How do I Build a Fireplace in a Small Home?

Check with your county's building committee for codes and permits that may be required. Also, check with your home's insurance company. Building a fireplace will most likely increase your insurance rate.

Check the foundation of the room where you plan to build. A stone fireplace will be very heavy. Plan to build a fireplace that the room can support.

Purchase a small fireplace insert and 4 foot sections of chimney flue from a hardware store, home improvement center or online.

Check for electrical wiring, thermostat wires or anything else that might be hidden in the wall.

Cut a hole large enough for the fireplace insert with the reciprocal saw. Push the insert through the hole from the inside of the house. If the fireplace is not low to the ground, it will need to be supported on the outside of the house with cement blocks.

Test the insert with a level.

Attach the chimney flue to the top of the fireplace insert, on the outside of the house, one section at a time. Each of the flue sections will set inside the next piece and twist together.

Screw the metal support straps around each fireplace flue section, to either side of the outside of the house.

Fit the top of the chimney with a chimney cap that can be purchased where you bought the insert. The cap will keep rain, small animals and birds out of the chimney.

Build a surround for the outside chimney from plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Cover with coordinating siding, stone or brick.

Finish the inside of the fireplace with a surround mantel, stone or brick. If the fireplace is not on the floor, complete the project with a hearth.