Final planning

[Ed_]

Maybe the title of this post is a little optimistic... I don't think we'll really know what this thing is going to look like until it's up. But I've been doing some of those not-so-interesting preconstruction things, and I thought I'd bore you all with them.

I've visited the local inspections office and told them my plans. As expected, they told me I don't need a permit. Now I'm safe if they come knocking on my door later. Ten feet from the house and three feet from the property line and it's good.

My utilities are marked, and fortunately none of them go under the spot we had chosen. They may interfere with a later patio, but that's another project.

Finally, I've located a brick supplier. Unfortunately, it's not quite local--it's about 40 miles away, so I'm stuck with a $125 delivery charge. I guess that means I need to count carefully!

Here are the prices they quoted me... please comment on them.
- Standard face brick: $0.36 - $0.50, depending on the exact brick
- Standard full-size firebrick: $1.75 each

Their brick prices actually go up as high as $1.25 if you want glazed or handmade brick. I'd really RATHER find free used brick, but haven't had loads of luck in that department yet.

Also, can anyone tell me the approximate number of firebricks required for the 42" dome/hearth?

Thanks,
Ed

[gjbingham]

300 ish firebricks I think. I built a 36 inch, so I'm working from memory of other people's numbers.

The plans estimate the number. I got my bricks from Mutual Materials for 1.25 each. Some of the builders got them for half that in CA.

[Ed_]

I called another place and they quoted me $1.04 for the firebricks. I don't know why they're so different.

The potential cost of all that brick has got us thinking about stucco again too. My preference is definitely for brick, though. Anyone have any pointers on locating recycled brick?

[dmun]

Talk to construction folks. Contractors have to pay big bucks to get rid of heavy stuff like old bricks. The new thing around here is to tear down central chimneys in old houses, since the new furnaces vent out of a piece of PVC, to gain a few extra square feet, or an extra closet on every floor.

That doesn't help for firebricks, though.