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Design Dilemma
emmelinewe

Do you have a fire pit in your garden?

Emmeline Westin
9 years ago
It's the perfect time of year to enjoy them, fire pits are such a nice addition to an outdoor area. Toasted marshmallows, anyone?

Are you enjoying the perks of a fire pit? Is yours modern, traditional, homemade? Please feel free to share photos!

Traditional Patio · More Info
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    VizX Design Studios, LLC
    9 years ago
    Every outdoor living project must have a fire pit. We spend hours hanging out by the fire pit almost everyday. The conversations you can have with friends and family are out of this world too. Something amazing about the energy you get from sitting around fire.

    • Comments (81)

    • PRO
      Bayside Plumbing & Maintenance
      9 years ago
      D
    • dianaNJ
      9 years ago
      Ours is homemade and we love it!

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    • Rhodalynn
      9 years ago
      I don't think wood burning fire pits are good for the environment. And neither is breathing in all that smoke. Sorry to be such a party popper.
    • PRO
      Josh Wynne Construction
      9 years ago
      Burning wood is carbon neutral. It is not the same as burning fossil fuels. If you are breathing it in, you are doing it wrong.
    • cabingirl13
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      We have a home made burning pit- just large rocks in a big circle. We burn all kinds of stuff in there ( tree and yard waste- paper etc. ). Honestly we almost never burn in the summer (it's too damn hot) we burn more in the fall and winter.
    • PRO
      VizX Design Studios, LLC
      9 years ago
      As a designer I have to say you are right. Wood burning fires pits are horrible for the home. It is better to go gas, that way your guest does not smell like smoke when they go home.
    • Jai Loebel
      9 years ago
      We have a Martha Stewart one a friend who was moving gave us--otherwise I don't think I would have "sprung" for the expense! It has slate tiles on the outside and a pit on the inside---we used to have a cheap metal one and loved the fire part but it was way shallow. This one is deeper and we LOVE it! Places to set things down on the tiles and a bigger buffer zone. As some one who heated with wood stoves for 30 years and can no longer haul wood I LOVE the smell and the sight of fire even if it is not warming my house in winter.

      IF you go to Lowes etc you can easily get some of the curved scalloped garden edgeing and do one stack in a circle with the scallops UP and one on top nestled with the scallops DOWN----get a bag of stones for the center and et voila! There are also many different ideas---some I think for gas---on INSTRUCTABLES. You can also get a BBQ replacement grill (the ones for a charcoal grill) and use them to cook on if yours doesn't have this.

      I have also seen them done as a "table top" with oil lamps or candles---anything for that look!

      We save all of our tree trimmings and downed branches and other scrap wood and have a large shed of seasoned firewood---and any time we find some on the side of the road we load up!
    • Jai Loebel
      9 years ago
      @VIZX DESIGNS---I LOVE the scent of wood smoke on my clothing and hair! It is one of the ways you can TELL we are country dwellers! If my friends don't like it--they can stay home!
    • Mark Beaty
      9 years ago
      http://m.homedepot.com/p/Martha-Stewart-Living-Cold-Spring-5-Piece-Patio-Fire-Pit-Set-with-Red-Cushions-AC-SET-1149-5/202496083?cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202496083&ci_sku=202496083&ci_gpa=pla&ci_src=17588969

      I like this one but, need to set it up with Gas I think???

      http://m.homedepot.com/p/Martha-Stewart-Living-Cold-Spring-5-Piece-Patio-Fire-Pit-Set-with-Red-Cushions-AC-SET-1149-5/202496083?cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202496083&ci_sku=202496083&ci_gpa=pla&ci_src=17588969
    • Mark Beaty
      9 years ago
      My Daughter calls that "Camping" smell!

      halleycomet
      @VIZX DESIGNS---I LOVE the scent of wood smoke on my clothing and hair! It is one of the ways you can TELL we are country dwellers! If my friends don't like it--they can stay home!
    • Desiree Hallock
      9 years ago
      +1 for absolutely LOVING the lingering smell of wood smoke on my clothing. I just purchased a home and am looking forward to purchasing a wood burning fire pit. New Englanders love the smell of wood fire.
    • Brenda Zimmerman
      9 years ago
      Would love to have one. Maybe someday we can do so.
    • PRO
      VizX Design Studios, LLC
      9 years ago
      Lol! Guys don't get me wrong. When I go camping I love the smell. When I am at home I can't stand the smell of smoke in my hair and my closet in the morning. I have a huge patio at my house with a wood burning fire pit. My wife and I burn it almost everyday. I wish I would have done it with gas because of the smell in my hair and closet. It was cool the first few times. My guest have never complained in words, but I smell it they do to.
      By using gas it will also be easier for my wife to just hit the switch to turn it on. We design gas burning starters which can be used both ways.
      As long as you keep the fire burning with flames it will not smoke as bad.
    • ranas11
      9 years ago
      ( @VizX Design Studios, LLC
      As a designer I have to say you are right. Wood burning fires pits are horrible for the home. It is better to go gas, that way your guest does not smell like smoke when they go home.)

