As of today we’ve lived in our house for six whole months. And in all that time we’ve never formally introduced you to Bart. How rude of us.
Bart, aka Black Bart the woodstove insert, is hard to miss in our kitchen. We know the previous owners got a lot of use out of him (although they did warn us that he made the house pretty smoky and coated a lot of nearby surfaces with fine black dust). We’d always planned to replace him down the road when we hopefully convert our fireplace into a double fireplace (that can be enjoyed from the living room as well as the kitchen).
But Clara spurred us into action a bit sooner. See, the bean is just too obsessed with Bart. And the potential harm to Clara thanks to a searing hot 30+ year old wood burning stove has always outweighed any potential benefits. So although we moved in the middle of winter, we didn’t fire him up once. And Clara still finds the sharp metal edges of Bart oddly fascinating, no matter how many times we say no or redirect her with toys/the dog/insane dance moves, etc.
All kidding aside, we know many folks who love wood stoves (even those with kiddos), but Bart just wasn’t working for our fam. We couldn’t keep denying that he was truly (and weirdly) a Clara magnet, and after she once managed to get the stove door open and her hand into some soot before we could pull her away, Sherry and I were officially fed up with this sharp and dirty metal monster that we weren’t even using.
Never ones to act hastily (you know us, we prefer to overanalyze while hemming and hawing), first we considered locking the doors with a kid-proof lock, adding foam pads to the pokey parts, and even blocking him off with baby gates or some sort of homemade blockade contraption. But in the end we realized that building everything short of a moat around something that we didn’t use and already planned to replace down the road seemed more than a little wacky. In other words: it was time to bid ol’ Bart adieu. So we borrowed some confidence from Layla and Kevin‘s fireplace makeover and decided to give our kitchen a Black-Bart-ectomy yesterday (don’t worry, we won’t trash him- Bart will live on, but more on that later).
When it came to the whole wood stove removal thing, I didn’t really know where to start. And this was one of the few times in my life that google was no help. So during Clara’s afternoon nap (so as not to set a bad example slash taunt her) I just sort of started pulling at things. Lucky for me, the flashing around the sides easily pried away. So much so that I’m kinda surprised Clara hadn’t figured it out yet. Yikes.
I learned there was only a little bit of glue holding the three pieces flimsily in place (which made the stove look flush on all sides).
The only questionable moment was when I revealed a bunch of wires on one side and worried that some electrical work might be involved. Thankfully I soon realized that they were just connected to a fan on the back of the unit, so I didn’t have to disconnect anything after all (I just kept it all attached and removed it all together). Phew.
With all sides of the stove revealed, the only place I could see it attached to the house was right here at the top. It seemed to be bolted to a vent that snaked up into the chimney. So I figured I’d just attempt to take that apart and hope for the best.
The good news was that my hunch was right- those bolts were the only things holding that baby in place. The bad news was that the bolts were really friggin hard to get off. Okay, just one of the five was (the top of that bolt was so soft that my wrench had trouble gripping it). Oh and did I mention that space was tiiiight? My skinnier-armed wife tried to save the day, but she’s also shorter-armed, so alas… no dice.
But I kept at it (and Sherry kept trying as if her arms were growing by the second). And after getting covered in ash and enduring a few knuckle scrapes we got Bart fully detached from the vent. Ta dah!
Okay, so it was less of a perky “ta-dah!” and more of a grunting “ohmygoodness” because that beast was HEAVY. But as you can see, we managed to shimmy Bart out of the fireplace and onto a piece of scrap cardboard (which helped us slide the whole darn thing out of the way). So our fireplace could go from this…
…to this:
Admittedly it’s not the prettiest before & after. In fact, the after kinda looks uglier in a way… despite the fact that I got my Cinderella on and scrubbed the inside it with some warm water and mild soap:
Sherry really wanted to be the one to yoink this beast out all by herself (short arms be darned) so she made me scrub things down while she sulked slash snapped embarrassing photos. I’m making that face for two reasons. 1) because the sooty clean-up job was pretty nasty, and 2) because I’m realizing that a photo of me in my high school gym shorts would end up on the Internet. Yep, still own ’em and still fit in ’em… sort of.
Short shorts aside, Bart is currently residing in our dining room (where Clara rarely goes), just waiting to be craigslisted or otherwise donated (haven’t yet figured out if a Big B is worth anything to anyone, but we’ll share the craigslist link if he ends up there).
And hopefully soon we’ll have a prettier version of our fireplace to share. Immediate plans for it include painting the firebox a dark charcoal color to even out the stained brick interior. And that’ll probably be followed quickly by painting the brick and mantel. Spoiler alert: we’re leaning towards bright glossy white (we’re planning to bring some color onto the kitchen walls, so a white fireplace should be a nice counterpart). But we’ll share all those painting details as we go.
