"buddd" wrote in message
...

I recently moved into a home with a fireplace. Everything is fine
except that the perimeter around the fireplace (on the floor) is not
sufficient. The law here is that the fireplace needs to be surrounded
by 18 inches of fireproof material on the floor. Mine only has 12
inches.
Currently my fireplace is surrounded by fireproof tile.
A friend mention that one can buy a fireproof sheet that can be placed
on the floor and thereby satisfy the legal requirement.

Your situation involves three questions:
1. Practical safety from fi guaranteed if you
never use the fireplace.
2. Fire Safety Code. Where I live this is the only part
of the Building Code that is retroactive (i.e. when the
FSC changes you may be ordered to remodel your house
so that it conforms. This does not happen for BC clauses
about stairs, doorway widths, electrical code.)
3. Fire insurance. This can be the most difficult question
when (as is common) insurance agents do not know much
about either fire safety or the FSC. If in doubt, some may
simply cancel your insurance.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)