If you’re like most homeowners catching on to the growing hardscaping trend, you might be considering expanding an existing outdoor space or creating an all new one in an effort to extend your usable living space into the outdoors. Hardscaping can be thought of as all the non-living, “hard” elements in a landscape. Solid and unchanging, hardscape can include such things as stone, brick, gravel, wood, and other such materials for the purpose of creating walls, walkways, patios, decks, water features, and much more.
One wildly popular feature homeowners are making sure to include in their hardscaping plans is an open-air fire element of some sort. After all, who doesn’t love a warm, bright fire to huddle around this time of year? As the cold wintry air swoops in, it’s the perfect time to head into your backyard and gather ‘round an open fire with family and friends. But once the decision to add a fire element has been made, the next thing to decide is whether to go with a fireplace or a fire pit.
While there are a few different factors to consider when choosing the best outdoor fire element, it’s important to understand that there isn’t really a wrong answer when trying to decide between a fireplace and a fire pit. Both offer endless hours of enjoyment, and a warm, welcoming place to gather with those closest to you. In addition, both offer resale value, beauty, and a unique focal point to anchor any luxurious outdoor space.
Some Thoughts to Consider
First, consider how many people will be gathering in your space and how they will be using it. Due to their relative size and shape, fireplaces and fire pits each differ in the number of people that can gather around them, and how the seating arrangements permit (or limit) social interaction. For example, fire pits are often round, square, or rectangular in shape, allowing people to sit around them, making eye contact with one another, creating a more social atmosphere, whereas a fireplace tends to come off as a feature or fixture that people would sit in front of (generally on a single side), which could limit social interaction (and the ability to keep everybody warm on a chilly night!).
How Much Space Do You Have?
When you compare the amount of space required by each, it’s safe to say that a fire pit is generally smaller and might take up less space, which might mean lower building cost for you. While a freestanding fireplace is certainly a possibility, fireplaces typically tend to be larger in size and scale, and can also be more easily incorporated into a structure, such as a covered porch or on a deck.
Go With the Pros
No matter what you decide, the process of choosing, designing, and building an outdoor fire pit or fireplace is one that deserves proper planning, preparation, and professionalism. Atlanta Porch & Patio knows that you could choose any contractor when it comes to helping you create the outdoor space of your dreams. That’s why we’re dedicated to consulting with Atlanta-area homeowners to create an amazingly cozy and tasteful space that’s as unique as you, and executed to the highest standards of honesty, accuracy, and craftsmanship. Request a FREE consultation today and have your fireplace (or fire pit!) up and running before the end of winter!