Cooking grates can be added to every type of outdoor fireplace, portable, stationary, stone, or fire pit, allowing homeowners to use their fireplace as a grill. An outdoor fireplace helps to change not only the look of your house and backyard, but the feel and comfort of your outdoor living area. With just a few simple additions and you can transform your backyard and patio into the ultimate home get-away.

If you have an in ground or above ground swimming pool design, the addition of a wood burning fireplace can not only enhance your pool time, but also enhance your guests experience when entertaining family and friends for an evening pool party. For those without a pool, the patio is a popular place to have an outdoor fire place, creating a warm cozy atmosphere to enjoy the company of your family and friends.

Once you have chosen the material and fuel type you wish to use, the next steps are choosing location you would like to build or place your fireplace and the design that best suits your home and needs. When thinking about where to put and how to build a outdoor fireplace you should consider where you spend most of your time in your yard. The location should be chosen based on the place that you can enjoy your time outside alone, or with your family and friends.

While most outdoor fireplaces are used to extend the evening get-together with warmth, crackle and glow, not all are used for only decoration. Many homeowners include an outdoor fireplace into their patio design ideas in order to use it for cooking, creating outdoor kitchen ideas in their back yard. Similar to barbeque grills, outdoor fireplaces can be designed for cooking, coming with special inserts.

Once you select the best location, choosing right design for your prefabricated fireplace important. You should select the design based on your budget, the available space, and the color and material that best matches your home and style. Depending on how you intend to use your fireplace, and the look you are trying to achieve, outdoor fireplaces can either be built into the patio or they can be portable. Portable fireplaces can look very similar to normal stone fireplaces, but smaller and able to move about the patio or yard. However, you may also get portable fire pits. Fire pits serve the same purpose and function as an outdoor fireplace, warming the area and providing a flame for cooking; however they are smaller and add a campfire feel to your backyard.

For many home owners, their outdoor living space is almost as important as their indoor living space. The design and landscaping of a patio is important in that it determines how the outdoor living area can be used throughout the year. An outdoor fireplace is a cozy addition to any backyard patio or deck, adding a warm touch and enhancing the beauty of your outdoor space. Outdoor fireplaces add peaceful fire ambience at night, extending the time you can use your backyard during the year. They can be used as a simple, decorative element, allowing homeowners to enjoy a heated crackling fire while they are entertaining guests in their backyards.