A mason

Mantle is anemic and too high.

Why do the bricks stick out? I suppose you can get someone in to just cut the bricks off flush to the rest of them.

If It was my fireplace, I'd remove the mantle and leave everything else as it is. The brick is beautiful and I don't think it needs any adornment.

a beefier mantel with a picture over it to cover the shaded bricks

Those bricks will be easy for a brick mason to remove. They'll chisel out the morter, pull the bricks out, turn one of them sideways (hopefully cleaning off all the old morter) like the rest of the bricks and re-morter. You may have some discoloration on the morter, but a good mason will know how to make it match fairly close. This isn't a very big job, so you may have to wait for a good contractor to have some free time in their schedule or have a lesser quality mason take the job because they aren't as busy..

You really need a more substantial mantle. That just looks like an after thought as thin as it is. Shoot for a 4x6 or bigger beam across. Doesn't have to be solid, can be a hollow box, but match it to the style of your home (traditional, craftsman, etc.).

A chunky reclaimed wood mantel, in a lower position, would be so much more appropriate than that thin lightweight one you have. Any mason can take care of those brick platforms easily.

Thanks! I knew the mantle should be bigger but never thought about lower. It worked before we put in gas insert.

If you do lower the mantle be sure you check on the local building code. They will have a minimum clearance for how close you can put something flammable (like a wood mantle)

I had the same bizarre set-up on my fireplace and did exactly what Brandt F. wrote above. It was a simple fix that took a couple of hours at the most. A mason did the work.

Also agree with what others said, thicker mantle!

If there is any way you can live with those bricks that just out, I would encourage you to do so. If you cut those bricks so that they are levels with the other bricks, you will be exposing the inside of the bricks. You will replace the bricks that jut out with a set of bricks that are a much different color than the rest of the surround.

HI- That is a shelf and not a mantel . If you have the brick features re-moved and it looks good , then the fireplace face will look nice without any mantle . This will depend on your style of decor . If re-moving the brick feature leaves a scar , you might have to paint the brick . If you want or need a mantle , there are some great cast concrete surrounds and cast iron ones and also stainless steel or perhaps just a big rustic wood beam or a rich smooth wood one . Copper is also stunning and popular again . So many ideas here on Houzz .

hire the mason to take out those bricks. and that shelf/mantel is pitiful.

It depends a bit on whether you'll be painting the bricks or not. If you are painting the bricks then before calling a mason I'd try to cut them off with hand saw. It will take some work but it is possible (you can ask someone at a hardware store to point you to the right saw). If you're set on removing them you have nothing to lose. It kinda depends on whether the bricks have voids in them as many bricks for walls do. but if they're solid and you're painting them the texture variation won't matter.

If you are not painting them an honest mason should tell you that; 1) in the event that the bricks can't be removed without breaking them, it will difficult or impossible to find matching bricks, and 2) he can not guarantee that the mortar will match.

The upside to using a mason is that if you want install a substantial mantel he can not only remove the bricks but also provide some solid anchor points in it so that you can sleep without worrying that the vase you put there is going to come crashing down.

We agree with bringing a mason in. Also it would be nice to see the mantle lowered.

Groveraxle,

I do like this if I can’t remove bricks. The space under the brick on the left is not quite 12” so you’ve given me some great ideas as to what fits.

Most definitely looking into a bigger mantle.

As Groveraxle has shown, you just need a deeper mantle, not necessarily a lower one. You don't need to remove the existing one, just put a new one right over the old one. Here's a tutorial, but there are many other how-to's on Google. Search for mantle cover or mantle slipcover. http://www.fwmadebycarli.com/2011/01/making-of-slip-covered-mantel.html