Age-Old Techniques, New-Age Design: The Building Of A Giant Stone Fireplace

It was one of those projects where we all just stood back at the completion of it, and the only word that came to mind was ‘wow’. The stone fireplace is over 14 feet tall, 12 feet wide, and 4 feet in depth. You begin reminding yourself of all the energy and resources that went into building it. All of the materials, from steel reinforcement to concrete blocks; both locally quarried as well as imported stone; all of the trades involved, from the arborist to the electrician, and the gas fitter; all of the learning curves you encounter and the challenges which present themselves when dealing with 14 tons of stone; and all of the engineering details that come along with it.

The fireplace is estimated to weigh over 14 tons and took nearly 2 months to complete. It is the largest exterior fireplace I have built to date. I’ve built some interior stone fireplaces in the Greater Victoria area which rival the height of this one, but I’ve never designed and built one that surpassed this width or depth. The fireplace itself is gas burning, and is encased in concrete blocks which were backfilled with concrete prior to being faced with stonework. In order to support the upper weight of the structure above the fireplace, a 1/2” thick steel plate and a 4” thick slab of concrete were put into place. The fireplace features large stone slabs, some of which weigh upwards of 1 ton. The slabs were quarried in Port Renfrew, BC. Due to the lack of accessibility to the building site, custom dollies were built to move the slabs to the backyard. The first of many challenges was determining how we were going to transport these slabs to the site of the fireplace. The lightest slab weighed a hefty 830 pounds, and due to all of the outcrop on the property, utilizing heavy machinery was not an option. So we improvised with custom made dollies. The other challenge was placing the slabs safely and properly, once again, without the use of machinery. It came down to brute strength and the additional support of 4x4’s to prop the stones up.

The brownstones which border the fireplace were imported from Utah, USA and were shaped and placed to mimic a flame. The stones which were placed in between the brownstones and the stone slabs were also locally quarried in Port Renfrew, BC. It’s quite an honor to practice this craft and to have clients provide me with opportunities to express my creative faculties. I enter into these projects and end them with a deep sense of gratitude. They are truly invigorating experiences, and tend to enrich the lives of those involved in the creation of them.

I could not have seen this design materialize without the helpful aid of Mike Koch from Blue Bear Landscape (now based in Vancouver, BC) who helped to carry out the majority of the labor intensive aspects of the project.

• Sean Lennox, Masonry Contractor, Victoria BC

Lennox Masonry is a small residential masonry company based in Victoria, BC which specializes in everything from chimney and stone wall repairs to designing & building custom landscapes. Please contact us in regards to your next masonry project at www.lennoxmasonry.com.

Lennox Masonry of Victoria, BC has been proudly serving both Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands for over a decade. We are small group of skilled masons with a great deal of passion towards our trade and for improving the communities we live and work in. We extend our gratitude to the lək̓ʷəŋən people for allowing us to share and work on this corner of the garden with them. We are thankful for the residents and businesses of Victoria, BC for supporting us in our endeavors!

If you’re in need of a professional and reliable masonry company for your next project, please contact us today!