Many of us love the warmth and comfort of a fire on a cool winter night — sitting inside, cozy and content while the thermometer outside creeps ever lower. However, outdoor fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular.

There is something very romantic about the idea of outdoor fireplaces — they provide for late nights in the backyard or on the patio snuggled up with your significant other, roasting s’mores over the bonfire with the kids, and opportunities for soirees hosted at your home with close friends or good neighbors. These are the top 11 reasons why you need to include an outdoor fireplace in your home decor.

Outdoor Fireplaces Create ‘Living Spaces’ in Backyards or Patios

Fireplaces exude warmth; not just physically but metaphorically too. Having a hearth on your patio or outdoor entertaining area gives your yard a friendly, inviting feeling typically only found in indoor living spaces.

Outdoor Fireplaces Let You Entertain in the Winter

Summer is the perfect time to have company. Everyone heads outside to lounge next to the pool, in the shade of green trees or under a patio awning. But when the weather gets cooler people tend to stay inside, which can keep you from having friends and family over as often as you like. Enjoying a nice evening outside is still a viable option when you have an outdoor fireplace to keep you and your guests warm and toasty.

Kids (and their Friends) Love Outdoor Fireplaces

If you have children, having other kids or teens around might be a common occurrence at your home. They love to watch movies or play video games, but when it’s your turn to use the remote they might be hard-put to find a way to keep themselves amused. Send your kiddos, and their friends, outside to sit and talk around the fire. Teens might sing, play games or just talk and laugh, and the younger ones will have a great time roasting marshmallows or telling each other ghost stories. Be sure an adult is always nearby to monitor the fire and keep everything safe.

Outdoor Fireplaces are Easy to Maintain

If you’re going to get the most out of your outdoor fireplace, you’ll need to keep in it good working order. Taking care of an outdoor fireplace is somewhat different than maintaining an indoor one, which is why we would like to offer you these easy tips.

Outdoor fireplaces need to be cleaned at least annually just like indoor units do. You should have a professional chimney sweep clean out the chimney and flue in order to remove creosote that could lead to fires. You may also want to check your chimney from time to time for debris such as tree limbs that might get inside of it after a heavy storm.

When your fireplace is not being used, be sure to cover the front of it. This is important for a number of reasons including:

  • Prevents children or animals from getting inside the fire box
  • Reduces the odds that embers will blow out of the fireplace and start a fire
  • Keeps ashes from blowing around and getting on outdoor furniture or fixtures

You’ll need to remove ashes from your fireplace on a regular basis, and this is done in the same manner as with an indoor fireplace. Be sure all embers are completely out before you remove ashes, or better yet, douse them with some water before disposing of them.

Outdoor fireplaces can get a little dingy over the winter. As a result, you may want to have the outside of your fireplace pressure washed each spring. After spraying down the outside, scrub the inside of the firebox with a stiff bristled brush to remove any caked on debris that might be stuck to it.

With Outdoor Fireplaces Comes Outdoor Furniture

You can’t have one without the other. If you are diving in and getting yourself an outdoor fireplace, then you should complete it with that posh outdoor sofa you had your eye on for months. This will provide for warmth on a chilly spring night as well as optimum comfort.

Outdoor Fireplaces Add Definition

If you are looking into improving the design of your outdoor area, you may want to go with a fireplace. This could be the focal point of your outdoor living space. You can then begin to add around it and have an easier time decorating than you thought.

A Little Bit of Warmth Goes a Long Way

Outdoor fireplaces won’t just provide warmth because fire is literally hot, but because they will add to the ambiance of homes. They make your space very inviting for multiple gatherings, family events, and social soirees. An outdoor fireplace can make your home the center of camaraderie.

Additional Entertainment Space

One of the best reasons to consider adding an outdoor fireplace to your backyard is due to their functionality, particularly when throwing a party. When entertaining a group of guests, an outdoor fireplace provides a focal point in one’s yard that can act as an additional space for people to gather and converse.

Outdoor Fireplaces are Great Investments

Not only do outdoor fireplaces add great functionality to one’s backyard, but they also prove to be great investments due to the way in which they can increase the saleability of homes. Should you ever decide to sell your home, an outdoor fireplace can make a great selling point as it can make your outdoor space seem more attractive and functional. Furthermore, it can make your house seem unique and memorable to potential buyers who will have likely seen a great number of houses.

The key, as with a lot of home investments, is location. Do not underestimate the location of your fireplace to make all the difference. For instance, a major mistake that should be avoided at all costs is placing an outdoor fireplace where the wind will cause problems on a consistent basis. It is ideal to use the fireplace in an advantageous way to prevent the wind from becoming an issue, which is not only important for convenience, but for safety, as well. Flying embers can cause injury to people outside, or it can start a fire.

Additionally, you should take the overall style of your home and backyard before deciding. An inexpensive installation can be done by using stucco, which is great for those that are looking for a budget fireplace. It is a rather versatile option as it comes in various colors and can provide a classic look to almost any outdoor area. However, you should also consider the benefits of materials like brick, stone, and concrete.

Fun Outdoor Cooking

An outdoor fireplace can also provide a fun location for outdoor barbecuing during the summer months. You could use your fireplace to make dinner a fun grilling activity by getting the whole family involved. Start off by having everyone roast their own hotdog on a stick over the fire, then end the night with delicious s’mores. Later in the summer, you could move on to getting your family involved in employing more complicated fire cooking techniques. Getting the whole family into cooking this way can make your outdoor fireplace a fun and functional addition to your backyard.

Safe options

If safety is a major concern, you should try to avoid a wood burning fireplace. It is a risk, even though it may be a small one, and this means a gas-fueled fireplace is ideal. While both options are worthwhile, you should consider the necessary requirements that come with each type of fuel. Wood fireplaces are tougher to get licensing for because of the smoke. As for gas fireplaces, a pipeline has to be installed before this kind of fireplace can work, but it is important to consider that this option is smoke-free.

Outdoor fireplaces make great additions to any backyard due to the way they can improve the look and usability of your entire backyard. Contact us to find out about more of the benefits that adding an outdoor fireplace to your backyard can provide.