا

[@century21Builders]

Very good information

[@JimmyKraktov]

My Grandfather was a stone mason who specialized in rock and stonework. He would have loved yours. Funny how those fireplaces he did, many that I saw in homes in my neighborhood as a kid, were all built in the 1920s but still look perfect in today's tastes.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Some things are timeless... and those things capture my attention. I've always liked the idea of creating timeless homes... ones that would always be appreciated and not go out of style in a decade or two. I find that the best way to do that is to look at vintage works... if it was attractive then, and it's attractive now... then it is likely something timeless and worthy of my attention. It sounds like you had a good grandfather... a true blessing in anyone's life.

[@concretechrissantoro5299]

I’m a 4th generation mason my Italian grandfather NONA MICHAEL was a true master mason he had 5 sons and everyone of them became a master brick layer i started mixing their mud at 7 years old and was taught to strike up around 9 years old my Nona and all of my uncles and of course my dad were my real childhood heroes and I grew up and followed in their footsteps 110% I am glad to hear of another guy who had a master mason for a grandfather

[@batimusmaximus2743]

Fabulous video! Love your aethetic philosophy.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thanks so much!

[@Rickswars]

I laid a lot of web stone in the Eighties and Nineties when it was most popular in new homes. That keystone in the middle holds the arch.

[@barnabyaprobert5159]

^ This. I built a brick fireplace but I reserved the keystone for real stone. I carved it out of granite and I smile every time I look at it! :-D

[@Brandywine-farm]

This is terrific! We are building our home and have post and beam construction. If I want a stone fireplace in the end wall all the way up, how do you replace the big king post trusses in the end wall? They just butt up against the stone? We already have framed and put the tongue-n-groove ceiling up. I have looked and looked on the internet and can't find anything.

[@nascarhyde]

As usual Noah, another great episode! I learn so much more with each episode, as my wife and I are planning on building our own "Handmade House"(Craftsman Style American Bungalow, with a nice big front porch!) in the next 1 to 2 years, on our beautiful 15 acres in Metamora, MI. I will be the owner/builder(my dream since I was 13 , about 42 years ago!). That's why I joined your "Handmade House Academy" about 3 to 4 months ago! Thanks again!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I do love that style home... for sure. So glad to have you within the Academy!

[@douglasmcfatridge7366]

How do you feel about fireplace inserts ? To be efficient with blowers.

[@tracynethers2428]

The videos you share are an inspiration always. I love and appreciate your videos I am filled with gratitude for your willingness to share your knowledge and experience with all of us. THANK YOU SO MUCH Mr Bradley

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you Tracy! You are certainly welcome!

[@thebestclassicalmusic]

This is your best episode yet! Thank you for sharing :D

[@TexasBKVideo]

Very interesting thought on having ones tv above the fireplace. I had never thought of what you say, but now that you've brought it up, I completely agree.

[@deepauley2361]

My fire place has a pie slice hunk of stone missing from the key stone. I know how clean the smoke off the front of it but how can I fix the missing piece..it’s 119 years old

[@Lehmann108]

That is a beautiful fireplace!

[@TatooedDoc]

I agree! I have been drawing fireplaces since I was about 10.

[@macsair]

Very nice in depth view on fireplaces. Yours is a true beauty.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you!

[@JustasG]

Hello, very inspiring video, just have a question, can I make a fireplace total from mud bricks? They are burned in factory, old bricks from natural mud. Thank you

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you Justas. I cannot speak to the use of mud bricks, as I have not incorporated them in my projects.

[@JustasG]

@@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley thanks anyway with great video. I will try to make with red mud bricks full fireplace, later will try to play with stones, looks amazing stone fireplace :)

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

@@JustasG You are welcome Justas! Thank you and all the best to you with your project.

[@keithdantonio680]

great video

[@robpeters2296]

I love this fireplace it reminds of something in a medieval story book , what do you think about a fireplace in a bedroom

[@Destinebigz]

Rob Peters I've never had one in my bedroom but as long as you keep a smoke and gas detector always on and near fireplace you should be good. Just be careful of what's around it, it could be flammable.

[@bobrenda1618]

Does chinking provide thermal bridging and therefore less energy efficient?

