A client just reached out to us with a design for a new home with a lovely, large stone fireplace. The building scientist inside of me, however, knows that rock and mortar are HIGHLY conductive of thermal energy, and if it is cold outside, then it will always be cool to the touch on the inside – and that coolness will radiate out into the room, even in winter. And in the summer, as the stone heats up, it will conduct the heat from the outside to the interior – so it will make your insulation work harder all around the year. Always. BUT THERE IS A SOLUTION!!! 😊 We can extend the wall THROUGH the stone fireplace – the stone can still be built up on the outside just as it is on the inside to make it look like the wall stops at the stone!
The graphic shows the concept. The large stone fireplace shown in the photo is in a home between Todd and West Jefferson, NC. Our panel wall passes to the outside of the stone fireplace. The owner-builder could have erected stone on the outside of the home – and it showed it in the original drawings I think – but he chose not to. He is working on the house on weekends.
Eco-Panels tries to work with clients to ensure that fireplaces installed are direct vent fireplaces to ensure better indoor air quality. Do not, however, put the wall through the fireplace if you are using an EPS or polystyrene SIP panel… that foam melts at low temperatures. We have a more complete discussion of fireplaces in our FAQ “Can I put a ventless fireplace in my house?“
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