Design Advice: Fire Pit

It’s a Canadian tradition: Gathering around a campfire on a campsite or in your backyard. The smell of the smoke, the flickering of the flames and the sound of the wood crackling all bring back good memories.

At LandArt we’ve designed and installed a number of wood-burning firepits on our projects. While we’ve never designed and built the same firepit twice, there is an underlying theme with all of them. They are all rustic. Connecting with nature, at a most basic level includes elements like stone, wood and metal. These firepits incorporate all of them in raw form. Wood burning firepits have tended to lend themselves to more rustic landscape settings.

They are also designed to facilitate conversation and connections with the users of the space.

If you are thinking about incorporating a wood-burning firepit on your property, here are some things to consider. Safety, Convenience, Size and Materials.

Safety: With an open flame, it is important to keep your surroundings in mind. The firepit shouldn’t be built underneath trees or near buildings or structures.

Convenience: The location on the property should be considered. Sometimes it is nice to have the firepit close to the house, but other times it is neat to have the firepit further away from the house to feel more remote. It is wise to consider wood storage when locating your firepit.

Size: The firepit patio should be design with the appropriate size to comfortably fit the firepit and the desired amount of seating. A firepit typically ranges in size from a small 30” to a larger 72” Chairs should be about 30” away from the edge of the pit. A firepit patio usually has a radius of 15’ to 20’.

Materials: You will want to consider the material that the firepit is constructed out of. An iron firepit is very industrial, and with a cover can last for a long time. A gravel firepit surrounded by granite boulders is very rustic and woodsy. A built masonry unit would be a permanent fixture for your backyard.