Outdoor Fireplace Plans

If you're considering adding an outdoor fireplace to your home's external living space, you may want to consider researching outdoor fireplace plans as one of your first steps. There's a veritable treasure trove of knowledge on outdoor fireplaces available, on the internet and elsewhere, and you can use this vast knowledge base to help you plan your outdoor fireplace project and ensure that it'll be a blazing success.

Before you begin your research on outdoor fireplace plans, it's probably a good idea to consider the type of outdoor fireplace that's best suited to your outdoor living space. You'll have several options beyond the store-bought, portable fireplaces available at your local home improvement or outdoor living specialty store (none of which would require plans, but all of which would limit your ability for customized design considerably). Even prefabricated and modular units will generally require a foundation and at least a small amount of customization and construction, so utilizing existing plans for outdoor fireplace projects requiring the minimum custom building can still be a good idea.

When perusing the many types of outdoor fireplace plans available, you'll notice that in general, they fall into two categories—those offered by professionals, and those offered by DIY enthusiasts. There's no rule that says you should pay stricter attention to one or the other—but it should be noted that regardless of which plans you begin to bookmark or favorite, the old saw of "buyer beware" definitely applies. As with any construction project, there are inherent complexities and risks to the building of an outdoor fireplace (and particular ones—not to mention possible municipal rules and regulations—for any external fire features). So whether you plan to use your research for your own DIY project, or to hire a mason or contractor to emulate plans you've discovered, just ensure that you've vetted them thoroughly for safety, complexity and cost before moving forward. It should also be noted that local stone masons and contractors will have their own collection of templates and plans you can peruse—and for these, you may be able to check references more easily than for anything you find on the web.

When your research has turned up the plans you're feeling great about, it's time to turn your inspiration into reality. Your first step will be to decide whether your outdoor fireplace will be a DIY project, or if you'll hire a contractor and/or stone mason to deliver on the vision you've discovered. If you have serious home improvement chops and great masonry experience, you may be perfectly suited for a DIY outdoor fireplace build. If you're less familiar with stone cutting and construction, however, it's probably best to hire a pro to implement your custom outdoor fireplace plans.

Whichever route you choose, it's likely you'll soon be enjoying the warmth and comfort of a blazing fire in front of your new outdoor fireplace—just the way you planned it.