This the fireplace wall. It has caused a few arguments and a few anxious moments. Why is it so difficult? There’s a lot going on here. First, this is our biggest modification, other than square footage, to the model we started with.
Fireplaces have their challenges, too. We went with a linear fireplace mainly because we wanted a TV above it. If you have ever been in a room where the TV is above a fireplace you’ll know the TV can end up pretty high on the wall. A normal fireplace is more square where a linear fireplace has a lower profile.
When you mount a TV above the fireplace there are standards that you have to adhere to regarding the distance between the fireplace and the TV. Otherwise the TV will get too hot.
Another restriction is the distance between a fireplace and a mantel. This is where we got an unexpected education on combustible versus non-combustible mantels. A wood mantel is combustible and must be mounted a certain distance above a fireplace or it will burn. A non-combustible mantel can go right above the fireplace opening.
The other benefit of a non-combustible mantel is it deflects heat. So, this means that the bottom of non-combustible mantel is very hot when mounted right above the fireplace opening. However, the top of a non-combustible is warm but you can easily rest your hand on it.
This is a huge benefit because it means we can put the TV immediately above the mantel, keeping it lower on the wall.
Those are the inherent challenges. Then there are the challenges of colors and what to do on either side of the fireplace. More on that another day.
