Fireplace Blowing Smoke

This project was one of our first at Sound Brickworks, and Justin was especially excited to dive in. During a routine quote visit, the homeowner mentioned a troubling issue: their fireplace was unusable, filling the house with dark smoke and raising serious health concerns.

Justin immediately got to work, pulling out his tape measure and notebook. He carefully measured the recesses, examined the angles inside the fireplace, and even broke out some trigonometry to understand the problem. It turned out that the smoke shelf in the chimney was improperly built—the size and angles didn’t match the firebox, causing smoke to circulate back into the room. Additionally, there was no outside air intake, meaning the fireplace was drawing air from the living room, exacerbating the issue.

The homeowner appreciated Justin’s detailed explanation, which clarified exactly what was going wrong. The following week, Justin rebuilt the firebox and installed an outside air intake. Now, the homeowner can enjoy warm, cozy fires without worrying about smoke or health risks. And her beautiful handmade tile work on the fireplace truly shines as the focal point of the room.