Installing fire surround

[Zemedelec]

Thanks to the advice I got here and in the New Orleans newsgroup I found a smith who repaired the cast iron surround while I waited--although I didn't expect to examine the interior of his shop for 40 minutes. Now all I need is a mason with reasonable skills and expectations ditto, as the thing has to be wired into the fireplace with 2 pieces of wire attached to deadhead bolts sunk in the brick. I suppose I could make a stab at it with my B&D but the bricks are old and soft...I don't want to end up with just 2 piles of brickdust. Does anyone have a ballpark figure as to how much this should cost? The NO smith charged me within $10 of a NONGer's estimate, which I thought OK. zemedelec

[jim]

if you got someone to weld for you for $10 then they were doing it as a favor... when the guys had to come out and weld a wheel on an old New Orleans fence gate the cost was about $200 and we supplied the wheel...