Are You Thinking About Building An Outdoor Fireplace?

Have you been thinking about how nice it would be to have an outdoor fireplace in your yard? If so, you aren't by yourself. This type of lawn and garden accessory has become extremely popular, and more and more people are interested in learning how to build one of these as a do-it-yourself project, rather than hiring someone to do it for them.

They know that they can save money by doing it themselves, and also that by tackling the project, they can personalize the fireplace design to suit themselves and their family members.

Basic Information and Plans

Round portable wood burning fireplace that is made of metal. So, what is the best way to learn how to build an outdoor wood burning fireplace? There are several different resources to use when researching the best way to construct one of these fireplaces for your own. There's the Internet, of course. There are also books and magazine articles that will give advice on the best way to construct your own fireplace.

Most people do end up purchasing plans to help them with the construction. But before we talk about plans, it would be a good idea to learn more about the fireplaces themselves, and why folks are so eager to add them to their outdoor living spaces.

Purchasing Portable Fireplaces

You can purchase portable fireplaces that you can move around your yard. This is handy to store it out of the rain or move it to a different location depending on the weather or where the party is.

A nice outdoor chimenea that burns propane instead of wood. These are the most basic of the many forms that a fireplace can take. Fire pits, fire bowls, and chimenea clay fireplaces all fall into this category. Many people start out with these, and discover that they enjoy being able to build a fire in their yard whenever they want. They find it very relaxing to sit around the fire almost year round, either when entertaining guests, sitting outside with family members in the evening, or perhaps even when the need for sitting alone to contemplate comes up.

The fact that they are portable also makes them perfect for camping or the beach.

The love of these smaller outdoor fireplaces is more than likely what led to the interest in building a full sized fireplace to use in the same way that fire pits or chimeneas are used. People discovered that not only was a larger fire possible in a full sized fireplace, but that the larger area of heat gave them a perfect surface for cooking a meal outside. This is one reason why these fireplaces soon evolved into being part of an outdoor kitchen for some. A brick oven can be constructed on one of both sides of the fireplace, and a grill fitted to the fireplace itself.

Building Your Own Fireplace

You can build a fireplace out of many types of stone, such as brick, river stone, granite, marble, sandstone and others. Many types of metal are also used such as stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum and copper. You should decide which of these you want to build your fireplace out of before you start construction. They can be wood burning, or can be fueled by natural gas, propane, or coal. The most common is wood burning but natural gas and propone are becoming more popular.

Before getting too excited about your new fireplace, it's a good idea to check with your city to see if there are any sort of regulations that would keep you from having such a thing in your backyard. You may be required to obtain a burning permit for your fireplace. Some cities have such ordinances, and some don't. The only way to know for sure is to check it all out first. Or it might be best to install a propane or natural gas fireplace.

When shopping for plans that will instruct you on how to build an outdoor fireplace, make sure that the set of plans that you end up choosing contains not only a list of the tools and materials you will need, but what kind and how much material it will take to complete the job. Choose the location for your fireplace wisely.

You want it to be far enough away from your house, and any trees, plants, or other objects that could very well catch on fire. Also, make sure that the location that you end up choosing has enough room to accommodate those who want to sit around the fire once the fireplace has been finished.

Summary

Buying a set of plans plus the needed material to build is about the cheapest route to having one of these beauties as your own. However, some people are a little squeamish about any sort of do-it-yourself project, and prefer to purchase a prefab one that they can put in place themselves with no building involved. No matter what you decide upon, you and your friends and family are sure to enjoy the warmth from your new fire.

For more information on fireplaces for your backyard, please read these articles:

Choosing an outside fireplace

Outdoor copper fire pit