Michael Thronson Masonry

Stone masonry Rumford Fireplace with chimney in Johnson, Vermont

2011-10-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Finally some photos of the fireplace and chimney I built in Johnson, Vermont this summer/fall...

all the stone was handpicked from the locality.

yes, that's a blurry glass of champagne and the first fire

soon it will be complete with siding

the structure, facing the road

Rumford 42", with slate stone hearth in front of firebox

and, to give you a sense of the work process, four sets of 6' high scaffolding to reach the top.

Masonry heater in Brookfield, Vermont, with the wood fire in basement and radiant bench/heater upstairs.

2011-06-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

first fire!

The heater has it's firebox in the basement...

...part of the process...

...and the primary heater and heated bench upstairs in the living space.

Have a seat.

Functional storage and structure.

Masonry Heater with Clay and Stone facing, Worcester, Vermont

2010-10-15T18:32:00.001-07:00

Hi folks and friends! This is my most recent masonry stove, built in Worcester, Vermont. It is a retrofit, and is heating a partially earth-covered home that is being renovated. The fieldstone is from a local source, and the finish is in American Clay, skip troweled, with two shades of the color Moab. Hope you like it!
Also this year, and not yet pictured on my blog, I have done clay plastering of walls and ceilings in two rooms and a stairwell in a home here in north-central Vermont. I enjoyed that project very much, and hope to do more clay plaster work. It is a wonderful substitute for paint. I hope to get some pictures to show you! Other projects have included renovating an old brick fireplace with a new stone face and integrating some wood cabinetry and mantle, and a soapstone hearth and lintel stone. Another renovation was re-finishing some cinder-block chimney-tops with a new stone face and stone rain caps.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Michael

Custom brick hearth space, Middlesex, Vermont

2010-02-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a sampling of pictures from my most recent work, a custom hearth space between living room and kitchen, built around an already-built cinder-block chimney. On the kitchen side, the big soapstone stove is set up on a raised hearth at a nice angle, with a green-granite counter just above it. On the living room side there is a gas fireplace/heater, adding to the warmth of the space with heat and fire-light. The kitchen, living room, and dining room were all transformed by this project, creating a much warmer feeling for the house, figuratively and literally.

How do you attach a wood post to brick and stone?

Nice firewood storage.

Inspired by Gaudi

The kitchen stove on it's new pad

Bring the wood

Living room side

The brick mantle with arch

Pictures from Wolcott: Masonry heater, Rumford fireplace, cookstove, chimney...

2010-01-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings! everyone, here are some pictures from 2009's big project out in Wolcott, Vermont. These are the last ones I took before my camera stopped working, and the work has since been completed and cleaned up, and a lot more progress was made with the rest of the house. So I'll be hoping to get some better pics when a new camera comes into my life. The picture above is the first fire in the semi-circular double-bell (masonry heater) that sits slightly above and back-to-back with the Rumford fireplace you will see in the pictures below. This project also includes a hearth for a wood-burning cookstove and hookups for small wood stoves into the chimney upstairs, one in each bedroom. Essentially, it is a huge tower right in the center of a 12-sided home.
Michael's first hand-built semi-circular double-bell masonry heater

Nothing like cooking with wood fire too!

What you'd see (before finished floor) from the kitchen, or from the hearth of the fireplace.

Wish I could keep it!

In one of the 2 Bedrooms

The 2x4 studs are gone now. Top of stairs hallway.

Chimney top.

'The Center': Masonry heater and Rumford fireplace ...masonry in Wolcott, VT

2009-04-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

over the fireplace arch

finally some real sq. footage on the stone work

getting ready for the arch

my first 'convex' arch!

Bluestone bench top

Convex stone bench front

Rumford Fireplace Guts

Bell 1

Bell 1 and bell 2

The Center

Masonry Heater with local stone and clay plaster finish, Marshfield, VT

2009-03-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

Here's some fresh pictures of the Masonry Heater I built in Marshfield, Vermont this summer. The clay plaster is still drying in these photos, and will lighten signifigantly.

