Custom Outdoor Fireplaces

I’ve been reading a lot about outdoor fireplaces. What can you tell me about them?
Outdoor fireplaces are a perfect outdoor luxury for the Houston climate. Wherever they are positioned—as a stand-alone, part of an outdoor kitchen or in a garden gazebo—are beautiful architectural elements. And they quickly become the central place where everyone gathers. Practically all of our clients want to have one, especially to take advantage of the mild winters we have in this part of the country.

If you are serious about installing an out-of-doors fireplace or fire pit, we suggest you consider the following design issues:

• Consider the views from the house. Are there privacy issues? Where are your focal points? Consider the view from the yard and take advantage of any outlook over a greenbelt, bayou or water way.
• Just as in a house, break up your landscape design into “rooms.” Often the outdoor fire element anchors an outdoor room.
• Large structures, like outdoor fireplaces, tend to alter the flow of traffic, so design accordingly.
• If you have a theme already established, work within that overall landscape intention. Perhaps you’ve selected a modern landscape design or Mediterranean landscape design, two very distinctive residential garden styles. If so, you want the fireplace to be of the same design and material.
• Incorporate the fireplace with other hardscapes. For instance, landscape lighting adds drama. Out-of-doors fireplaces and fire pits are all about ambiance. We recently built a dining area that is situated in front of an outdoor fireplace. Now we’re training a tree limb to grow over the dining table so that when the limb gets big enough, we can wire a chandelier to hang from it.
  

What do I need to know about zoning and permitting?
Most zoning regulations restrict how closely you can construct an out-of-doors fireplace in relation to all other buildings. Most regulate side and rear property line setbacks and have rules regarding slope setbacks and height restrictions. Check with your local authorities because regulations vary from city to city. A landscape architect or landscape designer can help you navigate through the zoning issues.

Tell me about some of the safety issues.
While fire pits and fireplaces enhance any landscape design, they must be used safely. Exterior Worlds advocates these safety measures:

• Always have fire extinguishers on hand.
• Use fire screens to keep logs from rolling out of the fire and limit air-borne soot and cinders from flying about.
• Keep all outdoor furniture safely away from the fire.For wood-burning fireplaces, it is a good safety practice to schedule regular professional chimney cleaning. A good rule of thumb is to base the spacing of the maintenance on the amount of wood you burn. As long as you have no problem with birds’ nest and other debris, you need to get your chimney cleaned after burning two cords of wood—however long it takes.
• If using a fire pit, follow the manufacturer’s directions and obey all city regulations.