Built in Bookcase/Desk w/Mantle

[Top Knot]

My first impression is... what you are starting with (the fire surround) is completely out of proportion to the whole wall and the entire space available to it... The top of the mantle looks almost more than half the height of the room... The bottom of the fire place has also been raised way too high off the floor. Who ever tried to go big on making a statement on the mantle/fire surround obviously went a little over board... and ended up making it a bit plain too... sorry to the guy who built it  [embarassed]
I would start with taking it out of the picture! Are you able to do that?

 

[honeydoman]

The mantel has to be so high from the top of the firebox opening due to fire code , in case you were not aware and yes this is a
Challenging project to make it all fit together but I think from what I have seen Tim will make it happen

Many times as a professional we have to make it happen with what's there most of the time it works and sometimes it does not

That is when festools come in handy. Lol  at least you did your beat with the best tools and just say Next!

 

[Top Knot]

The mantel has to be so high from the top of the firebox opening due to fire code , in case you were not aware

South Africa is a long way from USA... and our codes are just as far... THANK GOODNESS!!

What exactly do the codes state for the area Tim?

 

[peter halle]

I can't speak for Tom's area - different areas of the country may enforce different codes.  Here is a sample section from the code in my area as an example:

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Peter

 

[Top Knot]

6inches... 152mm ok thats for the top (I can't imagine it being too much different  [unsure] )... Does it say anything about how far the bottom of the fire place must be from the floor?

 

[peter halle]

Graham,

Here is another chart dealing with the height above. The fireplace in the thread is a pre manufactured one and the manufacturer would supply the details on the combustible clearance below if required.

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Peter

 

[honeydoman]

I think the bottom has no special requirements as I have seen them floor level and up. The top is due to heat rising dah
Bottom requirements would be brick stone etc in front and must come out so far before carpet etc due to sparks flying. That code you should check

 

[tiralie]

The top of the mantle looks almost more than half the height of the room...

Graham:
The mantle is more or less a standard height of 54". Whomever made this probably used this height to design the mantle surround.

The bottom of the fire place has also been raised way too high off the floor.

Ya, that looks weird to me too, I am not sure why they put it so high, probably because a larger fire box is more expensive. I can only conclude that the to make the insert look larger the previous owners of the house built a larger surround to compensate for that.

I would start with taking it out of the picture! Are you able to do that?

I agree, with a clean slate and larger budget the design would be different. I do enjoy the limitations/challenges these kinds of problems present. I am not able to take the fireplace out, well not at the current budget. I was hired to design and fabricate bookcases/desk for the space and suggest improvements for the mantle.
I do think the current homeowners like the idea of the fireplace/mantle.

Here is another chart dealing with the height above. The fireplace in the thread is a pre manufactured one and the manufacturer would supply the details on the combustible clearance below if required.

Peter
Thanks, our regulations in Ontario are similar to yours.
Here is a mantle and surround diagram (from a manufacturer) for a direct vent fireplace (pre-manufactured) that gives the same clearance instructions.

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Bottom requirements would be brick stone etc in front and must come out so far before carpet etc due to sparks flying. That code you should check

Kreg:
Thanks. There are no code regulations requiring a hearth for direct vent fireplaces however in this case they did build a hearth in front of the Mantle.
As you can see from my drawing, the tiled hearth extends about 10" from the front of the mantle and is bordered with transition molding that sits proud of the surface of the floor about 1/2".
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Tim

 

[tiralie]

Done and dusted as they say...looks like the Europeans liked what the client liked. I do think it needs something (a mirror) above the fireplace.
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[vwdave]

The built-ins came out really nice.  I love the arched bases and doors, very cool.  Whats up with the 1/2 panel on the wall in the last pic??

Dave

 

[tiralie]

The built-ins came out really nice.  I love the arched bases and doors, very cool.  Whats up with the 1/2 panel on the wall in the last pic??

Dave

Thanks Dave.
In the photo the 1/2 panel looks strange but really doesn't look out of place in the room.
Shortening the panel rather than running it into the side of the cabinet may have made more sense now that you bring it up.
Tim

 

[vwdave]

I'm sure when you can see the entire room it doesn't look so out of place. How did you make the arched doors?  I always ordered my doors for built-ins and would like to start making my own.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Great job, Tim!

 

[Jonhilgen]

Great looking job Tim!  sometimes built ins feel too heavy for a room, but these do not.  they look more like furniture.  kudos.

Jon

 

[awdriven]

Really nicely designed and executed! Lots of little details that took time to add, but add up to an impressive piece. Arched inset doors with glass, show-off!

I like the 'worktop' a lot; what's the material?

 

[tiralie]

How did you make the arched doors? 

I will detail the door build as much as I can based on the photo's I have. I am just collecting them so it will take a few posts.
I decided to make true divided lite/light doors so the build was a bit more extensive than otherwise. The doors are cope and stick with butt mortises. The whole project is Ash. Solid Ash cabinet frames and doors and desk legs with veneered ash for the cabinet sides, shelves and tops.
I will post some pictures and write it up shortly.
Tim

 

[BobKovacs]

Just curious-why did you go to the expense of using ash if you were painting everything but the countertops?

 

[tiralie]

Just curious-why did you go to the expense of using ash if you were painting everything but the countertops?

Good question, the client wanted to see the grain of the wood (you can't really see it in the photo's) through the paint but they wanted it white. It was either that or oak, and Ash is cheaper. It was a shame I had to paint it actually cause the doors looked great unpainted. It was a great choice for the doors, as it hold a profile extremely well and takes some abuse as the legs of the desk will attest to after the install.
I wanted to use poplar. Cheap and cheerful, but no grain show through. As it was I sanded very little, and sprayed as thin a coat as I could get away with. There is actually three coats of pigmented and one coat of polyurethane.
If there is another wood that is cheaper, let me know not sure that there is that is available in a wide variety of substrates.

Tim

 

[tiralie]

Great looking job Tim!  sometimes built ins feel too heavy for a room, but these do not.  they look more like furniture.  kudos.

Thanks Jon. That's the look I was going for.
Tim

 

[tiralie]

I like the 'worktop' a lot; what's the material?

It's veneered ash built up with 1/2 and 3/4 and then edgebanded with 1/8" solid strip for an 1 1/2" thickness. I dyed, shellacked and then sprayed a coat of polyurethane.  I wanted to achieve a more amber color than the blonde color of the veneer.
Here's a close up.
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