Whether you have a wood stove or fireplace, a custom brick hearth can make an eye-catching (and cheap) addition to your living room. Read more: How To Spackle Walls.

Even though wood-burning stoves are significantly more efficient than traditional fireplaces, there are a few reasons why you may still want to choose a traditional fireplace for your home instead.

Learn everything you need to know to build a Russian masonry heater with bricklaying know-how and masonry fireplace construction details.

And then there’s the expense of the new, wood-burning prefab unit: A builder-grade version costs about $2,500, while a high-efficiency, high-end wood fireplace can cost as much as $15,000 ...