A fire pit turns a patio into the place everyone ends up after dinner. A stone fireplace does the same with more presence, and it gives the patio a wall and a focal point.
Fire Pits
- Round and square fire pits in stone, block or brick
- Built-in seating walls that wrap around the fire
- Wood-burning or gas
How big should a fire pit be?
Big enough to hold a real fire, small enough to talk across. The seating around it matters as much as the pit itself, so we plan the two together: a curved seating wall on one side and room for chairs on the other is a common layout, and it leaves a clear path in and out. The patio around the pit needs enough room for those chairs to be pulled back from the heat.
Outdoor Fireplaces
- Stone fireplaces with chimneys, built on concrete footings
- Fireplaces on patios, under covered porches and in pavilions
- Hearths and wood storage built into the masonry
- Electric fireplaces set into stone veneer walls inside screened porches and three-season rooms
Why does a fireplace need a footing?
Because it is heavy, and heavy masonry on a plain patio base will settle and crack. A stone fireplace with a chimney weighs many tons, so we pour a concrete footing for it, with concrete from our sister company, and build the masonry on that. A fire pit is much lighter and sits on a compacted or reinforced base.
Placement and Safety
- Clearance from the house, the deck and overhanging roofs
- A footing or reinforced base under heavy masonry
- Gas lines installed and inspected under permit
Where should the fire go?
Downwind of where people sit most, and with the view in mind. A fireplace often works best against the far edge of the patio, facing the house, so it frames the yard and its smoke drifts away from the doors. A fire pit wants open sky above it, never a porch roof or a tree canopy. We check your HOA's rules on open fires as part of the plan, since some communities limit wood-burning features.
How It Gets Built
- Design visit. We look at the patio, the house and the views, and pick a spot and a size.
- Written proposal. You get the design, the stone and a firm price in writing.
- Footing and base. We pour the footing or build the base the masonry will sit on.
- Masonry. Our masons build the fire pit or fireplace, the seating walls and the hearth.
- Inspection and cleanup. If there is a gas line, the county inspects it; then we clean up and look over the finished masonry with you.