Down the road we’re also planning to take the fireplace makeover a step further – perhaps by eventually tiling it, beefing up the mantle, or even framing it out all the way up to the ceiling to give it more height. Not to mention the whole double-siding plan. But all that future fireplace stuff is TBD at this point. We’ll just have to see where we end up. Oh, and Sherry wanted me to mention that she scraped off that big circular blotch of glue that you can see just outside the upper left corner of the firebox in the photo above. Despite how easily the metal flashing peeled off, the gummy glue didn’t come off the brick as easily. So she got all ninja on that blob and ended up using an exacto knife to slice it off in pieces.
Have you guys removed a wood stove or any other fireplace insert? Was google surprisingly unhelpful? Does anyone have a kid who loves their wood stove as much as ours? Do you think Big Bart is worth craigslisting or should we donate him to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore?
Psst- We’re sharing a fun, functional, and affordable little kid-art corner over on BabyCenter today.
skye says
I just have to say how much I love reading the comments! There is always so much useful information contained in them (not to mention a few good laughs here and there). You should do a post emphasizing that people should browse through the comments (I know you guys mention that from time to time but a full on post would be more persuasive and definitely more informative as to why!) I almost always learn as much from the comments as I do from the posts!
I say paint the fireplace! I hate brick fireplaces and love the look of a fresh white one! :) Looks great!
Christine says
CL the Bart!!! we bought our insert off craig’s list!
Kathleen says
I grew up with a wood burning stove & never touched it when it was hot. On the other hand, I liked playing on the bricks around the stove during the summer. I guess something about a stove attracts kids.
Joshua says
When selling on Craigslist, I find the best strategy is to search first for new retail price for comparable items, then search CL to see if any similar items are for sale, and what they’re going for. My rule of thumb is that if I can get 50% of the new price for a used item being sold on CL, I’m doing pretty well. Specialty items or new-in-box items may fetch closer to full retail; particularly common items may fetch much less.
Fireplace inserts and wood stoves are tricky to sell used. On the one hand, if properly cared for, they last forever. On the other hand, lots of people don’t realize that you can over-fire them if you’re not careful, and so many, many used stoves are irreparably warped–or, if not irreparable, then so damaged that the cost of repairs is prohibitive. The fact that the stove made the house smoky and sooty suggests inadequate draw. That could just be because your chimney needs to be cleaned, but it could also be related to a defect in the stove itself.
If you’re of the “caveat emptor” philosophy, find out what a comparable new insert would cost (same size, etc…) and list it on CL for half price. You may get lucky and someone may take it off your hands. After all, the people who damage stoves by over-firing them are the same people who don’t give a damn if a stove has been over-fired when they buy one! If you can only find informed buyers, you may need to drop the price substantially, however, depending on the condition of the stove.
It may be worth your money to pay $50 or so to have an expert come out and assess the condition of the stove. Potentially, the stove could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars! Look up a local hearth store and ask if they do in-house cleaning/repair. If they don’t, they’ll know who does.
Kacie says
WOW! That looks like a TON of work! I’m super impressed. I also love that planning site. How coooool!
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/
Adam says
Getting your Cinderella on? LMAO. Cannot wait to see how the fireplace project evolves!
Amanda says
You might be surprised what wood stoves can sell for, even used! If that is a no-go, or if ReStore won’t take, or if you want to make a little cash, look into metal recyclers in your area. Where I am they pay about $.10/lb for metal, so imagine what he weighs and see it as a happy way to offset costs and recycle at the same time! BTW, they will take almost anything metal – old bed frames, used fire extinguishers, pots and pans…you get the idea.
kristin says
this looks WAY better. seriously needed to remove that thing if you weren’t using it (or planning on it!). kids have the keenest sense in getting into the couple things they aren’t safe around repeatedly. :)
Jennifer says
Nice work! I can’t wait to see what else you do to it! Our fireplace currently looks very similar (except with beige brick) and I’m trying to decide what to do with it. The mantle is the same color as our hardwood floors but all the molding in the room is white. Should I paint it? Should I add a screen? Any other advice?