[@mmform]

amazing fireplace, thx for sharing!!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you! I'm going to build another one similar to this, and step by step, show how it's done in the upcoming Stonemason Academy... noahbradley.lpages.co/stonemason-academy-countdown-page/

[@ashfaqhussainkhan6825]

What is the dimension of fire place

[@kimmyjeans2]

I have a fire place in my home and it never heated the home when I needed it the most . but what I have learned is that the contents of the way mine was built was like crap lol this will help me with next home choices thanks

[@CRFreek]

Can you make a video or explain the details of building this exact fireplace? Where do you get this type of stone? Is it mortared to the wall or what? Also can you show the inside as well? Thanks

[@timklassen421]

thanks NOAH great craftmanship

[@zaccomusic]

nice content friend

[@bookbeing]

beautiful fireplace! Love the atonework. .if you have low ceilings does a floor level hearth work best?

[@andreavargas999]

Hi there - is it possible to build a real fireplace like this in a home with no existing fireplace? Just an empty wall? We are buying our first home with no fireplace in it, but we love a good fire. Please let me know if this is possible. Thank you.

[@miniprepper8284]

Nice video Noah. Our fireplace is a beautiful masonry fireplace, but it's right outside our living room on our covered back porch. It is immediately visible when you walk in our front door so it gives you the illusion that it is in the room- we did that because the house is foam insulated with a thermal mass foundation- deep south... so we enjoy fires when it gets down in the 50s and 40s.

[@petr7856]

Thanking you for an excellent video. Busy planning a new house and want to do this aspect really properly. Learnt a lot from your article!

[@cobbybarzillai-vandapuye6433]

Please what are the top 10 things a home should have ? Thank you.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Please visit the Handmade House Academy page, where I have a video that goes over the 12 keys of creating a Handmade House: noahbradley.leadpages.co/handmadehouseacacemysignuppage/

[@bonanzatime]

Don't forget the door.

[@yolandadobbs9302]

the idea for a hand made log cabin home, is the fireplace. Stone by a great stone mission. want to bulid timber log cabin home. having a hard time finding good quality timber. In big Spring TX. Thank You and God bless

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you!

[@douglasbolton3154]

That's why I'm so syce about the spaciousness of the lightness of my appreciation

[@kimmywimmy7305]

I’d like to put a fireplace in my 1978 builder grade home, for the exact reasons you spoke of. Our house lacks character, and the homey feel in general. Someday!!

[@maryp4870]

Thank you!!

[@cgemondo]

You have the right idea, my friend. Old school quality. Like and sub.

[@quantumofconscience6538]

Thank you for the great video. Per what was said at 4:50 about fireplaces CREATING HEAT. Sure, your fireplace (with 1,000 pounds of stone and brick) will store and then create heat but MOST fireplaces in most homes in the United States will do the opposite, and will increase heating costs. Unless there is a tremendous amount of mass, the typical fireplace won't heat even one room.

[@jimmythesaint2286]

excellent input..

[@mattieice2988]

awesome

[@GiGiGoesShopping]

Swoon ~ gorgeous stone work.My perfect home would have a fireplace in the master and kitchen as well. The original prepper equipment. Power outs? Not a problem.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I once built a fireplace at counter height in a kitchen... designed and built following a Tuscan kitchen design and it was amazing the atmosphere that fireplace added to the room. We've also built a few large early-American cooking fireplaces. For certain a home with a kitchen fireplace is unforgettable.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

So true... every home ought to have the ability to keep it's occupants warm and alive during an emergency.

[@GiGiGoesShopping]

That sounds ideal, one that is visible, functional and easy to use. Wood stoves have their place no doubt, but that fireplace is essential. Nice to know many think the same way. Comforting to know craftsmen still practice their art.

[@ErikaZimmermanMD]

What do you think about rocket mass heaters?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I don't have enough experience with them to give a strong opinion one way or the other. I can say that I found that in all aspects of construction that there many folks who will latch on to one specialized option of a home and they will heavily promote it and defend it as if life depended upon it. "the perfect solution" My own experience is that when it comes to enjoying a fire a traditional fireplace can't be beat. And when it comes to heating a home with wood, and a person who has just come in from the cold, nothing matches having a woodstove. If a person wants the benefits of both, I recommend having one, or more, of each of the above. Everything else (such as Rumford fireplaces) seems to be some kind of attempt to create the best of both worlds but the end result falls short.

[@kevcor4220]

Wow! Extremely well said and explained. We share the same taste and appreciation of quality and a job well done. You should write a book on how to build a cabin with a stone fireplace. Include the option for the plans. I would happily pay for your experience and expertise without hesitation. Superb!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Well thank you! I've gotten used to hearing comments about how I ramble on forever and never get to the point... so this is a breath of fresh air!

