Cozying up around a roaring fire on a cold night tops our list of ways to decompress any night of the year, and if we have the option of doing so outside in our backyard paradise, well, nothing makes us happier! You’ve seen these cozy outdoor fireplaces at friends’ homes and often wondered if they are worth the money and effort when you live in the desert, and to that we respond with a hearty “You bet it is!” Except for the hottest days of summer, a desert night can get quite nippy once the sun sets behind the majestic mountains surrounding our beloved towns, and being able to sit under the stars pretty much year round with a glass of wine and a roaring fire is one of the major perks of being a desert dweller! Read on to discover all your options for choosing a built in outdoor fireplace!
Wood or Gas
Once you’ve made the decision to install an outdoor fireplace, you must decide between gas and wood burning fireplaces, so we’ve made a list of pros and cons to each to help make your choice an easier one.
Wood Burning Pros
- Scent – The smell of burning wood is one of the best smells in the world, one that you can change according to the type of wood you are burning.
- Roasting Hotdogs – Roasting hotdogs or marshmallows on a stick over a fire is one of life’s simpler pleasures; you can’t do this over gas flames.
- Costs – Not having to install a gas line means less initial startup costs and the ability to pretty much put the fireplace wherever you want.
Wood Burning Cons
- Building Fires More Complicated – Not everyone has the talent to create great wood burning fires; for some, it’s a dirty, complicated process involving the use of “colorful” language.
- Where Do You Get the Wood? – We don’t live in a wooded area where we can just go out and chop down a tree whenever necessary, which means we have to find a place that sells firewood, pay to have it delivered, and delegate a section of our yard to storing the firewood.
- No Burn Days – Pollution is a problem in the Phoenix area and as such, many of the nicest potential fire nights are banned due to high pollution numbers.
Gas Pros
- Ease of Use – Push a button and you have fire – it’s that simple!
- Gas Fires Aren’t Included in No Burn Days – Environmental restrictions don’t apply to a gas fire, meaning every night can potentially be a perfect time for a fire!
Gas Cons
- Expense – If you don’t already have gas, the installation of a gas line can add to the initial costs of a gas fireplace and limit the placement of said fireplace.
- No Campfire Cooking – No hot dogs, no marshmallows!
New Image Landscape and Pools Can Help You with the Details
Once you’ve made the decision as to gas or wood burning, you can start planning placement, style, and all the other details that are involved with installing a custom outdoor fireplace, and that’s where we come in. Check out our website for examples of the different styles and designs of some of our best built in outdoor fireplace installations. Our job is to make your life easier, and helping you weed through all the details is our first priority. Before long, you will be sitting in front of your own roaring fire with a smile on your face and a glass of your favorite wine in hand!
Check out some of our other design options below: