Firepits: Stationary vs. Movable

Firepits have been trending in Connecticut landscapes for quite a while now.  What I’m finding out after designing and installing quite a few in the last couple of years is that my residential landscape design clients have this dream of hanging out with their family and friends, entertaining around their firepits every weekend.  In reality, most families are too busy shuffling kids to birthday parties and sporting events or they’re just too tired from a busy week to use their fire pit as often as they thought they would.   I’m not saying it’s time to exclude the firepit from your next landscape plan.  What I am saying is it might not be wise to dedicate an expensive space in your landscape solely for the purpose of ‘hanging around the firepit’.  I’m a firm believer of designing multi purpose spaces that can be used for the occasional fire.  If you are planning to build a stone and cement firepit that will be placed right in the middle of a patio, as they often are, it will definitely limit the use of the space moving forward.  I prefer my clients buy one of the many cool, somewhat portable fire pits available on the market today.  I’m not talking about the cheap firepits that big box stores across the country sell although they are an option too. I’m talking about one of the many aesthetically pleasing, well built, portable fire pits that will make a statement.  Yes, they are usually expensive but not any more expensive than placing a permanent stone structure in the middle of the patio. This way, the firepit can be dragged out of the way on warm summer nights and the space could be used for a host of other functions.

This strategy is similar to the way a lot of guest bedrooms are used. Why dedicate a room as a guest bedroom when you only have guests sleep over a couple of nights a year?  A lot of guest bedrooms have other purposes whether it’s a quiet place to read, a craft room or home office.  Shouldn’t your outdoor living space have multiple uses too?

Here are four worthy contenders.

Modfire.com