FIREPLACE STONE || replaced the fireplace with a wood stove

There are so many wonderful things about old homes….the character, the history, the beauty, and the list goes on. On the flip side, one of the challenges of an old home is heat and cooling efficiency :). If you have lived in an old home, you know this well! A few years ago, we lost power for 5 days and the temps were below freezing. We quickly realized we needed a heat source not dependent on electricity!

BEFORE

We had a lovely fireplace in the living room, but it was just for ambiance. That’s super lovely when you just want to sit in that room and enjoy it….while the heater is running :) We thought through different options and in the end, decided a wood stove was the best fit for how we used the house!

Matt wants to add more built-in detail to the top, but for now we need to be able to use it, and it keeps half of the house warm and cozy!

We went back and fourth on over grouting, or dry stacking the stone.

I love the dry stacked…..Matt wishes he would have over grouted. We want it to look like an original New England style wood stove surround.

One day (maybe :) Matt will have time to finish it out like he would really love to!

I think it’s beautiful….. and when the to-do list is always too long to complete, we have to just finish some things and move on to the next!

If you need me for the next few months…..every evening you can find me cozy by this fire.

xoxo ~ Darci