adding an outdoor fireplace

We had a fairly mundane patio, which has since been drastically improved by the addition of an outdoor fireplace. Since we live near a cedar bush, we cannot be burning wood, as the sparks are a real concern for safety reasons. Hence I have chosen to use a propane firepit, readily available at most building centres or larger hardware stores. I got mine when it was on sale for almost half price.

I poured a pad beside the existing patio, and then using patio bricks, built up the walls of the fireplace, leving some open spaces in the back for ventilation and decorative appeal as well. For the top, I poured another rectangular concrete slab. With the help of neighbours, this was lifted onto the walls of the fireplace. More bricks were placed on top of that, and a concrete flower urn was placed on top to resemble a chimney. The propane tank hides nicely behind the fireplace. I placed some little rabbits on the mantle piece, as well as some solar lamps placed into an iron candelabra. I planted some pansies into the top of the “chimney” flower pot. Since this photo was taken, I have also added some purple fountain grass which really looks great. There is a dahlia hedge on both sides of the fireplace which gives us more privacy.

We can cook on this outdoor fireplace / BBQ, so it works within the local firecode. We always have a package of weiners or some similar thing handy, just in case. LOL

-- jroot