Masonry Heater core and brick facing, hand built in Cabot, Vermont

2008-11-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

Some pictures of another masonry heater I'm building in Cabot. This one is a retro-fit, faced with KF Heritage D bricks, along with a new 2-flue brick chimney for the house. It has an oven and bread warming nook on the kitchen side and the firebox on the living room side, with wood storage between the heater and chimney, and a stainless steel water coil for heating domestic hot water.

Masonry heater facing in Marshfield, Vermont

2008-10-09T18:40:00.001-07:00

First Masonry Heater firing in Marshfield!

The final photos of this masonry heater will come once the house is insulated and warmed up enough to apply the final coats of clay plaster...

all the stone has been hand picked at the construction site, except for the bluestone bench

stay tuned for more heater facing ...stone arches and clay plastering.

Hand built masonry heater core and chimney

2008-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the masonry heater core in Marshfield, Vermont, and one photo of the chimney top...

the firebox with cast refractory lintel.

a view up the 'throat'

last course before cast oven floor

firebox side. cast caps are waiting for the stainless water coil to go in. starting on the bench

oven side. and a little sample of the stonework from native stones on site

with bench lining

firebox floor, air intake, ash dump

brick chimney top

Masonry Heater and chimney top, Ripton, VT

2008-09-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures to add now that the heater's doors have been installed.

The chimney top:

Masonry Heater stone work finished and start of brick chimney.

2008-09-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

It is always satisfying to finish some stone work. The first and only heater with a verde antique facing. The stone is very much like raw soapstone, and it will look even better once it's cleaned. It's hard to see in the photos how green these stones are but here's the latest photo. The bench and cap stones are black slate, as well as the stone forming the oven arch.

On the second floor, the chimney changes to Vermont water struck bricks. Here's the start.

Heat-Kit installation photo series.

2008-08-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here is my third solo Heat-Kit installation. It has an outside air intake, with a damper installation visible in the close-ups.

Ready for the firebox floor.

Outside air intake damper, closed

and open.

Firebox Lintel.

Ready for oven parts.

Oven back.

Oven top.

Almost there.

Fin. (except for fiberglass wrap, to be done when I return to do the facing.)

Heat-Kit installation, Stone Masonry Heater (Ripton,VT), and Heater base construction(Marshfield)

2008-08-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

I really like the slate arch form, and I get to leave it in place.

The chimney takes a step back to make a ledge.

Thimble for a cookstove.

Cap stones on the heater and heading for the ceiling.

Block work can be fun.

Pooring the ash dump floor.
Reaching for another ceiling.
Starting the chimney on the first floor slab.

Masonry Heater in Ripton

2008-07-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated with new photos of masonry projects. I've been working on a few: a fieldstone fireplace in Stowe with Peter Hansbury, with a chimney top faced in cultured stone (a first for me). I don't have any photos of that one yet...Also completing the second floor chimney's stone facing in Chester, VT for the masonry heater that has been featured previously here on my blog. One more visit there and that should be done.

Currently, I'm building a masonry heater in Ripton, Vermont. It is a hand built heater core, with a few refractory castings I did on site. The facing is using scraps from a local quarry, called Verde Antique, which is mostly quarried for countertops and expensive slabs. It is a dark green serpentine stone very similar to soapstone, with veins of various minerals running through it. Here's some pictures of the project...

Thanks to Masonry Mentors, Employers, Teachers...

2007-12-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

For a while I've been wanting to send out a big THANK YOU!
to all the masonry people without whom I'd never be able to do this...
and some links to their web sites if possible.

David G. Peters, Stonemasonry, Bozeman, Montana

William Davenport, Turtlerock Masonry Heat, Masonry Heater Association V.P.,Burlington, Vermont

Norber Senf, Masonry Stove Builders, MHA Pres., Shawville, Quebec

Erik Nilsen, Thermal Mass Inc., Dalton, NH,

Masonry Heater Association of North America,
A great resource for people in the trade of building masonry heaters and for people interested in masonry heaters.

