4 Essential Fire Pit Options For Your Custom Home

December 21, 2021

A fire pit is an excellent option for spending some time with friends and families outside. On a calm night, you can sit around the warm fire and enjoy a soothing ambiance. Sometimes, nothing beats having everything around you illuminated by a warm glow as you are surrounded by good company. If you are considering adding a fire pit to your custom home design, here are some fire pit options to consider:

1. Determine In-Ground vs Above-Ground Fire Pit

When it comes to a fire pit, you can either choose one that is built into the ground and is a more permanent structure in your landscaping or you can choose one that sits above ground. With an above-ground fire pit, you can opt for one that is built into your patio or landscaping, like an outdoor fireplace, or one that is more temporary and could move if you wanted it to. You could even take advantage of pool design trends and opt for a fire and water bowl.

2. Choose a Fuel Type For Your Fire Pit

When it comes to fire pit options, fuel type is an important consideration. There are several fuel types for fire pits available. Wood-burning fire pits are a classic option, but there are fire pits made to use propane, natural gas, or ethanol. There are even fire pits that use a gel-based fuel!

Knowing how you want to use your fire pit, how big you want it to be, whether you have a preference for material, a preference for permanent vs movable, and more can help you determine the right fuel type.

If you’re going to want to cook food and like the smoky, wood-fired taste, a wood-burning fire pit may be a better fit. If you want something above-ground and not a permanent fixture, then natural gas is not an option.

Also, consider how much maintenance you want to do on the fire pit. If you’re not cooking food regularly and don’t want to spend much time on maintenance, a wood-burning fire pit, grill, or fireplace wouldn’t be the best fit as it is more high maintenance than other fuel types.

3. Consider the Material of Your Fire Pit

The material of your fire pit may be limited by the type of fuel it uses. Generally, a fire pit can be made of stone, brick, or metal. In some cases, especially propane-fueled, above-ground fire pits, the material of the exterior casing can vary. The material, style, and overall design are worth considering, especially given that fire pits as part of outdoor dining spaces are one of the hot housing trends.

4. Think About the Style and Size of Your Fire Pit

Fire pit options have really expanded over the years. Depending on how you want to use it, the design of your outdoor living space, fuel type, and more, you can have a lot of flexibility with the style and design of your fire pit. Standard fire pit designs are still popular, but more unique designs are growing in popularity as well.

With outdoor kitchens on the rise and an emphasis on outdoor living spaces, fire pits can be integrated into a table to create a fire table, be incorporated into a copper bowl, built as a tabletop option, made into a standalone structure, and more. There are even colored stones and special fuels you can use to add some flair to your fire pit or even change the color of the fire itself.

Fire pits are one of the popular housing trends and these are just a few fire pit options to consider if you are thinking about adding one to your custom home design. Working with a custom home builder can ensure you get what you want while also following the dos and don’ts of fire pits.

If you’re ready to get started on your own custom home, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090. We can help bring your dream home to life!