DIY Fireplace Mantle

We have lived in our home for 9 years now and every single year around Christmas time, I start talking about how I would LOVE to have a mantle.

Quite frankly, I had almost given up on ever getting one unless I went out and just bought one myself. Then about two weeks ago when my husband asked me what I wanted for our anniversary, I told him I didn't want anything extravagant, I just wanted him to build me a mantle. 

I honestly didn't think it would happen, but this is the view from my front door last Tuesday night. 

Not only did I get a mantle, I got a mantle made with his own two hands. 

Here is what our fireplace wall used to look like. (Sorry for the crappy pictures, I forgot to take pictures beforehand so I took these with my cell phone.)

When I found out he was going as far as ripping the tile off the wall, I was a little bit uneasy (and not happy about the mess I would have to clean up). Of course, he assured me it was the only way I was going to get a full fireplace mantle and not just the shelf. 

If there's one thing we've learned over the years when doing home improvements, it's that we can't be 100% sure that our builders weren't hammered the entire time they built this house. Not one floor in our home has been level and when measuring the fireplace mantle, Mark discovered that the fireplace isn't even close to being centered on the wall. 

Since he was working so hard, I offered to prime the pieces for him while he did other stuff, but he insisted I not help one little bit on this project since it was my gift. 

Throughout the week I kept joking with him that it didn't count as a gift if it wasn't finished by 12 am Friday morning, so this was what he was doing about 11:45 Thursday night. (Since it's so late, I'm going to excuse him from the saggy pants and no belt. ) 

The finished product is more than I could have imagined and it's still not finished. We've yet to decide on the decorative wood pieces to finish it off with, the nail holes have to be painted, my picture taken down and mirror/sconces hung. 

Of course I am no where near finished with the decorating aspect and I'm sure I will be one of those who change it up with every new season.

With all of that said, I think he did a FANTASTIC job. He came up with the design all on his own and I think the arch added a whole new level of awesomeness to it. Don't ya think?

(Final Cost- Under $100)

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