[@GODtalks79]

Sir ur very kind and humble how you explaine love to hear teach

[@erinwebster4912]

Hello, I love your series! I can't wait until next week. I plan to start building a log home next year with very similar aesthetics to many of your homes. What is your opinion on instead of having a fireplace, having a wood stove (inset into a fireplace area (ie you can see the fireplace chimney from the outside). The cook stove is coming from my grandparents house that they hand built in the 1940's. I don't really want two chimney's. At head height, I was planning on putting an arch and enclosing the "fireplace" on up the wall. Erin

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Hi Erin, thank you for the kind words, and for your support! I've gotten several questions very similar yours so I'm going to create another video to address my thoughts on the wood-stove/fireplace dilemma. I will keep your question in mind when I put it together... look for it later this week.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you Erin! I do love a fireplace. There is nothing else like it. And a cabin and a fireplace are meant for each other. And when it comes to heating and cooking a woodstove can't be beat. I have built a few cabins with nice stone fireplaces and a woodstove that was simply flued with a metal pipe stuck through the roof.

[@TexasBKVideo]

What is your opinion on the fireplace inserts for increased efficiency?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Hi Bonnie, thanks for the question! I don't like fireplace inserts. I like a fireplace as basic and traditional as it can be... for the enjoyment of a fire. I also like a woodstove for it's own beauty, for it's efficiency, and for the ability to be self sufficient in heating one's own home. Whenever we try to merge the two, we don't get the best that each has to offer, but rather we lose them. It's best to have both within a home. If you have to pick one... choose either a woodstove, or a nice fireplace.

[@farnorthhomested844]

do you have a basement? just wondering, does the stone/brick go all the way to the bottom of the basement? it looks heavy.

[@t.w.4462]

If I was rich I would have you at my place building my dream log small home. Tk u for sparking that flame inside me.

[@egyexpat]

I really love your passion talking about your fireplace and I also like the structure and design very much. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your insights. I was wondering if you can provide me with links/books/references on how to construct a masonry fireplace. I have bought many books and searched a lot online for references but the best i could get was a book by the Donley Brothers Co. published in 1949!

[@njcamocutie7085]

Beautiful...your skills are amazing!! I'm learning so much from you..I'm looking into property now and building ..so many damn rules and regs!!!! In your program do you explain how to build a stone fireplace?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you! The rules have become burdensome... for sure. Most good stone masons are capable of building a good fireplace with any of the good resource book and adding into consideration the points I address in this video. I'm planning on creating a course this coming Fall that will focus on laying Stone. It will be available on it's own for those who just want to learn that skill, or for those who are in the Handmade House Academy... it will be added there at no charge as part of it's ever expanding content. Thank you for asking!

[@Mokkel73]

Is there any sealant between the stone? If so, what kind? Beautiful fireplace!!!!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

There is cement that this carefuly raked back an inch or so to give a dry stack look. Thank you for the compliment. I'm right proud of this one.

[@dslick2756]

where can a person get rough hewn logs for their own log cabin?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

There is a burgeoning market to be found online on sites such as Craiglist, FB marketplace, or even ebay... Caveat Emptor, however. There are also dealers in reclaimed materials that may have said logs in inventory in your area.

[@garybiggs9010]

I have a looping video of a fireplace I play on my big screen TV. All the joy of a fireplace without all the hassle....... not!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

LOL. It's the thought that counts!

[@abissdiver]

Hello, thank you for your vids, they are so inspirational. Just want to ask a one question, why the fireplaces are built inside of a room, and the chimney stay outside of a cabin? Thank you in advance.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Hi, thanks for the positive feedback! That is my goal... to help folks build the best home they can! I've just put together a video that addresses this very question... one that I get a lot! Look for it to be posted in the coming weeks.

[@ludlowfalls8856]

One book i read on log cabins said to go with a stove and not a fire place as a high percentage of the heat goes up the chimney and that just draws in more cold air.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I'm going to have to create another video where I address woodstoves... and Rumford fireplaces. (I've gotten a lot of questions about my thoughts on these... for the record I'm a big fan of woodstoves... I've owned quite a few of them over the years) With all that said, when it comes to enjoying a log cabin, a fireplace is a must. And when it comes to heating a home with locally available, renewable, fuel... a woodstove is the tool to make it happen.

