Outdoor Fireplace Designs - Grow Your Living Space Outdoors

One of the most dramatic improvements that can be done to your living space is the addition of a backyard fireplace. There are plenty of outdoor fireplace designs from which you can choose so that you will find one that fits your current home perfectly. As the outdoor living space has increased in popularity in recent years, the consumer has benefited from the variety of fireplace designs, from small do-it-yourself kits to large contractor assisted projects.

Once you zero in on a rough budget, start perusing magazines and do-it-yourself manuals to formulate ideas of what makes sense for you. By taking your time and making the investigative journey a fun process, you'll be more comfortable with your what you ultimately choose. Also drop in on your local home improvement center to check out material they have available to help you generate more ideas.

A nice place to start is with a quick survey of the area you have designated to make your final choice of outdoor fireplace designs come to life. When mapping out your ideas, don't forget to include other items and accessories that you want your area to include. As you will be creating a unique entertainment area, you will want to pay close attention to how it combines with existing architectural features and landscaping elements so as to coordinate all the existing exterior designs. Ideally, the fireplace will be built in an area that allows for visual contact between those inside and those outside of your home.

You should be comforted by the fact that there are an abundance of materials that you can use to bring your project to a successful completion. Even if you hope to complete the work yourself, there are tons of faux materials that resemble stone, brick, rock and other custom materials. All of these are fire rated for safety. Just inquire at any hardware store or home improvement center for safety details. You wont be disappointed with the flexibility in terms of the array of potential designs for your backyard fireplace. Ultimately, most any color to accentuate existing design concepts are readily available.

Back to the faux materials. If you want to create a custom material look and save money at the same time, consider a primarily cement built fireplace with faux siding panels of any number of materials. Stacked stone panels on top of the cement structure, just to throw out an idea, will make for a high-end looking fireplace for a fraction of the cost. Depending on your taste, you might look at a Tudor rock face panel as a faux material to make your fireplace blend with a certain pre-existing architectural look.

Whatever you do, take a look at numerous other outdoor fireplace designs before you start to pare down the potential winners. You may end up coming up with your own unique design when it's all said and done. In the end you'll find that if you have done your investigative work thoroughly, you will have chosen and built an outdoor living area that will pay you back with years and years of peaceful open-air enjoyment.