Fireplaces aren't just for the inside of your home anymore; outdoor fireplaces are continuing to gain popularity each year. People are starting to take advantage of their outdoor property and they are expanding their living space into the outdoors. For some this means a nicely landscaped patio with a few extras like a grill, patio table and a small fire pit table, but for others this means an outdoor room with a ceiling, cushy patio furniture, an outdoor television and a brick and mortar outdoor fireplace.
Define Your Needs
While the high end outdoor living area may be tempting it is important to define your needs before you start any big outdoor remodeling project. For starters you will want to look at the space you have available and where you would expand. Maybe you want to upgrade the full back yard, or maybe just the patio area. Of course the other important consideration is your budget. Some outdoor remodels can get pretty expensive.
Be realistic about what you really want and what you really need. If you don't have the budget to do what you want in one summer you may want to consider making it a work in progress, allowing specific updates for a couple of years in order to get the outcome you really want. But part of being realistic includes making only the changes you know will improve the quality of your life, updates you know you will use and appreciate on a regular basis.
Outdoor Fireplace Kits
If you know you want a nice fireplace, but don't have the budget for a custom-built fireplace consider using an outdoor fireplace kit. These kits provide you with the materials necessary to construct an outdoor fireplace. It literally is a kit, with pieces cut to fit and materials for the fire box that can withstand high temperatures. Even if you aren't able to put it together yourself it will be less expensive to hire a professional to assemble your it than to have one built from the ground up.
The other nice thing about these kits is that you can customize the look once they are installed. You can add brick, stone or other materials to get a look that fits well with your outdoor living area. Just because it is a kit doesn't mean it has to feel generic.
Other Options
But remember with an outdoor fireplace kit you have to make a commitment. This type of outdoor fireplace isn't portable; it will be a fixed part of your patio or back yard so make sure this is what you really want. If you think you may be moving in a couple of years, or you want something smaller you may want to go with a different type of outdoor fireplace like a fire pit table or chiminea. Some smaller fireplaces or fire pits are easy to move if you want to use it in a couple places in your yard or even take them to a friend's house.
If you know you want a fixed fireplace in your outdoor living area an outdoor fireplace kit provides a great base at an affordable price.
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