Woodstove!

Paul finally granted one of my fondest house-wishes and tore out the 70's Brady Bunch fireplace to replace it with a custom slate and river rock surround, plus high efficiency woodstove! So beautiful and cozy!

Out with the old, in with the new: the process...
Before

Bless Paul's over-achiever heart for cutting all those round edges with a traditional straight-edge tile saw. He even put in a vent to the downstairs (see vent opening at top center) with a thermostat-controlled fan to blow hot air downstairs when the ceiling air temp upstairs reaches ~75 F.

Coal not only approved, he gave us some impromptu stand-up from his new stage.

All the rock, mortar, and grout in, but no sealant or color enhancer yet.

Finished! ...with custom local birch trim.