Both an outdoor fireplace or a fire pit can provide a lot of enjoyment. They can add light, heat, and an interactive experience that really enhances your time spent outdoors. A fire feature can also add a lot of ambiance to your space, and also extend your outdoor enjoyment throughout the season. After all, there’s nothing quite like sitting by the fire.
While outdoor fireplaces and fire pits both add the appeal of fire to your outdoor space, they are different structures that provide quite different experiences. If you’re debating a fire pit vs. fireplace, there are a few things to keep in mind as you narrow it down for your home in West Chester, Downingtown, Royersford, King of Prussia, or Glen Mills, PA.
The very first thing we ask homeowners who are weighing the options between a backyard fire pit vs. a fireplace, is: How do you plan to use it? The answer to that question helps narrow down the best choice for your yard and your family. While there are similarities between these two fire features, there is an overall different “experience” that each provides.
As you try to narrow it down, consider these important points about a fire pit vs. fireplace.
• You sit primarily in front of it as opposed to around it.
• It makes a bit more of an elegant architectural statement on your property.
• The smoke is directed up and out of a chimney.
• It takes up less space on your patio as it can be built on the edge.
• It can also be part of a pavilion, above which a television is often mounted.
• If part of a pavilion, can be used even in rainy weather.
• You gather around a fire pit, therefore it’s often thought of as being more interactive.
• You can move completely around most fire pits, like a campfire. You can create seating on all sides.
When you think of a fire feature on your property, are you thinking about roasting s’mores, gathering around it, and having more of an “interactive experience?” If you are looking for a very interactive fire feature then a fire pit might be the right choice for you. It tends to be a good fit for families with children who envision themselves spending a lot of time around the fire.
Since a custom-built fire pit is immovable, it’s definitely important that it’s something you want to spend a lot of time around as it can take up a significant portion of your patio. But it can also really enhance your experience. While the smoke isn’t directed up a chimney, an experienced company will do their best to plan its placement at a spot where winds can typically move the smoke away from the rest of your patio.
If you’re thinking more about a fire feature in terms of ambiance then perhaps an outdoor fireplace is actually the better choice for you. A fireplace isn’t quite the same interactive experience as the open fire of a fire pit, but it still gives you heat and ambiance. As mentioned in our fire pit vs. fireplace list above, it also has a sense of elegance to it. An outdoor fireplace is often built as part of the structure of a pavilion and is ideal for creating a seating area with a mounted television.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario. If you can’t make up your mind regarding the outdoor fireplace vs. fire pit debate, there’s nothing to say you can’t incorporate both. We have certainly had clients who like the idea of an outdoor fireplace to be built into the pavilion where the adults gather. But they might also incorporate a custom fire pit in the yard, for more interactive use—often where the kids gather.