Fire pits - two completely different products with one name

What is fire pit installation?

A fire pit is either a wood-burning enclosure - a ring of block or stone around a non-combustible base, usually with a steel liner - or a gas fire feature, which is a burner, a fuel supply and a media bed built into a similar-looking surround. The masonry looks the same from a distance. The gas version is a licensed appliance installation with permits and inspections, and the wood version is governed by local burn and air-quality rules. Choose the fuel before you choose the stone.

Signs you need fire pit installation

• The patio has seating but nothing for it to face, and people drift indoors once the sun goes down
• You want to use the yard through spring and autumn evenings rather than only in high summer
• A portable fire bowl has burned a permanent mark into the paving or the lawn
• You are already rebuilding the patio, so the base, and any gas line, can go in while the ground is open
• Wood smoke has become a problem with neighbours or with someone in the household, and you want to switch to gas
• An older fire pit has cracked, spalled or lost its liner, and the surrounding paving is heat-damaged

Seeing something not on this list? Browse hardscaping problems by symptom →

How fire pit installation actually works

1. 1

   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 forA 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.

2. 2

   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 forAnyone 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.

3. 3

   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 forA 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.

4. 4

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

5. 5

   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 forRetaining 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.

6. 6

   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 forAn 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.

7. 7

   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 forOrdinary 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.

8. 8

   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 forNo 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.

What does fire pit installation cost?

Fire pit pricing splits by fuel. A masonry wood-burning pit is largely a materials-and-labour question. A gas feature adds a burner assembly, controls and a permitted supply line whose cost depends mostly on how far the gas has to travel - often the largest single item on the quote.

See the full fire pit installation cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →

Fire feature and hardscaping calculators → Scope the feature and the seating area before comparing quotes.