[@ohioladybug7390]

How do you keep the heat in and the cold out? With a damper (I think that’s the name)? Your fireplace IS gorgeous. We have a 5 ft beam from an old barn we had taken down. When we move to our empty nester home on more land, this beam will be our mantle for our stone fireplace. I’d love to have a fireplace in the eat in kitchen. That one would be level with the floor but probably not in the budget 😉

[@paulnolan6702]

A fireplace is only as beautiful as its fire.

[@bonanzatime]

... and a fire is only as beautiful as it's fireplace.

[@Alarmmanjjj]

Moving on to class number 10 !!

[@sherrymurphy330]

Very interesting. Thank you for your expertise. I love fireplaces. As a kid growing up in Nebraska we had a fireplace. It did help heat our home, as we were always counting our Pennie’s. One thing I have never seen since our home. Is an ash pit under the fireplace. Where we had a metal (cast iron I am assuming, that we would slide open and push the fire ashes in. Poof a clean fire place. The ashes would drop in a large pit. Made of brick and once every few years we would clean it out. It was very large, I remember my dad could stand in it. But why don’t they build ash pits for fireplaces anymore? It doesn’t have to be super large, but an easy access from the outside for easy cleaning? Our home, by the way was built in 1902. Just curious. Thank you

[@Mattytube18]

What is more efficient for warmth? A stone fireplace, or a metal wood stove? I've always felt like fireplaces pull all the heat out the chimney. I just signed up for your emailer and contemplating subscribing to your The Handmade House Academy as I'm in the process of buying land in Northern California. I'd like to build myself by myself a small timber home. I'm interested in both mason or adobe with timber framing. Thank you.

[@Mattytube18]

@handmade houses with Noah Bradley I'm enjoying your works and videos ! :)

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I highly recommend having both a wood stove and a fireplace. A wood stove is hands down the best way to heat with wood... and cook if needed. But a fireplace is a must for the enjoyment of a good fire... it is often neglected of passed over nowadays... but so worth what it adds to our lives. It's relatively easy to have both work with a single chimney... one with two flues built into it. I look forward to seeing you join us with the Handmade House Academy... you won't regret it.

[@Mattytube18]

Thanx, Noah !

[@tomdavies6368]

What about a masonry heater?

[@beebob1279]

After years of owning houses with fireplaces, I've determined that all houses built with fireplaces should be built with the fireplace at the center of the house. Even a masonry heating fireplace should be required. It puts a cost to the house but it's a great heating source.

[@garethbaus5471]

Done right is a good heat source, my parents fireplace wasn't done right, and it is only slightly better than a space heater in the room it is attached.

[@lewandacj1914]

We have a late 1800'S fireplace that has been bricked up for a wood stove pipe. .This Spring we hope to remodel. My husband won't just open. But might do a wood stove insert.It is cut stone.that is angled on the inside. Do you think it is possible to cut the stone to fit the fit the insert.I know you are a open person but he isn't ,I would love to enjoy the flames and not a big stove taking up my living room.

[@mitoartigiano5744]

Question about the fresh air supply inlet; in your opinion (even though I realize you said you don't even use yours) would there be any possible benefit or detriment to having a second inlet on the opposite side wall, directly across from/ adjacent to the other one inside of a fireplace (in your case, a second inlet placed on the left wall)? Would there be any potential added aerodynamic effect (cross-breeze or related) that might help to feed more oxygen into the fire and/ or assist or hinder the air flow directing the smoke up the chimney? I only ask because I have a bit of an ocd issue with symmetry when it comes to aesthetics. I know I'd want to have a second inlet if I had to put one on a side wall instead of having it in the middle of the back wall.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I don't think a second one is necessary... a ton of air comes in this one that I have.. and two might create problems... like a breeze blowing through your fireplace. btw... I think half of the reason I don't like them is because I'm told by government authorities that I have to have one... lol... if some old timer had told me it was his secret to a good fireplace I'd probably have a different attitude about them. :)

[@mitoartigiano5744]

I appreciate the reply. I'm sort of the same way with that natural skeptical/ contrarian response when I'm being forced by law to do things to my own possessions that seem to be based on little more than an attempt at coming up with a 'one size fits all' approach to meeting some end. This is especially so when it's questionable if those laws/ codes are actually thoroughly scientifically supported or not in the one or few ways they're intended to work, let alone when applied to the countless ways homes can be designed/ built, and when things seemed to get along fine for countless generations before they became 'necessary' to follow.

