Entertainment Center Fireplace

I have always wanted a fireplace, however I couldn't justify spending $600 or more for a flimsy electric TV stand. Not to mention, I have checked out the displays of these pieces at Lowes, and they are made from cheap materials that I do not want to sit my expensive TV on. We found the entertainment center on Craigslist for $100, because they got rid of their big projection screen TV (which many are doing these days). I looked for fireplace TV stands for months, and just couldn't find a piece that wouldn't look like a separate piece of furniture stuck in the middle. I found a new electric insert on Criagslist for $100 (normally about $250), and purchased the materials from Lowes where a nice employee cut it all for me. I glued and nailed the frame together, applied the AirStone, attached the mantle (a 2x4), and slid the insert into place. Overall, the project took about 4 hours to complete, and cost about $200 to build. (It could have been done for a bit cheaper, but I went with 3/4" plywood for strength and stability.)