We finally finished the fireplace mantel and family room renovation. This Spring has been crazy busy with our home family room and den renovation. We bought our home in 2014 and we’ve finally decided to tackle these rooms. They had a disgusting berber carpet that was stretched and bubbled up in some areas. In addition to that we had an old fireplace that was in dire need of a makeover.
This renovation wasn’t cheap and I did as much as the work as I could myself (mostly removing carpet etc., fixing walls and painting). Everything else we hired out and the price tag for this reno came in at around CAD $17k. I know, not super cheap but the end result is amazing!
I’ve included some pictures of the whole reno process below:
Family room demo complete. Our blank canvas!
Levelling the Sub Floor
Our subfloor was uneven so required extensive levelling for the hardwood floor install.
Replacing/levelling sub floor in preparation for hardwood installation.
New Direct Vent Gas Fireplace Insert for Warmth and Comfort
We installed a Kingsman IDV/33 direct vent gas insert fireplace with 3 inch surround. To avoid having an ugly chord running across the hearth into an adjacent electrical outlet, we had to drill through the brick and run it through the wall and tie into the electrical outlet. This way the we could use the blower which comes standard on this model.
Fireplace installed, fixing the walls.
Barn Beam Fireplace Mantel, Ledge Stone and Gas Fireplace
Next, we hired a mason who did a fantastic job on the ledge stone and with the solid hearth stone. For the fireplace mantel, we used reclaimed wood in the form of an old hand hewn barn beam. We wanted the overall look to look a bit rustic but not too much. I’ve seen some barn beam mantels that were really beat up and this wasn’t the look we wanted. So I’m happy that we got the look that we were going for and that everything turned out way better than expected!
My family loves hanging out around the fireplace in the winter so it was really important for us to have this done right.
Kingsman ID 33 Gas Insert fireplace with barn beam fireplace mantel and ledge stone.
Wide Plank Hickory Hardwood Floor
Finally we had our flooring installed. It’s 7-inch Hickory enhanced engineered hardwood. The wood is textured so it can hide dents and scratches (which is what we wanted with 2 small kids and a dog!). The flooring goes well with the barn board fireplace mantel.
7-inch Hickory enhanced engineered hardwood.
Overall, while not exactly cheap, we got what we paid for and couldn’t be happier! I’m a firm believer in quality workmanship and having things done right the first time so I’m pleased to see that everything came together in the end for an awesome family room!
So there you have it people, the reason my net worth has been flat these past few months lol! This year I’ve tried to be a bit more balanced with my saving/investing on the one hand and enjoying our money by making our home nicer and taking some family trips.