[@royreynolds108]

Maybe to help both of you, I will describe the fireplace we had in our St. Louis, MO house. The house was built in 1934 with brick exterior walls and plaster and lath interior walls. The fireplace was brick with brick hearth and firebrick box. There was a cast iron damper to the flue. In the floor of the fire box center back was a cast iron door(pivoting flip type with the pins offset from the center and about 6 inches square) leading to a flue down through the chimney base into a chamber made in the base with a cast iron door in the basement. This chamber was for ashes to be shoveled or swept into the flip door in the firebox and accessed through the door in the basement so the ashes didn't need to be carried through the house. We installed glass doors to the fireplace. Several times when the power was out we would sleep on the living room floor with the fire burning to provide heat. I have never seen another fireplace built this way. We had a wood stove as well as a oil furnace in our house in MI.

[@GarySmythe]

Roy Reynolds, My parents house (built in 1950) has the same type of opening at the center rear of the floor of the fire box. My father told me the ashes were to be swept into it and the ashes could be cleaned out through a small metal door at the base of the chimney outside. But, we never used it, we just cleaned the fireplace by scooping the ashes into a bucket and taking them outside. Probably could've used it as a combustion vent but never did that either.

[@featheredcoyote5477]

My tiny log cabin is a 16'x24'. Do you believe that I could place a fireplace like this on the 16' wall/gable end?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Oh yeah! You have a nice size cabin!... perfect for a fireplace! The gable end is where it belongs.

[@featheredcoyote5477]

Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley Thank you! I need to start researching now on how to construct a fireplace then.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I imagine there are hundreds of sources of good information out there on it... certainly many, many books, and likely a ton of videos too. At some time in the future I'll put together a video on it myself. It's a sad tale that mankind made slow improvements to a fireplace as the centuries passed by and finally reached perfection in the 50's and 60's only to abandon them a couple decades later.

[@AuGold808]

Is that "soapstone" you're using for the hearth? I'm very interested in "contraflow soapstone masonry heaters" but perhaps just the use of a slab like this on the hearth would suffice.

[@LongRidgeFarmer]

Is there a particular stone that isn't suitable for a fireplace? I've heard of Creekstone cracking actually exploding. I'm just wondering are there some stones that will crack?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

You are correct... there is a bit of concern to keep in mind with stones that are used to create the firebox area (the area below and immediately around the burning fire). Many stones have moisture within them and if they reach the boiling point the expansion can cause rocks to flake, chip, pop, crack, and yes even explode. Creek rock would have the most amount of moisture in it as well as any exposed to weather. Stones used to face a fireplace are not exposed to such intensities of heat so no worries there. All fireplaces, and particularly those built with a stone firebox, should all be broken-in gently and over a long period of time. At first, small quick fires, and then gentle larger ones for a season. The fireplaces of old, those built of stone would often wear out in the back as the stone slowly degrades, today's modern firebrick solves that problem and provides a safe medium. I do on occasion still build a chimney with a stone firebox for clients who I fully inform they need to practice extra caution. Admittedly there is no more attractive option of a fireplace than one built of solid stone. One great alternative method I have used many times its to build the firebox out of soapstone cut to the size of brick (it's the same material used to build woodstoves) It is a bit pricey but is attractive, durable, and will radiate the heat from a fireplace very well.

[@randycrews3432]

I'm not getting hands on tutorials of diy stuff but lots of wisdom from intelligents mixed with experience. I'm trying to catch up to you for the next Wednesday but you do ramble on some! And thats comming from a Precher... LOL

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Oh I do ramble... lol... I like to circle the wagons before I light the fire.

[@tkjazzer]

What about traditional bread oven and these Russian Rocket Stove Heaters?

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Yes indeed, there are a lot of options out there. I do like bread... well, more than like, for sure! And, I've heard those rocket stoves are good. There are so many options out there for heating and for cooking as you mention. Also, today so many are lured into the cheaper options like a gas fireplace or prefab fireplace unit. A good wood burning fireplace, once the most basic component of home is often forgotten. An ideal home has a way to heat the home with wood... and a place to cook with... but most importantly a place that is devoted to the enjoyment of a good fire, and nothing can come close to that as a well made fireplace.

