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Having all that stonework and brickwork dismantled and hauled away wouldn't be cheap though, because they'll need to take care not to damage the house while they take it apart, and then they'll need to fill in that space with .
And the OP probably won't find anyone who will do it.
We lived in a home, built in the mid-1950s, with a similar fireplace, although the stones were a natural color. Since the fireplace looked so dated, I thought about painting the stones or removing them. Every contractor we talked to refused; one said the stones were most likely originally hauled from some area near the beach and it would be a crime to remove them. And then we do have the earthquake factor...
Those stones are definitely not natural field stone but rather a man made veneer product, without a doubt!
^^This^^ The problem is there are several things that could be behind those fake painted clay "stones". Usually it is plywood that has a layer of metal lath over it.
Those stones are definitely not natural field stone but rather a man made veneer product, without a doubt!
Correct. No competent mason would construct a fireplace with those two stones over the top of the firebox that would have nothing to support them and everything above them. That is where you can look upwards from the hearth and see how thick the "stone" actually is.
Correct. No competent mason would construct a fireplace with those two stones over the top of the firebox that would have nothing to support them and everything above them. That is where you can look upwards from the hearth and see how thick the "stone" actually is.
Maybe - But those pieces might be designed for exterior corners and L shaped making them seem thicker than they are. Our stone fireplace has a steel plate under the stone above the fire box opening. I know it is real stone. The stone came from the foundation of the original owners barn when the farm was sold for development. I bought the house from her daughter and son in law.
Here's a couple more pics so you can see what the stone fireplace looks like
As a mason of 30+ years, those are veneer and not structural. Those stone were popular back in the 60s/70s and the last time I seen them in new construction was early 90s. The metal piece holding them over the fireplace opening is a angle iron. You can tell 100% they are veneer because of the way some of the stones are laid, there is no way you could do that if they were structural.
Living in South Dakota I have no idea about earthquakes and how they would affect your fireplace. There are several ways they could be held to whatever is behind them. I have seen them laid over brick, block, and even wood.
The part you see is always decorative cladding. Even if you have a brick fireplace, there is another layer of brick that forms the actual chimney enclosure. A single layer of brick would heat up too much, and wouldn't be watertight or insulating from the outside.
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