YoungHouseLove says
Why not post a pic on our Facebook page along with that question and see what other people suggest or “vote” for? That way you’ll hopefully get a lot of ideas!
xo,
s
Sandra says
Boy do I have a wood stove story…We actually bought and installed one in our very first house (hubby loved them), but after a few years of chopping wood, cleaning up messy wood piles next to the stove, and more than a few BUGS brought in from outdoors on aforementioned wood, we were selling our house, and I SWORE, “No more wood stoves”. Found our second house…great! LR had an elegant wood-burning fireplace, no more wood stove! Fast-forward to our big move to the great NE, after hunting houses for 2 months, finally finding a 30 year old house we thought we could do something with; what sits in the den?? Big, black, 30 year old wood stove (talk about karma). So we posted it in a local paper (Ad Line) selling it to a nice local guy for $100. Now we have a lovely set of propane gas logs, which I highly recommend!
Jes says
The flashing on all the inserts are made to be loose like that, I am not sure why, but they all are! I would definitely craigslist it. It might not be the best for use in someone’s home, but I am not sure… It would be great for heating an outbuilding/barn/shop/large garage that someone is working in all the time. Especially with the fan attached… Craigslist it. =)
Jes says
P.S. We bought a brand new Buck stove 2 winters ago for ~$2000… They are worth some dough!
Kristen says
I just removed our freestanding pellet stove — same issues as yours (heavy, ugly, sharp). Sold it on craigslist and some great guy who likes to work on them purchased it for his sunroom. I recommend selling it there — you get a few dollars and you make someone very happy.
Trude says
You guys are brave souls tackling that job! I’m sure it’ll look awesome once it’s painted, and making it double-sided sounds perfect for the kind of floorplan you have.
P.S. He wears short shorts! :)
Erica says
From the day our now-toddler started to crawl, we taught her that the entire tile area around the woodstove was off limits (whether or not the stove was hot). We figured this extra wide boundary would keep her far enough away from the stove to be safe– and it’s worked! Nothing will induce her to touch that tile. If a toy rolls onto the tile, she’ll point and cry, but she won’t go get it and I feel confident letting her play in the room unsupervised. We’ll see how this plan works with #2 baby!
John says
Converting to a wood burning double sided fireplace may require reworking the flue and damper design and surrounding brick. It may be cheaper to go with an inserted metal fireplace possibly gas?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we still have to look into it all! The good news is that we have a fantastic pro mason friend and we’re not necessarily sure that we need a double-sided wood burning fireplace (we could go with an electric or gas insert or even just a hole for Clara to crawl through).
xo,
s
Jenn Prather says
Your Bart is just like our Bart! My husband LOVES it (whos name coincidently is Bart, HA), and it is usually running all winter. It does heat our whole house which is nice, but in my opinion it is SO UGLY! We did update the surround of it and add a pretty mantle so its updated, but still not to my liking! I am so jealous that you were able to remove yours! Cant wait to see the double sided when you do it (a dream for my next home)!!
Megan says
My fireplace is having an identity crisis right now and I’m dying to get rid of the old black box insert! So currently it’s like this:
http://meganmoments.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/imag0160.jpg
and I found this great DIY (via pinterest) fireplace makeover for approximately $80. I’m pretty sold on doing something very similar. I’m just not sure what to put in place of the concret on the floor.
http://theletteredcottage.net/my-82-fireplace-makeover
YoungHouseLove says
We love that fireplace makeover! Isn’t it amazing? As for the floor, it looks like Layla just painted it black in her makeover. And we’ll keep you posted about what we’re planning to do as we go!
xo,
s
Emily says
Major congrats on getting the job done, but I’m getting heebie-jeebies over John cleaning the soot without a mask…that stuff is GROSS!
Fingers crossed that our 9 month old doesn’t suddenly become interested in our fireplace (which is a newer gas one, with no sharp edges, but still).
Julie says
Maybe it’s just me, but that photo of John’s arms trying to unscrew the stove totally makes me arm claustrophobic! I think I’ve discovered a new phobia – haha…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- comment of the day! Just because J and I both laughed out loud when independently we read it.
xo,
s
shar y says
Well, I live down in Texas and have not had to worry about having a wood stove; i.e., a/c in December in some years. As far as fireplaces/stoves in the house;they are great for other people’s homes. I just do not like the burned wood smell inside. Outside, yes, it is great. Anyway, your space already looks tons better. Can’t wait to see next thing and I like painted brick!
Anne says
We didn’t have quite the bulky insert that you had, but updating our ugly red brick fireplace made our living room so much better. Here’s the before & after shots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerkstorewilly/sets/72157621446444027/with/3707693122/
Not included in the photo montage is our final choice for a mantle. We installed a long picture shelf from Room & Board in natural steel color that blends in with the wall. We’re huge fans of this weekend project.