[@tkjazzer]

Bread oven is at baker standing height. It would be in one of the most used rooms in a house - the kitchen. You can put a good size fire in a massive traditional bread oven... it can be built with masonry brick and mirror and clay. It could look gorgeous. Could somehow connect it to a rocket furnace and then the log cabin wing could have your style fireplace!

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I do enjoy a fireplace in a kitchen! I like the way you think!

[@DAVID-os1ib]

Hey! I love your tutorials. I am David from Kenya, a diploma holder in Building Construction Technology, I enjoy this career a lot and would like to learn more from you. Would you mind if we get in touch?

[@markenge9348]

I like what you have to say about "real" solid masonry fireplaces. I tried to persuade customers for years not to by a cheap fake metal fireplace and not to fall for the salesman's pitch with all the bs about how their metal fireplace wouldn't rob your house of heat like a masonry fireplace would; and I understand that they have some very biased studies that support their claims. But those studies focus on what is happening when the fire is dying out with just embers. As to the laying position of the brick, when they are laid in the shiner position the firebox requires almost 50% less high cost firebrick and can be built in half the time. I once built 2 36" boxes in 4 hours before lunch. But they're going to burn out with moderate to heavy use in 10 years or less. You're right; laying stretchers is better. I've rebuilt a lot of burned out fireboxes especially where they're laid shiner (2-1/2" doesn't even meet some codes) However, its ALWAYS the back that burns out and not the sides. Even if you use refractory clay the brick will eventually burn out. I was taught to arch the back slightly so that when the mortar started to burn out and the brick started to get loose the bricks would stay there because of the arch structure. I have however observed that the smoke when the fire is first lit tends to roll and stall beneath the arch and that a straightbacked fireplace which leans forward to the damper positioned all the way to the front of a firebox 20" to 24" deep, draws better than the arch shape. To overcome the structural weakness of the straight angled back, lay the brick in herringbone pattern. I've had fireplaces which were burned out and threw the brick back in a herringbone without ANY mortar and they stayed that way for life. The bricks interlock in a herringbone and the force of gravity hold them together even though they are leaning over the fire. As I said earlier, the sides don't burn out. Since that is the case, I laid them shiner in my own personal house BUT I laid them in a full Flemish bond with 2 wythes of firebrick. This left a 4" cavity in the sides which formed part of a plenum around the box. I also began the plenum underneath the floor of the box by laying the firebrick floor on cored facebrick laid in shiner rows laid strategically spaced to give structural support for the firebrick floor while permitting maximum airflow beneath the box. The flow continued to the back of the herringbone back of the firebox to a cavity which went up to the height of the smokeshelf at the bottom of the flue at which point it exited into the aforementioned sidewall cavities. Airflow exited the sidewall cavities across the top of a high form steel damper before the heated air passed out into the room through vents just below the mantle. Airflow is powered by a 3 speed squirrel-cage fan concealed in the raised hearth. This system works. Besides this fireplace in the livingroom, in my bedroom I use a fanpowered Ashley insert that I bricked around and vent through an L shaped 6" stovepipe that radiates more heat than the insert itself Last but not least i use a plain old 2 burner woodstove which is more centrally located in the house. Ironically, when it comes down to it, it's the woodstove that heats the house. Something else to think about. The hottest heat producing fireplace that I ever built was a rumford design with a shallow 16" box and a 24" damper. Wouldn't hold much firewood but you'd burn your ass if you stood too close.

[@analynn5272]

My main source of heat in my current home is a wood stove and I love it. The house also does have a fireplace, not a very attractive one, it's a metal fire box surrounded by brick. We stopped using the fire place quite a few years ago after learning that a fire place effectively draws more heat out of the house than creating. Do you find this not to be true? Does it depend on the materials used? I imagine all that stone creates a significant heat sink

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I love woodstoves... and have had one in every house I've ever built for myself. When it comes to heating efficiency a woodstove cannot be beat. A fireplace likely throws more heat up the chimney than it does into the home... but it does not draw more heat out of a house than it contributes. I can easily prove that by turning off my heat and comfortably heating several rooms of my home with my fireplace. I don't blame you for not using a fireplace which is basically a metal box... that is what is typically being built today in many homes. Those things are depressing. What I can say is that a nicely built fireplace is a joy to have... it enriches the soul much like sitting on a porch on a summer day... or staring out at the ocean with someone you care about. As long as there have been humans we have had the joy of staring into a fire, gathering our thoughts, and sharing a conversation... it's only in the last fifty years or so that we have walked away from this pleasure and we are the poorer for it. I am a BIG fan of having both a woodstove for heat and self-sufficiency.... and in having a real fireplace.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

And yes... the stone does act as quite a heat sink... long after the fire goes out the place around the fireplace is inviting to be close by. :)

[@tomdavies6368]

I don't know how many times I've heard people say that a fireplace draws more heat out of the house than it creates. It's total nonsense, propaganda from an industry that is trying to sell you something.

