Fire pits — two completely different products with one name

Choosing the fuel, because everything else depends on it

Wood burning gives real heat, real flame and real smoke, needs somewhere to store and dispose of fuel and ash, and is subject to local burn rules. Gas lights instantly, produces little smoke, gives less heat for the same visual size, and requires a permitted supply line and an approved burner assembly.

Watch for: A surround built for wood and later "converted" to gas by dropping a burner in. Gas fire features need specific ventilation and specific non-combustible construction around the burner, and an improvised conversion is how gas accumulates in an enclosure.

Checking what is actually allowed where you live

Open burning is regulated, and the rules differ by municipality, by air-quality district and by season. Many places set required separations from structures, property lines and overhanging vegetation. HOAs frequently have their own restrictions, sometimes banning wood entirely.

Watch for: Anyone quoting a national setback distance. There is no such number that is reliable everywhere — it varies by jurisdiction and by whether the pit is permanent or portable. Ask your fire department or building department directly, and check the HOA separately.

Siting for smoke, heat, wind and the seating around it

Smoke goes where the wind takes it, which on most properties means predictably toward one neighbour or one window. Overhead is just as important — tree canopy, a pergola, an eave or a covered patio above a wood fire is a serious problem. The seating radius also has to fit around it without pushing people into planting or off the paving.

Watch for: A fire pit placed in the geometric centre of a patio without anyone checking the seating circle actually fits on the paving, or checking what is directly overhead.

Base preparation and drainage under the pit

The pit sits on a compacted base like any other hardscape element, and it needs to drain — a wood-burning pit that holds water becomes a bowl of wet ash, and trapped water in a masonry structure in a freezing climate is how it cracks apart.

Watch for: A sealed, undrained base. It is invisible and it is the most common reason a well-built-looking fire pit fails within a few winters.

Building the enclosure with materials rated for fire contact

The material in direct contact with fire is not the same as the material on the outside. Wood-burning pits normally use a firebrick or steel liner inside the decorative block or stone, because ordinary concrete units and many natural stones are not intended for sustained direct heat.

Watch for: Retaining wall block or ordinary paving stone used as the inner face of a wood-burning pit, and any stone that may hold moisture placed where it gets hot. Trapped moisture in stone that is heated rapidly can cause it to crack or spall violently.

Gas supply, burner and controls — licensed work

For a gas feature, a licensed gas fitter runs and sizes the supply, and the burner assembly, ignition and shut-off are installed to the manufacturer's instructions. The enclosure needs the ventilation openings that assembly requires.

Watch for: An enclosure sealed up for a neat appearance. Gas fire feature enclosures are ventilated so that unburned gas cannot collect in them, and closing the vents is not a cosmetic decision.

Media, finishing and the surrounding surface

Gas features are finished with a media bed suited to the burner — lava rock, fire glass or approved logs. The surrounding paving and any coping is detailed so it does not sit in the heat path, and the seating area is set out.

Watch for: Ordinary landscape gravel or river rock used as gas fire media, or thrown into a wood pit. Stone that has absorbed water can fracture explosively when heated. Use only media the burner manufacturer specifies.

Commissioning, handover and the safety conversation

A gas feature should be lit, tested and demonstrated with the shut-off location shown to you, and you should get the permit sign-off. For wood, you should leave knowing how to extinguish and how to deal with ash safely.

Watch for: No demonstrated shut-off. You need to know where and how to turn the gas off without thinking about it, and so does anyone else who uses the yard.