Ok so I have a built in fireplace at my house right now… When I bought the house it was hidden behind a wall. The wall was put up b/c the fireplace is shoot (I was told its something on inside :gotme:)
Here is my issue, The bricks on the outside of the house on the 2 footer rows are falling apart making the fire place move away from the house (about 1/2 inch in the past 5 years) and the bricks are now starting to have the face of the bricks fall off …
Do I
A.) pay someone to come out and fix the bricks (unknown amt of $$ ) fix the cement under the fireplace that has cracked and sank, then fix the flue and liner and what else goes with it … Im thinking about ~$15,000
B.) Take the fucking thing out and put in sliding glass doors to a deck, in doing this I would need to have new siding put on that 2ft section all the way up (this I can DIY and the siding is only a year old so I can still get the color and not worry about “sun bleach” should run about $450 in just the siding and shit)… a nice baller deck could be built for ~$1500
My real question here is would I have more value in keeping the fireplace or adding the deck and shit
I cant even use the fireplace now b/c it does not work, so i dont know what its like … If I really miss(the look) it I could just add a vent free or even a vented nice one for ~$1000 and get some heat off it
No way I’d drop $15k on a wood burning fireplace. Do the deck and if you decide you really want a fireplace in a couple years install a nice gas/propane vented one somewhere else in the house.
Especially out there in west bumblefuck where he lives. Do you think the future redneck buyer will be more interested in a fireplace to sit down in front of and read a good novel, or a deck to sit outside drinking PBR?
its really what I was looking for… like it was even worth the value that is added in the house to keep it… I was looking to try and find out how much value goes up with/without one and I found 6k …:gotme:
we have a deck about 6ft away from it right now …so it would just be a add-on type thing its about 3 ft off the ground (stright walk out witha sliding glass door ) if concrete is going anywere on the ground it would be for a hottub
if you want to know the real value, contact a local real estate agent or a local appraiser. They are the ones who will tell you how much value it would add in your own market.
I would think it is way more desirable for a house in the country than for a house in city(country folk like that sorta thing).
I dont know anyone who actively uses a wood fireplace. its either gas for looks or a wood stove, usually one of the big ones out side. Plus youll use the fireplace a few times a year while a deck can be used year round (think: hot tub, winter grilling)
If you decide to save the fireplace. I can walk you through the steps and sell you the parts for my price +5%(savings of 45% off retail)
for the face of the brick you need to pressure wash the entire thing then seal the brick with a brick sealer.
The flue tiles are most likely shot so you need a liner these would run you 250-1500 depending on qualility, size etc. Assuming the tiles aren’t blocking the flue this is not to hard to do.
Then you can buy a nice set of windows for the front.
Once the chimney is lined and insulated with glass doors you will have a fairly efficient wood fireplace. The smaller insulated flue will keep much more heat in the house.
There is also the option of gas logs added to everything above.
I would bet you could DIY this project for under $1500
they will only touch it once (well ours woudl go back a few more time) …
yes I would build some what of a “pit” on the side of the deck, there would be no reuseing the bricks from the fire place they are falling apart now there is no point to use shitty bricks to make something new
now that Im talking about it, it makes me want to do it …
You will want to heat with wood eventually. Maybe just put in a cheap wb stove. Do you own lots o trees on your property? Energy bills are sure to increase.
