When we bought the hideway in 1999, we certainly weren't focusing on the chimney. Sure it looked a little worn out, but hey, the rest of the home looked great, so it was an easy oversight for us. Also, when we bought it, we saw it once, then came back to the bay area and called in our offer the next day. The 2nd time we saw it, escrow had closed and it was ours. So a lot of the details we left to inspectors. But as you can see here:

A few more years passed and more chunks fell off.

You'd think that incident would have motivated us to fix the chimney asap. Well, we would have but there were a few ducks that needed to get in a row and stars that needed to be aligned first.
Which gave the chimney more time to fall apart. So much so, that unbeknownst to us, there was a hole that lead directly into the house. A hole big enough for a rodent to fit in...So last fall, I was chillin' on the couch, reading a magazine and watching tv, enjoying a relaxing Saturday morning while Jimmy slept in. Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement at the fireplace. You see, our fireplace has vent holes that lead to the outside of the firebox. I look up from my magazine and what do I see? A squirrel peaking his little head in, looking right at me! I yell "WHAT THE FREAK!!" (insert actual profanity there). Which scared the squirrel, thank God, and he ran out and as far away from the crazy lady as possible. (don't forget to click on the pics to see the details)

Well, finally the stars were aligned and we started talking to contractors this spring. We contemplated between real river rock vs. rock veneer. We got different bids and did a lot of pro/con lists. And in April...

and the new chimney...

Now, I have to say, that I think the contractor who did this is an artist. We could tell by talking to him throughout this project that he was passionate about his work. He wasn't there to just slap on a chimney, he contemplated each rock that went into each groove. He spread the rocks out across the driveway and looked at each piece and how it would fit into the design. He would loosely place 3 rows of rocks on to make sure they fit right, then take them all down again before mortaring them in. Talk about labor intensive: put 'em on, re-arrange, take 'em off, mortar them back in one by one. By the way, some of those rocks weighed over 40 pounds each. Most of them weighed over 15 pounds.
So about 6 or 7 weeks later, we have our beautiful finished chimney:

The one flaw with it being so gorgeous that it totally draws our attention to the other eyesores of the cabin. Like that beat-up deck. Good golly that deck needs to be repaired! Thankfully it's on the 2009 to-do list. Which led us to thinking...we're hoping to wrap the deck around from the side entrance all the way to the front. Which means the deck will go right next to the chimney. So, we were playing with lighting ideas...

And although the changes may seem subtle to someone not focusing on the chimney, instead of driving up to this:

we get to drive up to this:

So Santa should be happier coming down this chimney this year! He won't have to worry about loose rocks bonking him on the head on his way down. Not to mention friends being able to park or walk underneath it.
_
9 comments:
That's a Chimney to be proud of!!! It definitely deserves a capital C. I hope that when (if) I come to the SF area I'll be invited to The Hideaway just so I can see the Chimney in person.
It's beautiful, girl!
wow, that is a beautiful chimney, a piece of art! i love the idea about a wrap around deck, that would be awesome! and to have lighting put up shining up the chimney? FANTASTIC!!! i cannot wait to see what you do, meanwhile can't wait to see the new chimney in person!
I'm thinkin' you should be singing a really loud rendition of ...
wait for it...
We Will Rock You!!!
LOL!
I crack myself up!!!
: .)
wow! it looks really nice!
Oh my goodness..what a beautiful home!!!
That chimney looks absolutely amazing!!!
So pretty and I love the stone. Santa will be pleased.
It really, really is beautiful! Even from the pictures you can tell it is very well made. Good choice!
a.
CONGRATULATIONS! Wow. That was quite the undertaking, Mad. You deserve to be thrilled...and proud! I love it to hear about craftsmen still being around in this day and age!
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