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This is finish carpentry wearing framing clothes: two parallel 2x4 stud walls — one screwed to the real wall, one in front of it — connected by depth blocks, then skinned in shiplap with an electric fireplace insert set into a framed opening. The result reads as a built-in masonry fireplace; the reality is a weekend of 2x4s and brad nails.
Almost every dimension is parameterized off YOUR room and YOUR insert: framing height is ceiling minus 1" (so it can tip up into place), the insert opening follows the insert manufacturer's spec exactly, and the upper stud bay is positioned to catch your TV bracket's bolt pattern. Buy the insert before cutting anything — its manual overrules this plan wherever they disagree, especially on clearances and ventilation.
Two structural notes hide in the steps. The mantle is a 54" solid 4x6 lagged from behind — install it while the wall above is still open, because doing it later means working blind. And the mantle/TV blocking must land ON a horizontal 2x4 so the load path runs to the floor, not into brad-nailed shiplap. The trim sequence in step 5 (side pieces first, then front, corners matched) is the difference between crisp corners and caulk confession — follow the order. Test the TV and insert BEFORE final trim: once the insert is in, the framing access is gone.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 8 ftVertical framing and blocking. | 8 each |
| 2x4, 10 ftThe 57" horizontal members cut from these. | 6 each |
| Shiplap boards, ~56 sq ft12-foot lengths waste least. Primed MDF shiplap is cheapest; pine takes stain. | 1 each |
| 1x3 trim boards, 8 ft | 8 each |
| Quarter round or shoe moulding, 3/4"Only if the ceiling gap needs covering. | 6 linear ft |
| 4x6 beam, 54"The mantle. A real timber, not a hollow box — hence the lag screws. | 1 each |
| Lag screws, 6"Mantle mounting, driven from behind. | 4 each |
| Self-tapping screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star drive | 100 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga | 500 each |
| Wood filler | 8 oz |
| Paint | 1 quart |
| Electric fireplace insert, 36"As shown: 36" wide x 17" tall unit in a 33" x 16" opening. Buy FIRST; frame to ITS manual. Not included in the cost estimate. | 1 each |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Back wall verticalsOr 1" less than YOUR ceiling height. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 95" |
| Back wall horizontalsOr desired width minus 3". | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 57" |
| Front wall verticalsMatch the back wall. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 95" |
| Front wall horizontals | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 57" |
| Insert opening uprightsDesired opening-top height minus 1-1/2" — follow your insert's spec. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 28 1/2" |
| Insert opening headerYour insert's opening width. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 33" |
| Upper verticals (TV bay)Measure and cut to fit; spaced to your TV bracket. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 62" |
| Mantle blocking | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 24" |
| Depth blocks (sides)Or your chosen bump-out depth. | 6 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 12" |
| Mantle4x6 beam | 1 | 3 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 54" |
Some parts are longer than a 8 ft board, so there is no honest board count to show here. Open the board plan to pick a longer stock length — it names every part that does not fit.
1 board
8 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Measure your ceiling; the framing height is that MINUS 1" — the tip-up clearance. Build the back wall (two verticals, three horizontals) with 2-1/2" screws.
Build the front wall the same, plus the insert opening: set the center horizontal at your insert's opening-top height, frame the opening to the insert manual's dimensions, and place the upper stud bay to match your TV bracket's bolt pattern. The bracket and the insert manual are the real drawings for this wall.
Screw the back frame to the wall studs through its horizontals with 2-1/2" screws, dead level — shim as needed; every shiplap course references this frame.
Add the 12" side depth blocks (they set the bump-out depth), then screw the front wall frame to the blocks. You now have a hollow stud tower; knock on it and enjoy how permanent it already sounds.
Install the 24" blocking for the mantle (and center-mount TV bracket, if using one) with their bottoms RESTING ON a horizontal 2x4 — that's the load path that takes a solid-timber mantle's weight to the floor instead of hanging it on fasteners.
Start the first course at the floor, LEVELED (floors lie; the level doesn't), and work up with 1-1/4" brads, two per stud. At the insert opening, hold each board in place, trace the opening from behind, and jigsaw it out.
When the courses reach mantle height: install the 4x6 now, lagged from BEHIND through the framing with the 6" lags, while the wall above is still open. This is the plan's easiest-way warning — front-mounting a solid beam later is a much harder job.
The corner-matching sequence: (1) top and bottom SIDE trim, cut to fit; (2) top and bottom FRONT trim; (3) vertical SIDE trim — its front face must land flush with the plane of the front shiplap; (4) vertical FRONT trim, corners meeting the sides exactly. Quarter round covers any ceiling gap.
Fill every hole, let dry, sand at 120, dust off, paint. The trim order is what makes the corners look mitered without a single miter.
Mount and TEST the TV — cables, power, everything — while the insert bay is still open, because the insert removes your last access to the cavity. Then slide in the fireplace insert per its manual. It pulls back out if you ever need the framing again; the TV wiring doesn't, which is why it went first.
A sloped ceiling changes only the front wall framing — its verticals become different lengths and the top plate follows the slope. Get that frame right and everything else stays cut-to-fit over it, exactly as before.
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