Fireplace repair

We'll be there between 9-12. You know the drill.

So on Saturday I waited for the fireplace guys to show up.

Remember the cracks on the back wall inside the fireplace? They made me nervous. I had filled them in a few times, but they kept coming back. Last year I never even used the fireplace. When I had the chimney cleaned back in what, July or August, I mentioned my concern about those cracks and the crumbling floor. Since it is a brand-name insert, he was able to get a new floor and all news walls. They had been on order for months and finally came in. The guys showed up around 10:30, and ba-da-bing, had the news parts installed in half an hour. Amazing. $428. later, they were out the door. I am left with a flyer that says Do NOT start a fire for 24 hours, the parts have to "settle". Then to cure the walls, make 6 small fires of no more than 30 minutes each with 1 hour cooling between them. That is going to require a dedicated few days of fire fiddling.

The fireplace is really for ambiance. But it is nice to have going during the holidays.