Fireplace work

[YourGrandpa]

Look, I don't want this to seem like I'm shitting on your entire project. Trust me I'm not. But that wiring looks horrid.

You really do need to move the TV if you can. If not, at least recess the wiring into the wall.

[obsidian]

I think that's why he's still building that massive wooden cabinet around the whole thing.

[Giraffe }{unter]

Look, I don't want this to seem like I'm shitting on your entire project. Trust me I'm not. But that wiring looks horrid.

You really do need to move the TV if you can. If not, at least recess the wiring into the wall.

I'm putting a smaller Screen in the living room a 42" is more proportional to the opening I will have in the surround I'm building. (see pic below), This TV will soon just be used for the morning Sesame Street and controlling the media/music in the house so hopefully my little one can deal with the smaller screen . The columns in surround will be hollow with hidden access doors for future wiring upgrades and to make the hidden outlets up to code.

This is the basic idea except I will be matching the moldings to the ones currently throughout the house.

[plained]

lol i wouldnt even notice the lines

and if i did i would give it any thought

thats just me

[Underpants?]

Looks very sharp against the hardwood, nice choice. One piece of advice, from personal experience, the slate is soft as hell--I recommend more than just the standard 1/16th layer of mastic beneath the tile for added strength. .02!!

[Giraffe }{unter]

Somehow with only a few hours free time this afternoon I managed to get a good chunk of the fireplace surround up.

It's starting to look like what I hoped it would be.

Oh and Gramps - NO MORE WIRES !!!

[R00k]

Looking nice gh, good job.

Mind if I ask where you buy wood for your projects?

[Giraffe }{unter]

thanks,

I buy most of the wood at Home Depot since they can rip the wood down to fit in my wife's truck and it's more convenient since I can get all my supplies at once. The moldings that I don't make myself I get from Lowes I don't by the big stuff from lowes it's more expensive there (about $15.00 more per sheet)

[YourGrandpa]

Looks good so far. I'm looking forward to the final product.

[+JuggerNaut+]

not a fan of the tv over the fireplace look, but you've done a great job here.

[Giraffe }{unter]

Thanks, hopefully the smaller plain TV will look much better when we are done. Although it's a great TV I sort of agree with my wife the NEC we have in the basement with the plain Bezel will look much better up there.

As usual a sub project formed...

One annoying aspect of our living room is that it has no lighting, it's all floor or table lamps. So since I am going up to the ceiling with the surround it allows me to get electrical up there for lighting. I decided to cut holes and install recessed halogens in the living room.

What I thought would be a straight run was not, for some reason they installed a block between the beams so I need to cut more holes

[plained]

i like it but i''ll be honest cuz i'm critical ey so

i dont like the little tables under each window

clutter ey

i begrudge those pesky flat surfaces

[Tsakali]

the wood trim all around, are you going to close it up from the inner sides or you're going to leave it be hollow? really bugs me

[YourGrandpa]

Those "blocks" you are running into are called fire stops. Unfortunately they are not like studs with regards to placement. Studs are installed every so many inches. Fire stops are installed in a more random fashion. Usually they are installed somewhere along the midway point between the top and bottom of the wall, for the entire length of the wall. They are also installed in between the wooden floor joists as well.

[Giraffe }{unter]

the wood trim all around, are you going to close it up from the inner sides or you're going to leave it be hollow? really bugs me

absolutely, it's open right now so I can run all the electrical, audio and video, once the wiring is done I will be closing that off with wood, then putting a sub wall behind the TV to completely hide the mount. I will also be installing a topper above the pillars with recessed lighting.

Those "blocks" you are running into are called fire stops...

It's in the ceiling in a random location. I know about fire stops, my "to do" list has me installing them in the basement rafters, my house is from the 1930s with lovely balloon framing. I'm not sure what the block is in the ceiling, but I'm opening up the other side tonight so we will see if it was random or not.

[Giraffe }{unter]

i like it but i''ll be honest cuz i'm critical ey so

i dont like the little tables under each window

clutter ey

i begrudge those pesky flat surfaces

They are actually a solution for clutter. Until I finish my basement my daughter's playroom is in the living room. Now that she's mobile she can wreck the room in 15 minutes. With the simple shelving all her toys are hidden (mostly) and our adult space isn't too bad. Now she play in one bin and cleans up before moving to another.

This is before we would clean up after playtime.

[R00k]

thanks,

I buy most of the wood at Home Depot since they can rip the wood down to fit in my wife's truck and it's more convenient since I can get all my supplies at once. The moldings that I don't make myself I get from Lowes I don't by the big stuff from lowes it's more expensive there (about $15.00 more per sheet)

Makes sense. What sort of wood do you buy? Do you go for white/red oak, or something like that?

[YourGrandpa]

It's in the ceiling in a random location. I know about fire stops, my "to do" list has me installing them in the basement rafters, my house is from the 1930s with lovely balloon framing. I'm not sure what the block is in the ceiling, but I'm opening up the other side tonight so we will see if it was random or not.

Is your house a 2 story? If so, those blocks will be in between the 2nd fl's floor joists as well.

[Giraffe }{unter]

Is your house a 2 story? If so, those blocks will be in between the 2nd fl's floor joists as well.

Yeah I found they are for stability and load balancing. I just cut another hole before them and drilled a 7/8" hole to pull the wire through. What a P.I.T.A. :/

Makes sense. What sort of wood do you buy? Do you go for white/red oak, or something like that?

It really doesn't matter for these projects, I'm not staining the wood for most of my projects, personally I'm all about bright High gloss white to match all the other woodwork in the house. Basically if it's a nice smooth piece with minimal imperfections it works. Any blemishes get hit with wood putty and caulk

[plained]

i like it but i''ll be honest cuz i'm critical ey so

i dont like the little tables under each window

clutter ey

i begrudge those pesky flat surfaces

They are actually a solution for clutter. Until I finish my basement my daughter's playroom is in the living room. Now that she's mobile she can wreck the room in 15 minutes. With the simple shelving all her toys are hidden (mostly) and our adult space isn't too bad. Now she play in one bin and cleans up before moving to another.

This is before we would clean up after playtime.

hehe classic!

but hey u know, when the room is at its normal state (kids things all around) those little under the window boxes just add to the clutter!

i have this thing about shelves , surfaces, boxes built into walls, i dont like them!

[Giraffe }{unter]

Finally got the cap installed and all the lighting and wiring done. Now back to finishing the rest of the surround and sealing it up.

[Captain]

i have this thing about shelves , surfaces, boxes built into walls, i dont like them!

Because they're not wheelchair-accessible?

[obsidian]

Might be useful to know...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yo ... iency.aspx

[shaft]

Finally got the cap installed and all the lighting and wiring done. Now back to finishing the rest of the surround and sealing it up.

looks good, and the tv looks fine there.

[Giraffe }{unter]

Thanks Shaft, but the WAF on that idea was low so it goes into the basement :/

Might be useful to know...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yo ... iency.aspx

Thanks for the link, I'm looking into their recommendation of using fireback to capture some of the heat. We already have the glass door seal and since it's a gas fire we are required by code to leave the flue damper open 2" We knew a gas log set was less efficient than our original idea of a gas insert, but we want a full roaring fire effect not a mini firebox. We also have new baseboard heating which is very efficient so we basically wanted a pay per view fire.



WAF = Wife Acceptance Factor