[@johnwoodrowii4684]

still comes down to money . have to build a mud chimney jimmy system haha . small fires . dreams to have own like that or hayfields and mccoy movie. cook on it .

[@Camz316]

Are you in Virginia? I would like to come and see a cabin your working on.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I am in Virginia. Thank you for the interest! I hope to offer tours and hands-on classes sometime in the future, but right now I'm overwhelmed with responsibilities, and requests, and severely short on time.

[@stevendillabough1730]

Another enjoyable episode. looking forward to next Wednesdays.

[@paullarsen8859]

Years ago I rented and old stone house. They had added rooms over many years and most of the additions were stick and beam. Guess they ran out of a good source of river rock. Anyway the main cabin was all river rock. Small but comfy. Two sections, can’t really call them rooms. 1 the main living area the other was the kitchen I’m rambling The feature that captured me was the fireplace. It was one wall Yea the whole wall. Left natural stone the rest had been covered with wood inside cladding, over the rock The fire place grabbed my attention because of the careful thought put into its design. In the center was a large opening with a cast iron insert. Thing must have weighed a ton. He had built air channels into the rock. At the far base of the wall were inlets. At the middle were outlets. “With baffles or dampers that could be opened or closed “variable “ It got really cold in the winter and that big rock wall would heat the whole darn house With the vents wide open you had forced air heating. With them closed just radiant heat. Which was a lot. Not many fires in the summer and those few were small I remember many mornings get up house was chilly but only chilly. Walking into a hot bed of red hot coals throwing some big logs in and 10-15 minutes later having a roaring fire and a nice warm house. -20 outside + 80 inside House never got below 55-60 degrees no mater how bad it was out side If\ when I build a house I know how I’m going to heat it. Make the fire work for me I think I’d take it one step further and wrap some copper pipe in the close end of the flu, might as well get some free hot water while your at it Ok, was it a an absolute beautiful fireplace. No, but very attractive and more importantly functional. Guess the old rancher in 1890 knew what he was doing

[@sarahmartin3558]

In my province of Ontario here, I've seen the stone fireplaces in the older Limestone colonial homes, but later on in the early 19th century up to the 20th, the fireplaces are made of red clay bricks, and they look so attractive. Proper clay bricks though, not those faux red concrete bricks that they use on brick vaneered houses these days, that start to flake apart and crumble a couple of years after they've been laid.

[@bigchico1963]

Can you help me build my fireplace

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

Fireplaces can be free winter heating, everything else you have to pay for...which can get real spendy the closer you get to the Poles. I've always enjoyed the winter "round robin seating" as people move from outside, to the hearth, to the seat farthest from the fireplace, to a closer seat... If you have a center vent hole visible, put a cast iron fireback in front of it in a way that the air can still move freely but you don't have to look at it (such as leaning against the back wall with bottom of plate two inches out from wall). Don't forget, up north try and have fireplace/chimney all inside(except obviously top few feet of chimney); so that exterior portion of fireplace isn't gushing warmth into the great outdoors and is instead slowly releasing heat into the house....

[@kevinolson1102]

