Hal, a retired bricklayer, smiling in his workshop

40 years laying brick

Hal's Guides

Thanks for watching. Pick the guide that matches the video you just saw. Both are instant PDFs in large print, and you can read them on a phone, tablet, computer or print them out.

For fireplace & chimney videos

The Fireplace and Chimney Mistakes That Cost You Everything

The checklist I'd walk through with you before you light the first fire of the season.

  • The flashlight-and-mirror flue check, step by step
  • Damper mistakes that send your heat up the chimney
  • Crown, cap and mortar: what to look for from the ground
  • Carbon monoxide: the quiet mistake to rule out first
$1910 chapters · one payment
See the fireplace guide
For wood stove & brick heat videos

The Old Bricklayer's Guide to Thermal Mass Heating

How to make one fire's heat last till morning with $40 of brick and the stove you already own.

  • The brick heat sink behind your wood stove, start to finish
  • Four fireplace fixes that keep the heat in the room
  • Rocket mass, masonry stove or plain stove, compared dollar for dollar
  • What to check before the first fire of the season
$2710 chapters · one payment
See the heat-sink guide

Not sure which one?

If you have a fireplace or chimney, start with the $19 checklist. It's the safety work. If you heat with a wood stove and want it to hold heat longer, the $27 guide is the build.