You have the inside of your home perfectly decorated and now you’re looking to make your backyard as precisely designed. According to Money Magazine, landscaping can bring your property a recovery value of 100 to 200 percent when its time to sell. What is the perfect, most unique addition to your backyard landscape? A custom-designed outdoor fireplace. With the right outdoor fireplace design, you can bring the comfort and vibe of your living room to your backyard.
Design With Your Surroundings in Mind
When deciding on an outdoor fireplace design, you don’t want it to look out of place with your house and yard. To create a great flow from home to fireplace, replicate details from the architecture of your house by matching the stone or stucco you use or incorporating architectural elements into the mantle or chimney. To keep it looking like a fireplace, use interior fireplace design principles. This comes more into play with a surrounding patio that you can accessorize. You can even add a faux rug into the paver design for that living room feeling. Also, keep in mind local building codes and zoning laws you will have to adhere to. Because the smoke is at the will of the wind, zoning laws often restrict where the fireplace can be placed. You also want to consider how its placement impacts views from the house, privacy, and focal parts of the yard. Gas-burning fireplaces are typically less restricted and can be placed anywhere in a design while wood-burning units usually have to be placed at least 10 feet from other structures. Codes may also dictate the height of your chimney and where it can be placed in relation to other structures on your property.
Don’t Neglect The Seating
Creating a large patio space around your outdoor fireplace will allow for many chairs and couches to be set up. Much of today’s outdoor furniture is in a “deep seating” style, so be sure to consider their larger size when planning your layout and patios. A popular and eye-pleasing option is having your seating built into your outdoor fireplace design. With this design, benches made from the same material as the main structure extend from each side of the fireplace. You can add pillows and cushions to increase comfort while creating a homey and functional space.
When you have an outdoor fireplace incorporated into your landscaping project, you automatically have a stunning centerpiece. Consult with landscaping contractors for price estimates and to ensure that your following the town’s municipal codes, and you will have the perfect entertaining area for friends and family.