Outdoor Fireplace Plans

For those who are looking at an outdoor fireplace plan and design, you are not alone. Building outdoor fire pits and fireplaces is what's in style these days and has really been catching on lately. You can find outdoor fireplace plans in many various styles, designs, and themes. They come in either portable or custom models. Every outdoor fireplace plan or design must be built according to all local codes, which generally will include the type of firebricks to use. What's the two most important factors in building an outdoor fireplace? A safe design and an adequate ventilation system.

An outdoor fireplace plan and design is quite similar to that of your standard indoor fireplace. The one exception being that outdoor fireplaces will not use dampers. By having a tall chimney, the major component of any fixed type outdoor fireplace, you won't have to worry about the smoke from the fire.

Mexican style chimney pots called chimeneas are always a beautiful addition. An outdoor fireplace plan can incorporate a bowl-shaped base with a single opening connected to a stack or chimney in the design. This style will help to circulate the air into the fire and emit the smoke out of the top of the stack.

Etched cast iron, aluminum, or clay and terracotta are used as raw materials for fireplace construction. Cast-iron and cast aluminum outdoor fireplaces are durable and resist roaring flames and high temperatures. They will often provide a lifetime of usage.

Lavers and Fire Rings are other low cost items that can be added. Decorative portable fireplaces that can be moved with ease from one place to another are also in style today. Another fireplace option is and integrated fireplace. These can be freestanding or attached. English, Eastern brick, Southwestern adobe, or Old World traditional are also whats becoming more popular in fireplace designs and themes.

An outdoor fireplace has a crown, overmantel, mantel shelf, header, filler panel, fire box, leg, plinth base, and hearth. Some models use the combined form of mantel shelf and header.

Look for outdoor fireplace plans that are made of masonry. This type of construction is simply so much more stronger and durable than those made of metal, or even those that are prefabricated. What's the problem with metal? You'll often find that metal will tend to rust very easily with the various weather elements.

Fire Rock's pre-engineered fireplace system is faster and less-expensive than hand-built, brick and mortar structures. In this case, the raw materials are available in a kit, and you can install the fireplace yourself quite easily. This gives you the added feeling of having done it yourself. Afterwards, you can cover the newly constructed fireplace with finishing materials such as brick, stone, stucco or manufactured stone.