Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - a Fireplace support question

Hello
I'm planning my house, but I'm not really ready to get bids yet. I do, however, want to sound intellegent when I talk to the person at the bank. Being a young person with no credit history, getting a rough idea of cost has to be the first step for me before I even bother buying plans. My tentative house plan calls for a fireplace, which I'd really like to have. Its going to be on the daylight basement side though which, I assume, gives an interesting take on what the support needs to look like.
I guess I have several questions. Another thing I wanted was a small room in my basement that was encased in concrete. My father has a vault like this in his house, and the idea has appealed to me as my business at times calls for large ammounts of small valuable items to be stored somewhere. I wanted a fireplace with a 5-6' base, which just happens to be the approx width I want the vault to be. Structurally speeking, could the fireplace and chimney be supported on a small concret box that bumps out of the side of my walk-out basement and serves as a vault? I assume there has to be some sort of concrete support there, why not a hollow one with a door? How much money will my idea set me back? Is it a bad idea to put a chimney on the walk out side of a house?
and lastly... My parents house has a fireplace, but they don't remember how much it cost to put it in, I doubt the numbers would be the same today anyway. How much does labor and the brick cost for an average fireplace on an average two story home these days? I want the price it would be if you ignore my eccentric ideas.
Thanks for humoring me :)

A masonry chimney on a ranch house with a walkout basement is like doing

a chimney on a 2 story house, on a colonial, it would be like a 3 story

brick chimney. Either way, it's too much weight to be supported by a hollow

concrete box. Unless cost is not a concern, a lot of people prefer the cost

savings of a metal chimney with a wood framed facade around it. Sorry i

can't help much with numbers relating to actual costs. These will, however,

vary a lot, according to what part of the country you live in and, yes, your

parents cost to do a chimney won't be very useful to you.

Thanks, I talked to someone that gave a rough idea of the cost for the metal thing. I think its so ugly to have lap siding on a chimney. :( Oh well. He said that for around $5-6000 I could do it. Whats a really nice brick looking facade that I could apply to the wood framing?
Oh, and I'm in Missouri.

Good old MO. My home base is at Osage Beach Mo. We use the steel heatalater for in the stone or brick fireplace there. Id check with code for what you will need for a footing there where you are . Also dont forget to put in a outside are intake there in the fireplace hearth for air for its flue.
Whats a really nice brick looking facade that I could apply to the wood framing?
just make sure it blends in with the rest of the home color.

ED ;)

Yah, the air intake seems really intersting. I havn't checked in Jotul utilizes that tech or not. Do you know? I think their stoves are the most beautiful on the market and my parents Jotul box is effecient and wonderful.