Thought I'd post a picture of my next undertaking here:
This was a free standing gas fireplace, which I had disconnected when we moved in, as this level is a playroom for our kids. The orange brick hearth took up too much area in the room, so as of yesterday, I have demolished the mixture of veneer brick and full brick that the previous owner had installed.
My plan is to frame a new wall, and abandon the little setback in the wall. Some point in the future, I might put an electric fireplace into the wall, but not now.
Any suggestions for sealing up that area properly?
Somehow my kids didn't complain about loud hammering directly below their bedrooms for an hour or two after their bedtime that last couple nights. Also, my arm is still sore - not used to swinging a 4 lb sledge repeatedly. My black bin will be extra heavy for the next couple of weeks. The pile of bricks you see in the picture is maybe about a third of the total amount that was removed.