YoungHouseLove says
Woah- it looks great. And I bet with your long picture shelf up there it looks even cooler now!
xo,
s
Erin says
Thank you for tackling this project! We have the exact same situation in our basement. Unfortunately the previous owner closed off the flue from the basement fireplace no matter what it’s not useable right now, but that wood stove insert is HIDEOUS! I’ve always hated it but had no idea how to get rid of it. I was also wondering what to do with it once it’s out and we have a lot less active Craig’s List here than I think you guys do. Anyway, now I know how to get at that puppy!
kelly says
i am not sure a whole lot of people use those anymore but craigslist is always worth a try.
there is a really cool fireplace transformation at http://www.itsthelittlethingsthatmakeahouseahome.com they just covered up the existing tile and it looks awesome!
can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah I love that project! Your link wasn’t working, but for anyone who wants to see it, here’s another link for ya: http://itsthelittlethingsthatmakeahouseahome.blogspot.com/2009/02/fireplace-makeover-number-two.html
xo,
s
Amy says
We removed a wood stove when I was expecting. We didn’t think that anyone would want it. However, within a couple of hours on craig’s list, we had a buyer. It was gone the next day. I can’t wait for you to paint the brick. I love painted brick fireplaces.
MelissaG says
I promise I’m not saying “I told ya so” with this post. But (as a mom to three young boys) I couldn’t help to have one of those flash back scenes in my mind when you said this….
And Clara still finds the sharp metal edges of Bart oddly fascinating, no matter how many times we say no or redirect her with toys/the dog/insane dance moves, etc. In fact two especially pointy corners are right at “pulling up level” – which makes us even more nervous now that she’s about to be toddling around.
I thought back to this….
She’s a pretty docile girl who definitely seems to listen when we ask her to be gentle (when petting her big brother Burger for example) so our plan is to sweetly request that she be nice to the frames and “look with her eyes.”
It sometimes takes a while to see that your not always going to be able to just ask politely and they listen. But oh how I wish it were so!
Kay says
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned t yet, but I once saw an HGTV show (Designed to Sell, I think…) where they cleaned off old fireplace soot using a can of foaming Scrubbing Bubbles.
Heather with a C says
Glad to see that someone else has broken terra cotta like tile pieces smushed together to be the hearth of a fireplace too. Our living room fireplace has it and it is hideous. Perhaps this style was all the rage in Richmond/ Bon Air 60+ years ago when our homes were built. I dream of the day when we have the money to rip it out and put something pretty there. Although, I guess it is more attractive than our family room fireplace which currently has foam padding all along the edge of it to protect our 14 month old, should he topple over into it and hit his head on it, he won’t crack his head open. (This happened to me when I was a kid and I have the scar from my stitches to show for it, so I definitely want to make sure it doesn’t happen to my son!)
Charlotte | Living Well on the Cheap says
I’m so excited for y’all to paint that brick! The painted brick fireplaces were one of my favorite features in your old house. It looks great!
Theresa says
I LOVE Kevin & Layla’s fireplace redo – and Katie B’s old one! Can’t wait to see how yours turns out!
nikki says
that stove insert just looked so ominous… clara seems to really love the sound she can make by hitting the metal. buy her a xylophone instead – she’ll get over bart really fast!
Ana Silva says
Very gutsy of you guys to go ahead and remove it. I would not have known that it could have been removed that easily. It does look better without it. I say just get rid of it by donation. If it;s really old no one probably wants it as it may not be up to code.
Natalie @ Queen of Whirled says
Definitely smart to remove it. My 2 year old about singed off her finger prints when we were visiting my sister in Yosemite.
Heather says
John and Sherry,
I JUST blogged about our adventures in removing an insert and “un-decorating” our fireplace back to its beautiful self (or the 70s version of its beautiful self). Check it out at http://home-modern.com/2011/06/13/from-fugly-to-lovely/.
I just started blogging about our home adventures as a much needed creative outlet. I could only hope to have the success in doing so that you and John have had. Your blog has inspired me so much, so THANK YOU for all that you do.
Happy living!
Heather
YoungHouseLove says
I love it! The gilded logs and amazing tile are gorgeous!
xo,
s
Heather says
Martha Stewart did a tutorial on how to clean fireplace soot. I haven’t tried it on mine yet, but maybe it will help you
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/how-to-start-a-fire-and-other-fireplace-basics#slide_11
YoungHouseLove says
Off to check it out…
xo,
s
georgia says
Oooh I loves it, I loves it I do!
It looks so different! Clara can practise being a chimney sweep now :-p hehe
Can’t wait for the kitchen reno!
X
Ginny says
I sold a similar one (listed it in the paper) 5 years ago for $100. Give it a shot. A lot of people use them in garages or workshops if not in their home.
