Backyard fire pits extend patio season into winter

When the cooler nights of fall creep in, I long for the warm evenings of summer.

Flipping salmon on the grill in a jacket just doesn’t feel the same. Carrying the fish in the other night, I sighed deeply. Patio season is officially over.

A few nights later, holding steamy mugs of hot toddy in hand and huddling around flames dancing up through colored glass beads, I realized patio season didn’t have to end yet.

Whether for heat, for cooking — or just an excuse to get out under starry skies — adding a fire or other heat source to your outdoor living area is a great way to enjoy cool, crisp nights.

Whether it’s a simple rock-rimmed fire pit, a custom wrought iron masterpiece, a gorgeous copper bowl or an inexpensive stand style, creating a warm gathering space outside is becoming more popular.

According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces are now the most requested design features of yards.

Whether you design it yourself or buy it from a store or craftsman, there are endless ideas to inspire you and dozens of options to choose from. Wood, gas and even pellet-burning varieties are all widely available.

Regulations

Before weighing the options, let’s look at some of the safety, liability and legal considerations:

• First, check your homeowner or rental insurance policy to make sure it allows for outdoor fires. This is one lesson no one wants to find out the hard way.

• Next, check your local fire ordinances for specific guidelines — for safety, most importantly — but also to avoid fines for noncompliance.

“When a neighbor calls to complain about excessive smoke or unsafe burning, we do have to respond,” says Dave Howe, a Bend Fire Department battalion chief. More importantly, he says, “This can take us away from other calls and ties up a crew that could be responding to true emergencies.”

• No permit is required for recreational fire pits with a total burn or fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height. But according to the rules, you must have a copy of the outdoor burning regulations at the burn site.

• Rules also state fires must be 25 feet from any structure and be free of burnable materials for 10 feet in all directions, and burning yard debris or rubbish is not allowed. Even if you’ve followed all the guidelines, make sure there is no burn ban in place before lighting your fire.

Options

Now, let’s take a look at some of the options available:

• If you are a homeowner, adding a permanent outdoor fire can add value to your home and a more personalized feel to your yard. If you are a renter, or prefer to steer clear of the hassle of designing a permanent spot, there are plenty of portable options available.

• Fire pits create the ambiance of a campfire without having to ever leave home. Stack rocks around the perimeter or use bricks and mortar to create a more permanent chimney look. If you build it yourself, dig deep enough to add a foot of gravel beneath the fire surface to allow for drainage during heavy rains.

• Using lava rocks is a simple way to achieve a fuss-free fire pit — and you can find them for free by hunting for them yourself. Permits for removing rocks from nearby wildlands can be obtained from Deschutes National Forest.

• No space for a fire pit? A fire bowl may be just what you’re looking for. Large copper bowls are a fancy way to contain a fire. Available at fireplace and stove retailers and sometimes garden centers, the bowls usually come with a metal grill to allow for air flow and ashes to fall through. Make sure it’s set on a fireproof surface like a concrete, stone or paver patio.

For decks or other flammable surfaces, you’ll want to choose a fire bowl on a stand. Small, portable and plug-and-play from the box (with a few turns of a screwdriver to assemble the stand), these are a great choice when you want a fire that’s easily moved from place to place. Find them online or in numerous stores starting as low as $50.

Higher-end options include sturdier, custom-designed bowls or spheres. Local Bend company Metal On Fire creates fire bowls and spheres considered by some to be true works of art. Intricate details cut into the metal allow light and flames to peek through, creating a unique glow as well as throwing matching shadows.

• For a more sophisticated, clean look, maybe tabletop fire pits are the right pick. Coffee table height or taller, this design has the added feature of a tile, glass or metal table rim around the fire basin. Permanent gas versions can be hardwired into a gas line, but portable styles usually hide a propane tank in a compartment underneath. This style comes come with artificial ceramic logs, rocks or glass to disperse the flames. Wood-burning versions can be purchased or made with a grill top to double as a barbecue.

Be prepared to pay a high price, as these designs range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

• For smaller patios or other areas unfit for wood-burning styles, pellet-burning fires make the most sense. There are several types available, some that even come with a grate for grilling.

A small, wood pellet-burning Flame Genie can cost as little as $100.

The end of summer brings with it the end to many things we enjoy when the weather’s warmer. Relaxing outside doesn’t have to be one of them.

— Reporter: laurakessinger@gmail.com