I have Rumford fireplaces in my antique house. When we had an addition built in 1998 we added another one. My advice would be to fine an experienced mason who has built these before and check with the local building department to be sure it can be done with all the building code requirements in place today. If I had it to do over I would have tried to get “pumpkin seed” brick. It is an antique English brick, a little smaller with a narrower face compared to new brick, which came over from England as ballast in the ships.

Caulking and proper drilling and spacing of nails

The materials are just 30% of the cost.  They are labor intensive and if you are fairly handy you can save a bundle of money doing it yourself.  However, this is not a task for the average DYI.  If you hire someone to supply and install the system you can plan on spending $3,000 and up depending on the size of your closet.  

I guess it would really depend on what type of home, the age of it and where it's located. Most of your older homes (prior to 1940) have a lot custom details you want to keep intact. If it's really old, and hasn't been maintained, then restoring may not be an economical solution. A lot of the homes in our area (DC Metro) are being torn down because the lots are so valuable.

Hello Alex, 

We are one of the largest James Hardie Siding Elite Preferred contractors in Maryland and we have done numerous James Hardie installs. We have used this application before; it is called a compound miter. Due to the angle of the siding you will first need to determine the angle at which the siding sits on the house wall, which is typically between 10-15 degrees. The actual corner should be at a 45 degree angle. We have found the easiest way to do this is to begin at the bottom course using short pieces to determine the angle. If you need additional information please do not hesitate to contact us 301-355-4604.

Thank you!

Custom Concepts Construction, Inc.

Both can be costly. If you tear down, you may build it exactly how you want it - and potentially have less problems then trying to create something new out of something old. You never know what could potentially go wrong with an old building. It's kind of like buying an older car - it may be cheaper in the moment, but something may go wrong and have to be replaced after a year or so. If it's a good conditioned older building, then why not renovate it!! However, if it needs a lot of work, and the foundation is pretty shady, then tearing it down and starting from the bottom would logically be the best choice!

Interior chimneys are at least 4" larger in all four directions than the flue they contain. A chimney containing a 12"x12" clay flue liner must be at least 20" by 20". Combustible materials must be kept at least 2" away from the outside of the chimney walls. Exterior chimneys only need to be 1" away from the exterior combustible wall of the house.

By code the chimney must extend at least three feet above the roof and two feet above any part of the roof within ten feet. Cast in place or use a pre-cast concrete chimney cap with a drip edge and caulk the joint between the cap and the top flue liner with a silicon sealant.

In Seismic areas place a #4 steel reinforcing bar in each corner of the chimney, preferrably in the cells of the brick or block, and grout solid. If you must place the reinforcing steel between the flue liner and the surrounding masonry we recommend wrapping the flues with 1/8" ceramic fiber paper "socks" before placing the grout to allow the flue liners a lttle room to expand without cracking the exterior masonry. Tie the surrounding masonry horizontally every 18" with steel ladder or K-web, or pencil rod in the bed joints. Exterior chimneys must be anchored at each floor and roof.

The surround (the area at least 6" wide around the fireplace opening) can be finished with brick, stone, tile, terra cotta, slate, marble - almost any decorative masonry material. 100 years ago fireplace surrounds were often finished with ordinary plaster and sometimes painted black. The surround should not be used to lower the opening of the fireplace. The part of the surround over the fireplace opening should be just low enough to cover the edge of the rounded Rumford throat and not so low that it might cause unwanted turbulence.

Standard ideal height would be 32", but in this case with a 5' 1" chef we would fully customize this for the situation.

So you think you may have mold,   then it a fairly simply solution....bring in the best people you can find and be on site when they do their walk thorugh and walk around with a pad of paper.  They are some of the best people in the industry. 

Philip Anderson

Berkeley Ca

With anything like this, I hate to be the first especially with this manufacturer. They brought out the Nest smoke detector and it get recalled.  I would rather wait  and watch the press and blogs and when the dust clears and all is good then starting specifiing them. 

Phililp Anderson

Berkeley CA

This is a great question!

I think the most important aspect of staying in your neighbor's good graces is good communication. NEDC likes to have one of our team go around the neighborhood personally at the start of every project and hand out contact information for our company. We give our business card, a letter letting the neighborhood know about the project and how long we expect it to take, and a flyer about our company.

It helps both us and our client, because we get publicity and marketing out of letting your neighbors know (all of which are potential referrals), and you get increased awareness and good feelings about the amount of communication. Additionally, if your neighbors get complaints, they usually end up calling us rather than you. 

I'd suggest to the company completing your project that they at least mail out a flyer to your neighbors. Obviously not every company is going to be able to devote a person to come out and knock on doors like we do, but a flyer shouldn't be too hard to communicate.

If they are resistant to that idea, I'd suggest sending out a letter yourself, just informing them of your intent. That way, they feel acknowledged right off the bat, and there are clear lines of communication going forward. 

Good luck!