Hannah says
We just, literally just, sold the circa 1970’s wood stove that came with our house for $150 on craigslist. I was thinking of freecycling it because it wasn’t pretty and I couldn’t imagine anyone would want it, but it sold within an hour and I had more than one response. Now I just have to detach the chimney and carry a 200 lb cast iron monster downstairs for pick up … that should be fun. So I would say it’s totally worth it, except that the electric fan on your stove worries me. When we had the house inspected prior to purchasing it, there was a similar fan hooked up by another wood stove and the inspector said it was super dangerous and we should disconnect it immediately. Apparently, if a fire does start, those fans spread it faster. So if it can’t be disconnected from the wood stove, your stove may not be considered safe anymore (another reason to be glad you never used it!) If you end up getting the chimney cleaned & inspected, the sweep can take a look and let you know.
On another note, I have to warn you before you paint the brick around your fireplace that you should consider it a permanent decision. I have been researching ways to get the BLACK paint off our brick fireplace surround and it won’t be easy. Brick is really porous so it will absorb whatever shade you put on there. That said, white would look great!
Shar says
We inherited a huge, ugly wood-burning insert with our first house. If you plan on using the fireplace itself, have a certified chimney sweep come out and clean the fireplace BEFORE you paint or do anything to the inside. That yucky black stuff is probably a build up of creosote & it is the gunk that causes chimney fires. We had our fireplace cleaned when we removed the insert, and I was glad we did–for peace of mind.
Sarah says
My parents just removed a woodburning stove and sold it on Craigslist for $600! But I believe theirs was fairly new and only used 3 or 4 times.
Laura says
Of course, she liked it! Sounds to me like she’s a drummer!
kimliveshealthy says
I saw an apartment once where the fireplace was converted into a little dog bed nook – that’d be a good nap spot for Burger if you aren’t planning on firing up the fireplace until next winter.
Christina says
I’m positively giddy thinking about paint on that brick and on those walls. Can’t wait to see it.
natalie says
are the plants on your fireplace real or fake? if they’re real, what kind are they? they’re so cute!
YoungHouseLove says
Fake! I call those my fauxpiaries. Haha. They’re from Pottery Barn a while back (I got them for my 28th b-day).
xo,
s
Katrina says
Good call to get rid of Bart. Although giving him a name probably made the act of kicking him out a little bitter sweet. On the other hand the way the fireplace looks now I am guessing not to bitter huh!?! Bye, bye Bart. Hope you go to a home that will use and enjoy you.
shannon says
Clara is too cute! Have to know where the elephant pp.j.’s are from, elephants are my fav :)
YoungHouseLove says
Those are from Old Navy. We have a weakness for their kids clothes!
xo,
s
Heather says
We just took our Bart out of our house because of the smoke. But when we took it out, we now get a smokey smell when it rains or there is a big difference in air temperature…even with the flue closed AND we stuffed insulation up the chimmney. So we are looking into a solution called a chimney balloon. I’ll be interested to hear if you end up with the same issue and how you solve it. Currently we just stuffed plants in the hole to take up space and run the dehumidifer when it rains so it collects the smoke smell.
As for Bart, we can’t part with him so we are putting him outback in the shed to heat it so the husband can play out there during the winter!
Becky@Organizing Made Fun says
I’m sure she loves that stove because it makes a really fun sound when she hits it! I agree…taking it out is better. We had a rotisserie in our family room that we removed and had the fireplace re-coated inside and hooked up a gas log and we LOVE it! Yes, a rotisserie!! It was formerly a rumpus room in the 60s or something…Ha!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
Natalie says
Great job! Looks so much better already.
We have a purely decorative fireplace. There isn’t a mantle over it though (and it the wall kind of curves slightly then transitions into the brick).
I want to do a DIY mantle so that we can hang stockings and the like on it, but I don’t even know where to start!
Ideas on a DIY simple mantle?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I would just google around for “fireplace mantel” and hit “images” and see what you find that you like. Once you pin down a specific type of mantel that you like you can look for tutorials on that or bring a picture to the home improvement center to see what the pros there recommend.
xo,
s
Nicole says
I thought it was funny that when I watched the video of Clara “banging” Bart and it ended, the video that popped up next was a video called “Banging” where a gang member was showing how to do gang signs! Slightly different context LOL.
YoungHouseLove says
Woah- totally different context.
xo,
s
Elle says
I would LOVE a fireplace at our house….but modern houses these days have got the reverse cycle air-con units-effective but zero atmosphere!
If it was me I would render the brickwork and paint it :)
Great idea to make open it up for both rooms!