      You hoity toity designers... people love having fires up here, it is the highlight of the spring/summer/fall for us up here in Canada, it is a huge thing for us to have the first fire of the year (sort of like may long weekend and the first camping trip), everyone comes out and has a good time.

      If people don't want to smell like smoke they can stay home, or way up on the deck away from everyone else, we love the smell of a good fire and so does everyone we know.

      I attached a picture of our fire pit, it's a nice area to just relax after a hard day of yard work on the acreage, or just to cut loose and have some fun with friends.
    • PRO
      VizX Design Studios, LLC
      9 years ago
      Watch the hoity toity talk. I served in the United States Marines as an infantry man. I have been in several conflicts across the world. There has been times where we would have huddled over a lighter to stay warm. I have spent more consecutive days in the woods then some people will ever spend in the woods their entire lives. There were days when we prayed for the rain to stop just to light some sticks. We have seen days where it was almost too cold to start a fire.
      As a professional award winning designer we listen and understand want clients want. Yes you and a few people may love the wood which is great. Everybody does love the snap, crackle, and pop of the wood. I love it too. But research shows most people would rather have a gas fire pit because of the smell.
    • goatgirl100
      9 years ago
      That is crazy
    • yonube
      9 years ago
      Smell and heating the world...? Quite a footprint for me...
    • Anne Carlson
      9 years ago
      We sure do! It is an old iron state park fire ring with a grill welded to one side. We often cook on it while we chat and watch "caveman tv."
    • PRO
      Ananda Landscapes
      9 years ago
      Beautiful photo! Check out this one we recently did for one of our clients.
    • albatross1
      9 years ago
      Just an FYI: Here in Sacramento, California, we have many "No Burn" days due to pollution from wood fires in home fireplaces, especially on still-air fall & winter days/nights . With the inclusion and popularity of outdoor fire pits in the summer months, it's possible that "No Burn" days will be extended to warmer months as well. As far as I know, there have been no restrictions on propane fires. If you live in the wide-open-spaces: lucky you, that's another thing altogether!
    • subu111
      9 years ago
      We have a metal one on feet and burn wood. We sit on our patio at night with the small crackling fire and the sound of a water fountain in the background - SO relaxing. If it was bothering my neighbors I would relocate or stop but they usually come over with a glass of wine to join us! Also, someone mentioned the smoke bothering their kids with asthma. I have asthma too and it doesn't seem to bother me (although I make sure not to sit in direct contact with the smoke). But I do know what that's like and if my neighbors kids were suffering, the firepit would go in a heartbeat. You should talk to your neighbors - can't hurt.

      We also heat our house in the winter with wood - have a woodstove in the living room that heats the whole house nicely. Sometimes in the dead of winter, our furnace will kick on in the morning as the fire dies down, but not often. The gas company probably hates us.
    • knowhow50
      9 years ago
      We love Friday evenings with a glass of wine and Sunday mornings with coffee around our gas fire ring. We ran a gas line under the patio to the ring and filled it with shades of amber glass.
    • kenkilgore
      9 years ago
      We have a fire pit AND a chiminea! The former is new with the house and modern in style, with black lava rock and clear glass filler; the latter we brought with us from our previous house.
    • himilady54
      9 years ago
      We have been considering purchasing one. I've heard the chimneas are much more pleasant because the smoke is drawn up and away from the people siting around it. The breeze can change quickly and it's unpleasant getting a face full of smoke, but you can still enjoy the warmth & ambience on a cooler evening. In So Cal, we have to be very careful about fires so will look into the safest options that have spark arresters. I've heard that in our area the builders aren't allowed to include wood burning FP in any new construction. Have to do some checking before we buy.
    • lkw524
      9 years ago
      We have one in the ground. Put it in about 10 years ago when our pool was being installed. We burn logs and our yard waste occasionally. Have coffee or a glass of wine in the evening by the fire--we think it is great. We do watch wind etc. and consider our neighbors. Most of the time not a problem here because very few people ever open windows--never figured out why not.
    • Another Thyme
      9 years ago
      There is one at the edge of our patio. It was here when we purchased the property but it isn't our lifestyle to ever use it.
    • suellenh
      9 years ago
      No, no fire pit but we do have a lovely fish pond and stream. There are mosquitos in our area that spread a disease that kills horses and people get it too. The beach is about a mile from our house and we go there for cookouts.
    • 747.2fra
      9 years ago
      We heat with wood 8+ months of the year. It's nice to have a break. Plus I hate the inevitable smoke in the eyes from a firepit.
    • pepper4716
      9 years ago
      We added a fire pit to your landscaping last summer. We love and so do our neighbors.
    • anitamillerart
      9 years ago
      My neighbor has one and the smoke always blows into my back windows. I hate them and they are bad for the environment. Please be considerate of your neighbors people!
    • PRO
      ASVInteriors
      9 years ago
      I designed a firepit but use bioethanol alcohol for "heating" along with lots of candles. It doesn't produce lots of smoke and certainly not enough heat or flames to bother anyone, but it creates a wonderful atmosphere that draws people to it.
    • Susan Y
      9 years ago
      Anybody know how to make a propane fire-pit inexpensively?
    • Mark Beaty
      9 years ago
      Do you have a hose/regulator from an old BBQ or something?

