Choosing an Outdoor Fireplace for your House Plan

Watching the leaping tongues of a flame can be a great way to unwind. Apart from the warmth, a hearth induces conversation with family and friends with that special glow in the background. Fireplaces have always been the focal point of any home but recently people have moved their inglenooks outdoors to mimic the effects of a campfire. Fire in more ways than one has been a human’s best friend for time immemorial.

Whatever the purpose, be it for a quiet moment on an October evening, a welcome addition to a great party, cooking or just for aesthetic reasons, an outdoor fireplace enlivens the backyard like nothing else. But when it comes to choosing the right kind, a touch of pragmatism overcomes the homeowner. The choices are mind boggling and with a little bit of creativity great things can be done with one of man’s oldest inventions.

The most elementary hearth that would fit into anyone’s budget and backyard is the chiminea, which looks a bit like a large round-bottomed vase with an opening on one side. Traditionally chimineas were made of clay, but cast iron and aluminum ones are also available. Their origins can be traced to Mexico and although they look charmingly rustic, clay is maintenance intensive, absorbs moisture and crumbles over a period of time. Wearing fire retardant gloves and placing the chiminea on a fireproof surface is extremely important. Although cast iron and aluminum are better options, the latter tends to rust when exposed to the elements and both are guaranteed to become extremely hot while in use. Of the three, the best option is the aluminum one.

It is important to plan your seating before you buy an outdoor fireplace. A chiminea would radiate heat only in one direction but a fire-pit mimics a real campfire more closely. Fire-pits can be portable or built in. One should be careful while using a portable fire-pit and make sure it is not placed directly on a composite or wooden deck. If you do not like shoveling coal and embers then choose the ones which burn gas. They are cleaner and much easier to maintain without compromising on warmth and efficiency. Built in fire-pits can attractively complement your present landscaping and, practically speaking, while dealing with fire a professionally built and sturdy fireplace is always desirable. Built in fire-pits are more expensive than the portable kind but think of the options and the various finishes available, which chiefly include bricks, cement, tiles and stones.

The chef-d’oeuvre of outdoor hearths is the full scale built-in fireplace. Such fireplaces resemble traditional ones and are quite large and, of course, more expensive. Make sure that you have the space to enjoy a full blown and crackling blaze. Built-in fireplaces come prefabricated and are usually made of galvanized steel, with an array of choices for the façade. Some can be as large as 3 feet in depth and almost 8 to 9 feet wide. Built-in fireplaces will work with both wood and gas, but if you are using the latter then make sure that you don’t have to draw a very long gas line. Apart from regular maintenance, which can be as easy as hosing it with water, the built-in variety is sturdy and will be your pride and joy for years to come.

The alternatives are limitless, and new models seem to pop up frequently. There are those with cascading water behind the fire, water jets that spurt out into the flame, granite table tops and even glass crystal ones which add that extra bit of class. But the first step in making the right choice is to imagine family and friends sitting in front of or around a fire, calculating the space available and of course taking into consideration how far your budget can stretch.