Fireplace in any home always serves as a beautiful and comfortable space where family members can enjoy good conversation, food and quality time together. And rock fireplace, in particular has something special. Rock and stone have been used for thousands of years for fireplace surrounds. Their beauty is timeless and unmistakable, and the choices of materials today are better than ever.
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Also, a fireplace serves as an effective heating system. In fact, stones have been used for thousands of years to contain campfires and indoor fires in castles and cottages. Your fireplace can be built from rock that’s available in the area where you live. You can have a rustic fireplace or a very elegant one. It is your choice.
There are so many options. Either way you decide to go, keep the room’s size in mind when planning your fireplace surround. The scale of the stones should be proportional to the rest of the room.
The only downside to having this type of fireplace is the high cost in construction. This can be attributed to the solid and heavy material involved and to the skills required in building such a structure. There are different rock materials to choose from. These include river rock, concrete blocks and granite. River rock can be used in making a real rock fireplace as a veneer or in building a faux rock fireplace
Your stone fireplace hearth should be planned with great care. It needs to meet the minimum building-code requirements, but it also needs to be practical. Also, check to make certain the floor is strong enough to hold the extra weight of the rocks if you are using genuine rocks. However, don’t use soft rocks such as slate or any rock that chips or crumble easily. Limestone, granite and dense metamorphic rocks can stand up to heat with no issues.
It is a good idea to hire professional masons for this kind of job. They are skilled in building this very attractive and handcrafted rock fireplace, and the fireplace can be custom built according to your specifications. By hiring a contractor, a homeowner can have peace of mind confident that the construction follows the right process.
A cheaper option is to go for the faux rock (veneer) fireplaces which appear the same as a genuine rock. Only keep in mind that the stone used in a stone veneer fireplace needs to be durable and not susceptible to heat damage.
Outdoor Fireplace Considerations | How To Build A House (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
