Recent Work
Recent Fireplace Projects
Every photo below is a DCB Construction fireplace — surrounds, hearths, refaces, and full floor-to-ceiling walls from jobs around Kootenai County.
Surrounds, hearths, and floor-to-ceiling feature walls — built to the clearances your appliance actually requires.
A fireplace is usually the first thing people look at when they walk into a room, and it is one of the few remodels that changes a space without moving a single wall. It is also the tile job with the least margin for error: the layout is at eye level, the focal point is dead centre, and every cut shows.
Tile and stone are noncombustible, which is exactly why they belong around a fire. What varies is how they behave over a surface that heats and cools every day through a Northern Idaho winter.
Porcelain and ceramic are the most predictable option: tight size tolerances, very low water absorption, and large-format panels that give you a continuous marble look with almost no grout. Natural and stacked stone bring depth and shadow that porcelain cannot really fake, at the cost of more variation piece to piece and a slower set. Glass and metal mosaics work well as an accent band but are less forgiving directly at the opening.
Whichever material goes on, the substrate underneath does the real work. Movement, a flexing panel, or a substrate that was never flat will telegraph through the finish long before the tile itself fails.
This is where fireplace tile differs from every other tile job in the house, and where most of the problems we get called to fix started.
Every wood stove, insert, and gas fireplace is sold with a listing that specifies minimum clearances to combustible material. That listing governs the whole assembly — not just the tile, but the framing behind it, the mantel above it, and the trim beside it. A beautiful surround that crowds the opening past what the appliance allows is a failed inspection at best.
We read the appliance documentation before the design is settled, build to whatever the manufacturer and your local inspector require, and leave the rating label accessible instead of burying it behind stone. Where a hearth extension is required, its depth comes from the appliance, not from what looks balanced.
Every photo below is a DCB Construction fireplace — surrounds, hearths, refaces, and full floor-to-ceiling walls from jobs around Kootenai County.
Usually, yes, and it is one of the most common fireplace jobs we do. Brick has to be sound, clean, and reasonably flat first. Where the brick is heavily textured or the mortar joints are deep, we skim it flat or fasten a noncombustible backer over it so the tile has a true plane to sit on. Tiling straight onto rough brick without that prep is why you see lippage and hollow-sounding tile on DIY fireplace jobs.
That is set by the appliance, not by us. Every wood stove, insert, and gas fireplace ships with a listing that specifies minimum clearances to combustible material, and those clearances govern the whole assembly, including the mantel and any trim. Tile and stone are noncombustible, but what sits behind them may not be. We work to the manufacturer's listing and to whatever your local inspector requires.
It depends on the unit. Many sealed direct-vent gas fireplaces are listed for zero-clearance installation with no hearth extension at all, while wood-burning appliances almost always require one at a specified depth. The appliance documentation is the deciding factor, so we check it before we design the hearth rather than after.
Porcelain is more predictable: consistent sizing, low absorption, and large-format panels that give you a marble look without the maintenance. Natural and stacked stone give you depth and texture that porcelain cannot really imitate, but the pieces vary and the installation takes longer. We have done plenty of both. Which one is right usually comes down to the look you want and how much visual movement you can live with.
Yes, and it is a popular request in homes with vaulted ceilings. Floor-to-ceiling changes the job: the substrate has to be flat over a much taller run, the layout has to be planned so you do not end up with a sliver course at the ceiling, and heavier stone may need additional support. We lay it out before anything gets set.
Yes. Finish carpentry is part of what we do, so the mantel, the trim returns, and any built-ins beside the fireplace can be part of the same job rather than a separate trade. Mantel placement has to respect the appliance's clearance to combustibles, which is easier to get right when the same crew is doing the tile and the woodwork.
Fireplace surrounds and refaces for homes across Coeur d’Alene.
Coeur d’Alene remodeling