A fire pit is the reason people stay on the patio after the dishes are done. It is a low ring or square of masonry with the fire in the middle, open to the sky, with seats around it.
We build them in stone, block or brick, round or square, with or without a seating wall around them. A fire pit takes far less masonry than an outdoor fireplace with a chimney: a few days on site instead of one to two weeks.
What we build
- Round and square fire pits
- Stone, block or brick, picked to suit the patio or the house
- Wood-burning pits, or gas pits with the line installed by licensed trades under permit
- Seating walls around the fire, about 18 to 20 inches high
- Fire pits set into a new paver patio or flagstone patio
How is a stone fire pit built?
Fire pit construction starts with the patio it sits in. When we build that patio, it goes on 4 inches of concrete from Capitol Concrete, JK's concrete supply company, tilted so rain drains toward the yard and away from the house.
The pit's ring or square goes up in the stone, block or brick you chose, and the seating wall rises with it, in the same material or one that sets it off. For a gas fire pit, the line from the house is run under permit by licensed trades, and we schedule them and the inspection.
Stone, block or brick: which suits your patio?
Pick the material that matches what is already around it.
| Material | What it looks like | Goes well with |
|---|---|---|
| Natural stone | Irregular pieces in mixed colors and sizes | A flagstone patio or stone-faced walls |
| Block | Even, squared units with crisp lines | A paver patio in the same color family |
| Brick | Small, regular clay units in warm reds | A brick house, a brick border or a brick walk |
Want a fire pit before the cool nights?
Tell us how many people usually gather out back, and we will suggest a size, a shape and a material for the pit.
Where We Build Fire Pits
Gainesville and Bristow are in Prince William County and South Riding is in Loudoun County, and we build fire pits in both as well as in Fairfax. We check the county and HOA rules for your pit at the estimate, see that any gas line is installed and inspected under permit, and prepare the drawings and samples your review board wants.
What drives the cost to build a fire pit?
The pit is a small piece of masonry, so what surrounds it can matter as much to the price as the pit does. You get a firm price in writing after the site visit, set by:
- Round or square, and how wide
- Stone, block or brick
- Wood-burning, or gas piped in from the house
- A seating wall, and how far it runs around the fire
- A new patio around it, if the job includes one
- How easily materials can reach the backyard
Wood-burning or gas fire pit?
Either one, and the build is where they differ: a gas fire pit needs a line from the house, installed by licensed trades under permit, while a wood-burning pit needs only the masonry and dry wood. Our outdoor fireplaces page compares the two fires side by side. South Riding has an architectural review board, so a pit there may need the board's approval, and we prepare the drawings and samples it asks for.
Where should a fire pit go?
In the open, away from the house, the deck and anything overhead, such as a porch roof, a pergola or low branches. Your county's rules and your HOA's set the distances, and we place it with you at the estimate. The patio around it can be pavers, flagstone or a travertine patio, and a walkway in the same stone brings you out to it on dark evenings.
Why build a fire pit with a seating wall?
Because a seating wall gives a crowd somewhere to sit without hauling chairs out of the garage. The wall is usually about 18 to 20 inches high, close to the height of a chair seat. Our seating walls page covers the wall itself in more detail.
Who should handle your fire pit installation?
A contractor who builds the pit, the patio and the walls together, so the pieces meet as planned. We are fire pit contractors with a Class A license and a crew of masons that has been with JK for many years, so one written price covers the pit, the seating wall, the patio around them and any retaining wall the slope needs. You deal with one project manager from start to finish, and the work comes with our two-year warranty.
An outdoor kitchen a few steps away lets the cook and the fire share one patio. At the front of the house, the same masons build front stoops. See all of our patios and hardscapes.