Masonry Heater complete, Chester, Vermont

2007-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Contact Information Dec. 1, 2007

2007-11-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

Michael Thronson Masonry

please send an email to:
thronsonmason@yahoo.com

blog (home):
http://thronsonmasonry.blogspot.com

New Pictures- Masonry Heater, Fireplace, Hearth, Chimney Top

2007-11-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

Masonry Heater progress in Chester

from the front

right face

left face

brick chimney top for Chester heater

New Pictures of Fireplace (near Montpelier)

fireplace front

with spark screen

view of chimney from the great room

around the side to the left of fireplace

and around the right side

another view of the chimney from the top of the stairs

Hearth at Wes's House

Masonry Heater Projects and Chimney building in Vermont

2007-11-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

Masonry Heater in Cabot , VTThis heater was built with parts and hardware from Turtlerock inc, Maine Wood Heat, and Masonry Stove Builders. The hookup for a wood stove is for use until the heater is finished by the homeowners in clay and tile. I'll update with more photos when it's completely done.

Living room side of Cabot Heater

Another view of the living room side bench

The large bench stones set on heated bench, Chester, Vermont

Stone work going up around heat-kit core

...and the back side and chimney

A chimney I built in Worchester, VT

Finished in grey stucco, with beautiful fall colors

Masonry Heater under construction. Chester, Vermont

2007-09-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

A masonry heater (or stove) that was started last year in the fall at the Gustafsons' home under construction in Chester, VT, is now being faced with a local stone of the mica schist variety. Here are just a few photos of the stonework in progress, now ready for some big slabs for the bench top that wraps around three sides of this Heat-Kit from Masonry Stove Builders, assembled by myself last November.

Rumford Fireplace in Montpelier: Stone work complete

2007-09-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings! and finally, here are a few digital photos of the fireplace at the Nishiyachi residence under construction in Central Vermont. The firebox is oriented at 45degrees into the main living area, or great room. The stone is South Bay Quartzite from Champlain Stone Co. and Cleary Stone in Richmond. The home is being constructed by Montpelier Construction, Chris Miksic GC.

Chimney up to the ceiling.

Bench stones set today.

One view of the back side of the fireplace.

The front of the fireplace

Another view from the side

Montpelier Fireplace Photo Update

2007-06-14T20:14:00.001-07:00

Miscellaneous Project Pictures

2007-06-03T08:35:00.001-07:00

Corinthian Granite hearth wall, bluestone hearth floor. Middlesex, VT

Alan Scott Oven built for Patchwork Farm and Bakery, East Hardwick, VT.
Water struck brick facing in bakery.

Backside view of the oven before insulation and wall:

Chimney top in Middlesex, VT

Masonry Heater in Westford, VT
Water struck brick and corinthian granite(quartzite schist), and bluestone

Heat-Kit assembled, Chester, VT

Getting close to the ceiling, cinder block chimney to be faced with stone from a local quarry
Chester, VT

Used brick Masonry heater, Stone Wall

2007-06-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

back side of fireplace chimney.

heated masonry bench of bluestone. Lyndonville, VT

Back side of masonry heater, Lyndonville, VT
Used brick with Bluestone.

Stonework facing den, on the back side of fireplace and chimney

Used Brick Masonry Heater, Lyndonville, Vermont

2007-01-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Michael Thronson Masonry

2007-01-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Quality Functional Masonry

Your hearth is the heart of your home, and it is important to make it special. I am a mason with 9 years experience working in Vermont and previously in Bozeman, Montana. Welcome!

Specializing in:

Masonry Heater Construction and Design
Masonry Heater Kit Installations
Wood Fire Bread and Pizza Ovens
Hearth Design and Construction
Chimney Construction
Custom Masonry, Interior and Exterior
Stone Masonry and Brick veneers
Tile Setting
Clay Plaster Application

I have apprenticed and worked with some of the very best of New England's Masonry Heater specialists, building masonry heaters since 2002.

Member of the Masonry Heater Association of North America

Please contact me to discuss your masonry project.

Michael Thronson

thronsonmason@yahoo.com

Montpelier, Vermont

(802) 498-5757