How to Design a Home Fireplace

Functional Elements

• 1

  Design the fireplace dimensions, flue size, and chimney height to maximize draft so that you don't get smoke coming into the house. Consult appropriate charts and references and/or consult with a professional.

• 2

  Make the fireplace an appropriate size for the room in which it will be installed. If the fireplace is too small for the room it is unable to heat it; if it is too large it overheats the room. Determine what width the fireplace opening needs to be in order to heat the room, then develop the other dimensions.

• 3

  Design the chimney to be of sufficient height to maintain an effective draft.

Exterior and Hearth

• 4

  Design a mantel proportionate to the fireplace. Take measurements of the wall where the fireplace is going. Draw the wall to scale on the paper, then draw in the fireplace with the mantel.

• 5

  Determine the height of the fireplace and whether it is flush with the floor or on a raised hearth. Create two drawings: one depicting the fireplace from the front, and the other from the side. Draw in the details of the fireplace based on the material you have chosen.

• 6

  Make a materials and cost estimate based on the drawings you made. Give yourself a more accurate sense of what the finished fireplace looks like by coloring in the drawing using colored pencils--approximating the colors of the finished materials as accurately as possible.