      If so I would get a piece of 3/8" or 1/2" Copper pipe 12" long and drill 1 hole per inch with a drill bit that was (trial diameter) 1/8" (???). Bend over the far end of the Copper pipe then solder it so no gas can go out the end. Get the other end connected to the hose. (Ferrel Gas here locally could do it.)

      Of course all this is just a guess??? I really have no idea but, this is what I would TRY.

      Who knows, I may be far off.@

      Of course, don't hold me liable for anything because I don't know what I'm talking about!9
    • PRO
      Josh Wynne Construction
      9 years ago
      Do not follow the advice above to build your own propane fire-pit. Unless you are a licensed gas contractor, this is not a DIY project. There are inserts available at your local fireplace/grill store that are UL listed. Talk to them about the requirements of the "pit". Normal block/concrete/brick has air in it and can explode when super heated.
    • PRO
      Greyhorne Interiors
      9 years ago
      For all those looking for a more flexible alternative to a fixed (sometimes expensive!) firepit, check out our Danish fire basket.
      http://www.greyhorne.com/collections/modern-accessories-and-decor/products/fire-basket-by-menu
    • Jolene
      9 years ago
      Ours is just a iron one that can be moved, but we love it when we use it.
    • Mark Beaty
      9 years ago
      http://m.campingworld.com/search/index.cfm?N=1025&No=0

      They may be from Camping World but, can be used anywhere!

      Another good price alternative.

      Propane or Wood.
    • Kris G
      9 years ago
      We have had a fire pit on wheels for many years. It has a lid and screen walls if we want to use them. Every Halloween we roll it out on the driveway and friends roast marshmallows and every one warms up as it is often chilly. It makes for a great Midwest living experience.
    • Sarah Southorn
      9 years ago
      We have an artwork that was commissioned, designed and made by a phenomenal Ohio Artist, Missy Crisp of the Firepit Gallery, who then sent it to us in New Zealand. It is a memorial to my son and brings much comment and many memories.
    • lauralefaix
      9 years ago
      Sorry to be the skeleton at the feast; we don't have a fire-pit but surely the non-wood-burning ones are very eco-UNfriendly? We are lucky enough to have some hectares of wood; our heating is almost entirely wood-fired, and since those trees keep on growing we are definitely carbon positive. (I like the smell of wood smoke; but fortunately we have a modern insert burner which takes the hot air around the rooms but not the dust and ash.
    • dooders1981
      9 years ago
      We would love a fire pit! But I have SEVERE asthma and would like to know from any of you if the gas type of fire pit,would work for our yard? I absolutely cannot be near a wood burning fire (:( which makes me sad, used to love a campfire).. Any advise is most welcome and thank you.
    • PRO
      Chicago Roof Deck & Garden
      9 years ago
      Our clients love contemporary.
    • hazeldazel
      9 years ago
      @Chicoago Roof Deck & Garden: Where do you get your modern fire pits from?
    • PRO
      Primrose
      9 years ago
      Loving the fire pits! Reminds me of the weekly bbqs that I used to attend
    • masmccar76
      9 years ago
      I live in Dublin, Ireland where we get all sorts of weather. I think an outdoor space needs a firepit,fireplace to give some ambiance. I have a bioethanol fireplace and I have a really small back garden. I have attached some photos. The fireplace is the circular structure against the white wall.
    • PRO
      Lithic CIC
      8 years ago

      recently installed Rothbury

    • Becky Johnston
      7 years ago

      Looks beautiful, but I think the scenery is playing a role there too.

    • PRO
      inspirational fires & fireplaces
      7 years ago
      Here's one we supplied as an outdoor firepit working of natural gas can also be lpg, created a stunning centre piece in the middle of the patio, the clients absolutely adore it.
    • PRO
      Bathroom + Kitchen Eleven
      7 years ago

      I helped my Dad build a fire pit in his garden, he made wooden seats to sit around the metal fire pit with old stone columns for extra seating (unfortunately you can't see the actual fire-pit as behind the stone bench). Lots of stories and fun are had around it until deep into the night. If you have the space it is a great addition to put in!

      Shannon

    • PRO
      Colter Construction Inc.
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      Even in Phoenix, Arizona our clients love having fire pits to gather around with friends.

      This one is natural gas and seats six comfortably.

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