Frank wrote:
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2004
From: "Frank C. Thompson"
To: Jim Buckley
Subject: Re: Assistance requested

Thanks for your quick response. I have attached a photo of the fireplace mantle/surround we intend on using. Our plan is to remove the metal work and some of the mouldings adjacent to the metal work giving us an opening of 48" wide by 68" tall. We will then install 12" wide marble legs up each side leaving a firebox width of 24" and a head piece of marble of whatever size we need to work the firebox height. My client would also like to deepen the firebox with the "Jefferson" modification. Your comments so that we can finalize all the sizing would be greatly appreciated.

Frank C. Thompson*

Thanks for the picture. It explains a lot.

I would keep the metal and wood trim and build a regular Rumford within the original opening. It's hard for me to judge the scale from the picture but it looks as if the fireplace opening is 24" to 30" square up to the hood. I would just use our regular 24" or 30" Rumford.

The mantel clearly originally surrounded a coal or gas-burning fireplace, albeit a very fancy one, dating, I would guess from about 1890.

Even if you do eliminate some of the detail I would suggest the code minimum of 6" wide marble legs instead of 12" so you can build a 30" or 36" wide Rumford.

As for the Jefferson variation, well, Jefferson was a great architect and great American statesman but Rumford understood fireplaces better. We have had a lot of customers who wanted to build the Rumford deeper but not one out of thousands in twenty years who have complained that the fireplace was too shallow after they've had a fire in it. Try to find a Rumford for your client to see burning or at least invite him to call any of our customers, masons, builder, et.al. listed on our website and ask them if you should build it deeper. We can make it deeper but it won't improve the performance any. See http://www.rumford.com/tech8.html

Best,
Jim Buckley