I know your intention was to address the aesthetic design of the face of a fireplace, but the mechanics can't be ignored, either. Any thoughts on or direct experience with: 1) Rumford style fireplaces, with shallow fireboxes and slender throats, to improve radiant heating and draw 2) Combining fireplaces with masonry (Russian) heaters From my research, both radiant/Rumford firebox geometry and masonry/mass heaters can substantially improve thermal efficiency over a conventional modern deep firebox fireplace, constructed to safely hold a fire but not particularly designed to throw heat. This difference can be important both to decrease the labor/time needed to secure a season's worth of wood and to make a house comfortable or at least bearable in truly cold weather (-20 to -40F, or even colder - not uncommon occurrences in northern temperate climates or at elevation in the Southwest). Even if air temperatures are quite low, the radiant heating effect can help to compensate. I know this to be true from personal experience, both from sunny but cold days in late winter or early spring and from standing near a fire when winter camping. There are a number of designs on Russian language websites for radiant heaters incorporating fireplaces, cook tops, bake ovens and stoves, sometimes with heated benches or beds warmed by the flue gases, sometimes using multiple heat sources (wood or coal, gas, electric), some also incorporating boilers for hot water or steam heat. Rumfordesque firebox geometry is also widely available online, though first reading Count Rumford himself is a good foundation from which to view any modern discussion, in my opinion. Also, I noticed that your masonry stacks are generally on the exterior of gable walls, not in the interior of the home. Interior stack heat losses to the outside are much less, again probably much more of a consideration in colder climates than Virginia or the broader Southeastern US where you are working. My understanding is that gable end chimney placement is a holdover from the days when frontier chimneys were often a hastily built affair of sticks and mud and were freestanding, not tied to the wall of the house. If there was a chimney fire, it was common practice to pull down the chimney away from the house, which would kill the draft and save the structure. I've seen photos of old chimneys which had a several inch air gap between the chimney and the gable end wall, and a pronounced lean away from the wall, as well. On the other hand, contemporary or even earlier - but much more substantially constructed - center hall colonials might have had two or more interior masonry stacks, with multiple fireplaces and their associated flues in each stack. Interior stacks do require attention to roof flashing details, which consideration can be largely or entirely avoided with exterior gable wall placement. Though a masonry chimney on the exterior of a house can be an important visual design element (and this is not to be ignored), the thermal efficiency which can be gained by carefully chosen alternatives can take priority in less clement climates. A compromise might be to have three sides of the stack on the interior, and only one side exposed to the exterior.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment Kevin. I typically don't build what many consider a rumford style fireplace mostly for aesthetic reasons. When it comes to wood heat, my basic operating philosophy is a fireplace is there to warm the soul (although a traditional fire place will certainly keep a room warm) and a woodstove to warm the house. A Russian style fireplace can be a great addition to one's home, but my goal or focus when building a traditional American cabin or upscale farmhouse is to stick to the style rather than innovate. You are correct with respect to your observation regarding chimneys in VA and the South. They are mostly on the exterior, although now and again, you will see them in the center of a home, depending on style and era of the home. Often a traditional historic brick home has the exterior of the chimney flush with the outer wall with the three sides of the stack exposed or at least revealed/intimated in the interior. This was not typically done in a lone log cabin however. That said, I have built several exposed chimneys in client's homes (as well as my own) over the years. The determining factor is the overall aesthetic design desired by the client. The cabin of the Madison Farm House, which I am reviewing on the Facebook, has that aesthetic in mind.

[@kevinolson1102]

@@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley Thanks so much for the reply. I see that you had already addressed my points in subsequent videos, but I very much appreciate the direct reply here, as well. I'm going through your videos more or less in order, assuming that you made them available in this order by intention. My wife and I recently bought a small piece of land (about 4 acres) which has red pines, some birch and spruce, with blueberries, Labrador tea and wintergreen undergrowth. For now, we have a camper trailer set up seasonally, but we're thinking ahead to a cabin or small house. Your videos and information are very instructive. Thanks again.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

@@kevinolson1102 You are welcome Kevin. Thanks for your kind words and for following along! Best of success with the new homestead!

[@denisela3403]

You should do a home your of the outside and inside.

[@joec.4658]

Hey! I am wondering what your opinion is on having parlor or even cook stoves in a cabin. We have a few from the 1880s and are aiming for a traditional feeling.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

I like having additions off of the cabins I build... even if it's just a small lean-to off the back... quite often where the kitchen would be located. One of your stoves would be PERFECT there.

[@whatever8243]

I want to add a fire place to my home.

[@rufinafajardo7800]

Hi Noah! I enjoyed listening to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas about the perfect fireplace. I subscribed to your channel after I watched this video. And how about "The Aesthetics of the Perfect Stone Fireplace" as a title, in order to set the expectations? Or something close to insights about the perfect stone fireplace... I think the title is misleading.

[@HandmadeHouseswithNoahBradley]

Thank you Rufina. That sounds like a good title to me... I may take you up on your suggestion to rename the video...

[@bonanzatime]

Wow you really, Really, REALLY Love That Fireplace. Sounds like you're making marriage vows to it.

[@ginaheaton2203]

😭😭😭😭😭😭