A masonry fireplace is what most people think of when they picture a fireplace. Constructed on a solid concrete foundation, they are massive towers of brick, stucco or stone usually seen rising up an exterior wall of a house. Some factory-built fireplaces are constructed to look like masonry fireplaces. The key difference is that a masonry fireplace will have solid, laid brick and mortar side walls and back while the factory-built will have cast cement panels lining a sheet metal box.
