Our brick surround worked well around our wood stove, holding the heat nicely. But Will has been wanting to put in a stone hearth under the stove, along with a stone wall behind the stove and on both sides of it in our octagonal living room. So he decided Saturday was the day. The stones were already gathered in the greenhouse for much of the winter. (Yep, I stumbled over the pile for weeks!) But when he was ready, so were the stones. He framed in the hearth with 2x4s, laid plastic down to keep water from the cement from dripping onto the insulation below the floor and we started mixing concrete in the good old wheelbarrow. He mixed the first batch, then I did the next two. But he felt sorry for me as it was hard mixing, so he called in a friend of ours. In half an hour, I had a big, strong young man on the end of the hoe, mixing more concrete. (With my falling-off-the-roof bad back, mixing concrete with a hoe is not an easy job!)
In three hours, we had a new stone and concrete hearth and after three days, we wrestled the wood stove back into place and hooked up the stove pipe. Will’s going to leave the forms in place for a week so the edges cure good and hard, but we’re burning wood in the stove again and are very pleased with the result. The wall stone work will come later on when we have time. — Jackie
That is just so beautiful!!!
Very nice. My husband did that years ago in the moble home we lived in. Saved a lot of money burning wood. Now we have a brick hearth in our home, and we are still saving money.
You need a “LIKE” button at the bottom of each of your articles :)
LOVE it!! I sure enjoy your blog (and all your articles and books!!!!) and love seeing what you are getting done on your place. Just wonderful!
Beautiful. Have you figured out what Will cannot do? He seems to be able to do pretty much everything.
That looks incredible! Beautiful work. I have wanted to do that in my house for 2 yrs. Keep up the great work, I follow your blog religiously. I have 3 of your books, and have ventured out of my comfort zone and now can everything I get my hands on. Thank You.
Danielle
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