The idea to build this custom unit to house the TV and fireplace originated when Jonathan, our long time client, called saying that he had just purchased a beautiful fireplace and would like to have a custom unit built to house it.
The Design
The design inspiration came from a picture Jonathan had seen online when shopping for fireplaces. We made small changes to the original design to accommodate our TV and fireplace sizes.
The Build
Building this was particularly challenging because the client lives in a Penthouse Condo downtown Toronto. This meant that we had to pre-build as much as possible off-site to minimize the amount of cutting on the tiny 4x10 balcony. With the Penthouse occupied and fully furnished, cutting inside was not an option. So we pre-built the unit in 3 smaller and more manageable pieces. We had to ensure they were solid for transport and small enough to fit in the elevator.
The client wanted a smooth finish and because of that we opted for MDF for the build. MDF also allows for easier finishing; filling gaps, joints and sanding is a much more forgiving process with MDF.
Once delivered, we mocked it up on-site to test fit everything and then disassembled it for adjustments - the floors were 3/4" off on a 5' span. That required some adjustments. We cut out where the fireplace and TV mounting bracket would go and proceeded to install.
Finally, we finished it off with a 5 1/4" crown molding.
To achieve a perfect finish, we opted to paint the unit on-site. Which also meant, we had to fill the joints and sand it all smooth on-site. As you may know, dealing with MDF and woodfiller, meant some dust would go airbourne. We applied plastic to all furniture and took additional measures - such as vaccumming while sanding whenever possible - to minimize airbourne dust.
Once that was done, we brought in Marcelo, our amazing painter, who gave it one coat of primer and two coats of a semi-gloss white. Next day, it was ready to have the TV and fireplace mounted and voila!
Job Done!
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