Custom Stone Fireplace & TV Entertainment Center in Trailmark, St. Johns FL

The Project

Not all living room walls are created equal. This one, inside a home in Trailmark right here in 32092, was doing nothing. Flat drywall. A freestanding TV stand with a big screen sitting on top of it. Framed photos on either side trying their best. The room had potential, and the homeowners knew it.

They came to us wanting a full stone wrap, floor to ceiling, built around a 60-inch electric fireplace. Thin mantle. Matching stained hearth. Light neutral stone that would let the fire and the TV do the talking. And they wanted to keep their existing television mounted up top. Simple vision. Serious build.

This is a custom TV entertainment center project, but it's also a fireplace wall build from scratch. No existing chase. No existing structure. Just a flat wall and a plan.

The Challenge

The wall itself was, in the homeowners' own words, "very awkward." And they were right to flag it. The ceiling fan sat slightly off-center from where the natural fireplace centerpoint wanted to land. That's the kind of thing you don't notice until you're standing there with a tape measure and a level, then it becomes the only thing you can think about.

We made a deliberate placement decision rather than just splitting the difference. The fireplace center was set to read correctly from the seating position, which is the angle that actually matters. The ceiling fan asymmetry disappears from the couch. That's the call we made, and it was the right one.

The homeowners were also smart about scope. They wanted to see the fireplace wall finished first before committing to flanking shelves. That's honest thinking. A lot of people over-commit on day one and end up with a project they don't love because they never paused to look. We respected that.

The Build

We started with the framing. The build-out is 8 inches deep from the face of the wall, 72 inches wide, with the hearth projecting an additional 12 inches out from there. That gives the fireplace presence in the room without eating the floor plan.

You can see the stud framing going up in the early stages. Doubled up where it needed to be, with a dedicated bay framed at the bottom specifically for the 60-inch fireplace unit. The structure has to be solid before any of the surface work begins. We're talking about a floor-to-ceiling assembly with stone over it. It doesn't flex, and it shouldn't.

Once framing was dialed in, we skinned the whole thing in GoBoard. That's a cement-based backer board, and it's what goes under stone. Not drywall. Not green board. GoBoard. It's dimensionally stable, it won't absorb moisture, and the stone bonds to it properly. You can see it covering the entire face in the build photos, with the fireplace opening already cut clean and the unit set in place.

Stone went on next. Light neutral stacked stone, each piece hand-set and leveled. The color runs warm white and soft gray with natural variation in each piece. The corners were wrapped, not mitered with a thin edge. Real corner pieces so it reads as a solid stone mass from every angle in the room.

The mantle is slim. Stain grade wood in a dark finish. No bulk, no overhang drama. Just a clean horizontal line sitting right above the fireplace opening. The hearth top is the same stain, same finish. They match because they should. That detail alone separates a built-in that looks designed from one that looks assembled.

TV mount went in while the stone was still curing. We framed a dedicated mount pocket into the structure from the start so the hardware hits solid backing every time. The TV sits flat against the stone face. No visible wiring. No standoff gaps. Flush and clean.

The Result

That flat, forgettable wall in Trailmark is gone. What's there now is a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace wall that anchors the entire living room. The stacked stone runs all the way up, wraps both sides, and meets the ceiling with no breaks. The 60-inch electric fireplace glows wide across the base. The dark stained mantle sits above it like a blade. The TV is mounted center stone above that, cords nowhere to be seen.

From across the room, the whole thing reads as one unified piece. The stone column on the right side, shown in the after photos, wraps fully from floor to ceiling with clean corners. No thin edges peeling away. No grout cracking at the returns. Solid.

The dark hearth top runs the full width and gives you somewhere to set a candle, a remote, whatever. Same stain as the mantle. The two horizontal planes bookend the fireplace opening and keep your eye moving through the whole composition rather than stopping at any one spot.

The homeowners now have a living room focal point that didn't exist before. The room didn't change around it. Same floor. Same ceiling fan. Same layout. The wall just became what the room was always trying to be. That's just how we do things.

They're still deciding on the flanking shelves. And honestly, the wall holds its own without them. If they call us back, we'll be ready. If they don't, this stands fine on its own. 🙏

Ready for Your Own Fireplace Wall in Trailmark or St. Johns?

We build custom TV entertainment centers and fireplace walls throughout Jacksonville and St. John's County. If you've got a flat wall that's doing nothing, we know exactly what to do with it. We also serve homeowners in Durbin Crossing and Julington Creek who want the same quality built into their living rooms.

Reach out to AVP Construction JAX INC and tell us what you're thinking. We'll come take a look, give you real guidance on layout and materials, and get it done right the first time. Doing it right the first time.