An outdoor fireplace gives a patio a back wall, a chimney and a fire to sit in front of. A fire pit puts the fire in the middle of a ring of chairs; a fireplace faces one way.
Each one is a custom fireplace, drawn for the spot where it will stand. Its width, the height of its chimney and the stone are chosen with you, and it can burn wood or gas.
What we build
- Stone fireplaces with chimneys, built on concrete footings
- Hearths and wood storage built into the masonry
- Wood-burning fireplaces, or gas ones with the line run by licensed trades under permit
- A seating wall beside the fireplace, about 18 to 20 inches high
- For screened porches and three-season rooms, an electric fireplace set in a stone veneer wall
How does outdoor fireplace construction work?
It starts below ground, with a concrete footing. A stone fireplace with a chimney is far heavier than the patio around it, so it stands on a footing of its own. The concrete comes from Capitol Concrete, the company JK started when concrete got hard to come by on the days his jobs needed it; today it pours the footings and patio bases on our jobs and supplies concrete to other contractors as well.
The masonry rises from there: the firebox, the hearth in front of it, a wood box worked into the masonry, and then the chimney. Plan on one to two weeks on site for a fireplace with a chimney.
What does gas fireplace installation involve?
A gas line from the house to the firebox, and a burner inside it. The line is a licensed trade's work, run under permit and inspected, and we fit both into the masonry schedule. The distance from your gas meter to the fireplace is one of the things that sets the price, so the spot you pick matters.
Should an outdoor fireplace with a chimney burn wood or gas?
That comes down to how you want to use it. Wood gives you the real fire; gas gives you a fire at the turn of a valve.
| Wood-burning | Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting it | Kindling, logs and a match | A valve or a switch |
| The fire | Crackle, wood smoke and glowing coals | A steady flame and no ash |
| Upkeep | Dry wood on hand and ash to clear out | No wood to stack or ash to sweep |
| Built in | Wood storage in the masonry | A gas line, installed under permit |
Want to see where a fireplace could go?
Walk the yard with us, and we will show you where the footing, the hearth and the chimney could sit.
Where We Build Outdoor Fireplaces
South Riding and Aldie are in Loudoun County and Haymarket is in Prince William County, and we build in both as well as in Fairfax. We file the county permit where a fireplace needs one, coordinate the gas line's permit and inspection with the licensed trades, and prepare the drawings, samples and product sheets your review board asks to see.
What drives the cost to build an outdoor fireplace?
Size comes first. Your price comes in writing after the site visit, and these are the parts that move it:
- The fireplace's width and the chimney's height
- The stone, and how much of it the design calls for
- Wood, or a gas burner and the line that feeds it
- The hearth, the wood storage and any seating wall beside it
- The footing, and whether the patio around it is new or already there
- How easily equipment and stone can reach the backyard
Where should a backyard outdoor fireplace go?
Where its chimney can carry the smoke up and away, clear of the house and anything overhead, and where you can see the fire from your seats. The distances come from your county's rules and your HOA's, and the spot is chosen with you at the estimate. We walk the yard with you, look at the grade, the access and what is already there, and settle the spot before the price goes in writing.
Why hire outdoor fireplace contractors who also build patios?
Because the fireplace, the patio and the seating around it meet at the footing and the hearth, and one company can plan them as one. We are outdoor fireplace builders with a Virginia Class A license, and our masons, who have been with JK for many years, build the paver patio, flagstone patio or travertine patio in front of the hearth, the seating wall beside it and the outdoor kitchen across from it, all on one written price.
On a sloped lot, a retaining wall can make the level ground a fireplace needs, and a walkway from the house leads you out to it. Out front, our masons also build front stoops; the rest of their work is under patios and hardscapes.
