An outdoor firepit will make a perfect addition to your home if you have a spacious backyard or patio. Like a fireplace, the outdoor firepit uses various devices to confine the fire within a certain area. Fires are built in the pit using wood, gas or charcoal.

The advantages of an outdoor firepit are obvious. On holidays, you can hold outdoor barbecue parties with family and friends; you can even enjoy sleepovers in the open. And since the fire is contained at all times, firepits are very safe to use. That means that you can put the fire pit quite close to your garden table and chairs and keep warm while enjoying the outdoors.

There are many types of outdoor fire pit, the most common of which is the campfire or stone fire pit, which basically consists of a hole in the ground where the fire is built, surrounded by a ring of stones to keep the fire inside the pit. Then there are brick firepits, in which the fire is built inside a structure of cinderblocks or bricks on top of which a metal grill can be placed for barbecuing, and chimney firepits which are designed like indoor fireplaces. You can also choose a gas firepit that uses natural gas or propane or a portable tabletop firepit that is essentially an outdoor barbecue grill. No matter what type of outdoor gas fire pit you choose, know that you will have a great addition to your yard.

The first consideration when thinking about what kind of outdoor firepit will suit your home is the amount of space you have for it. If you have a spacious outdoor area, consider a large permanent installation complete with seating so you can hang around the firepit; if space is at a premium, however, you may have to content yourself with a portable firepit that you can store in the garage when not in use. There should also be enough space around the firepit so that people can move around it without getting burned.

Your budget is the next consideration. Permanent built-in firepits can cost you thousands of dollars while a portable firepit may only set you back a couple of hundred. On the other hand, you can also consider the price of the firepit as an investment, since it will significantly increase the value of your home if you ever decide to sell it.

Then you can think about the look of your firepit; what materials would you like to use? While brick is an obvious choice, stone can be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Stone is available in a wide variety of types and colors. You can find stone in almost as many colors as there are for women’s jumpers. You can also build the firepit of brick and then finish the outside with stone. Also, will the firepit complement the environment in which you install it? You should use a copper fireplace if you have a modern patio while a stone firepit is better used in a rustic-style backyard.

Finally, should you hire a professional or install the firepit yourself? Basic firepits should be within the skill level of most home handymen while more complex projects should be undertaken by professionals. If the firepit you are installing will use natural gas, you should definitely call on the services of a professional. Although you may spend more money, in the long run you will save more as installation by an expert will avoid costly repairs due to faulty installation later on. Ask the contractor you’re considering for referrals and ask them if they were happy with the job he did for them.

Although in these hard times, an outdoor firepit may seem like a frivolous expense, the many happy hours your family and friends will spend around it makes the price more than worthwhile.

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