The old slow combustion fireplace showed evidence of being too far gone, with its door hanging off and the flue barely upright, so we considered our options and agreed to remove it. I placed it on the local Facebook site for FREE as long as it was picked up immediately and removed by them. A little team of locals came excitedly the same day and removed it so everyone is happy.
Win! Win!
Then came the task of removing the hearth which had been constructed in the 80's using concrete pavers. This proved to be way more difficult than first expected.
It's always super enjoyable having a couple of your 'strong' grandchildren to give you a hand. They loved the challenge of removing the stubborn immovable objects and we loved their help.
After we finally removed all the layers, of course we were greeted with a rats nest! Perfect place for them to hide behind the warm fireplace. Gross!!
We were fascinated with the extensive layers underneath the fireplace. Underneath the fireplace were the ugly concrete pavers, underneath them was a sheet of fibrous cement, underneath that was some 80's sculptured carpet, under that was some 1930's vinyl, underneath that was the original 160 year old vinyl flooring which had been laid on top of the original timber floors.
I'm worn out just watching this!! Oh but the transformation has begun!!
After having done a massive renovation ourselves, we are so excited to see each step as your progresses.