Vibeke and Kurt Juul have done what many dreams about. They have created a fireplace in their greenhouse. When the wind is blowing, and the darkness falls early the greenhouse is a nice place to lean back and enjoy the moment with friends and family. Moreover, you can make marshmallows with the grandkids.

“We liked the idea of a fireplace in the greenhouse and we are very happy with how it turned out”, says Kurt Juul.

The couple has had smaller greenhouses through the years, but now they have gone for a bigger one – a Juliana Orangeri of 163.6 square feet. It fits perfectly in their detached house garden in Denmark.

They have made everything themselves, which takes some skills. Earlier Vibeke was a draughtsman, so she was able to create the idea on the paper. Kurt, who is a superintendent, could then transform the idea to reality.

 

How they did

The fireplace is placed in the gable. Kurt has created a hole 63 inches high and 55 inches wide in the gable. Then he has stabilized the construction with some stainless-steel plates that tolerate heat. The fireplace is built from LECA blocks, but Kurt has made some holes to put in iron and concrete, to make a strong and stable construction. He has then mortar washed the fireplace to get a nice grey colour. Finally, it has been spray-painted inside and out with heat-resistant paint, that ensures that the fireplace can tolerate up to 650 degrees. It is important to heat-treat the fireplace, otherwise, you risk it crumbling away.  Moreover, Kurt has made a small grate for the bottom of the fireplace to secure the oxygen in the fire. The hole in the fireplace is 17.1 inches tall, 24.8 inches deep and 39.4 inches wide. At first, Kurt had made a wider hole, but that resulted in smoke in the entire greenhouse.

The chimney

The chimney is also made of LECA blocks, which Kurt has glued together with tile adhesives. The construction is 9.8 feet tall with a metal pipe of 7.9 inches in diameter and 39.4 inches in height. The height is important as you need to make sure the chimney draws out the air, so it doesn’t end up in the greenhouse. 

Vibeke and Kurt have decorated the garden with string lights for Christmas.