How to Design an Outdoor Fireplace Patio
A cold, crisp night, the noise of a crackling fire and a star-filled skies are what awaits you once you design, construct and outfit an outdoor fireplace terrace. If this sounds appealing, begin with developing a budget and developing a design which coordinates nicely or repeats architectural components of your house’s exterior. Remember the fire bricks to line the inside of the hand-built fireplace, unless you intend for a pre-made firebox and chimney and also build around it. However, before you go to the expense of buying supplies and materials, contact the regional building department to learn the building permits and code requirements for the project.
Yard survey
Begin by surveying the yard to find out where you need everything to go. Assess the space to determine if you need to eliminate dirt, construct little retaining walls, or should you need to add dirt or sand to level the patio with any exterior access doors. Assess existing landscaping, and decide how to incorporate it into your patio design. Inspect the region to avoid blocking views or creating solitude obstacles and think about the prevailing wind conditions. Decide the place to your terrace’s focal point — the fireplace — and the way that it can be viewed, in the end, from within your house. Choose the type of fireplace you need: a gas- or wood-fired one and its place, like attached to the exterior of the home, a wall in the yard or a freestanding fireplace.
Gauge the Space
Scale your project to fit the yard for a well-balanced fireplace and deck and measure to calculate its dimensions. Insert bets into the ground attached by string to have a sense of the space. Adjust the configuration as needed until it is aligned with the yard and your own ideas. Don’t forget to include any requirements required to construct the fireplace and fireplace to code, like any standoff places from the home or lot lines required for the exterior fireplace. Keep in mind any present pipes or sprinkler systems in the yard that will require removal or relocation.
Design Drawing and Layout
Transfer the measurements to scale on graph paper. Make each square on the chart paper equal 1 foot, 6 inches or some other measurement which works for your design. Draw the dimension and shape of the fireplace and deck containing other built-in features like a hearth, retaining walls or built-in chairs. Draw overhead and side profile views of the fireplace and also some other distinctive features with measurements. Include all landscaping components in position or those which you intend to add to the design. Don’t forget to connect the patio to exterior walkways, access doors or other exterior features. If you require water, gas or electrical access in the patio or near the fireplace, don’t forget to include these on your design, as these will need to go in prior to the terrace does.
Materials and Supplies List
Compose a list of all the supplies and materials required to create the project once you’ve settled on a design. Make material choices that enable you to finish the construction within budget and don’t exit building labor or license fees, since nothing is worse than starting a project and then running out of money before it is completed. While big flat flagstones are attractive for a patio, they may be out of your budget. You can often find reclaimed bricks or other outdoor patio components for reduced costs at shops or outlets that sell used construction materials. Readjust your design or your materials list till you arrive at the target budget.