In building a masonry fireplace, there are ten important aspects to consider to prevent potential problems in the future. These are also necessary to meet some of the building code requirements of a good masonry fireplace.

The ten important aspects of masonry fireplace plan should include the complete dimension of the fireplace; the thickness of firebox wall; damper clearance; chimney clearance; flue liners; flue size; hearth details; energy efficiency; log lighter and spark arrestor.

Knowing the complete dimension is important in building a masonry fireplace. Your plan must include not only the outline of the fireplace but also its actual dimension that includes the size of the entire fireplace, the size of hearth, flue size as well as how will be the cap and chimney will be installed and supported. Then, the thickness and construction of firebox wall should be also specified as this is important in ensuring your safety.

You also need to consider the damper clearance when building a masonry fireplace. This must be at least eight inches or if possible, twelve inches above the upper part of the fireplace opening to lessen the chance of excessive smoke. The chimney clearance on the other hand should have at least two inches of air space clearance if part of the chimney is inside the interior of the house. The air space should not be filled unless to support fire blocking.

Flue liners which are made from clay should be surrounded with four inches solid masonry and bigger flue is more preferred because you can always damper down the flue opening but you cannot draw more air once the damper is fully open. Details of hearth must be also specified when building a masonry fireplace.

A good plan for building a masonry fireplace includes the details or computation of energy efficiency and must have a provision for installing a log lighter, an ash caddy for easy ash cleaning and a spark arrestor for the chimney.

These are all the important consideration when building a fireplace masonry which may not be visible to your eyes and to your visitors but has something to do to ensure the safety and efficiency of your fireplace for years to come. So do not forget these things when you are planning to construct a masonry fireplace