Backyard fireplaces: this summer’s hottest commodity

Fires burning, fires burning, draw nearer, draw nearer, in the glowing, in the glowing, come sing and be merry,” I sang to myself as I lit the first backyard fire of the season. That’s a tune I had learned as kid at Camp Geddie in Merigomish, Nova Scotia and where my love for a good campfire was ignited. The wood was a little wet, and the spindly branches of spruce in the kindling sparked and crackled until a flame started to rise to the small logs above. The pyramid of wood began to glow, and my family leaned back into our cushioned seats on the flagstone patio in silence for a few minutes, taking in the wonder of the fire; the smell, the sounds, the colour. My inner cave person satisfied for creating this source of heat and light for my family … and then I went back the house to gather up a basket of s’mores-making supplies guided by the flashlight on my mobile phone–primal moment over.

Humans have been in awe of fire for 420 million years—scientists can actually be that precise, finding the remains of charcoal from those first human-made fires in rock formations. It’s thought that the first interactions of humans with fire was in Africa around 1.5 million year ago. We owe the catapult of our evolution and other inventions to those humans who learned how to keep the fires burning.

It’s believed that around campfires that language developed, stories were told, and knowledge passed from generation to generation. Our First Nations friends will tell you fire is a gift, believing it to be a giver of life, associated with fertility, and it requires great care. Our draw to fire is in our DNA. It’s our call to the wild, no matter what your culture and while most of us don’t use a campfire to keep predators at bay---—other than mosquitos—when we gather around the fire it’s often a time of storytelling and song.

It’s no surprise that as our lives in these last two summers have been in many ways simplified or distilled down to more basic living, the desire to build or install a backyard fireplace to gather with the ones we love has been a natural instinct. It doesn’t really matter if you go to the lengths of building a wood fire or simply flip the switch on a gas fire table; being outside with the allure of the flame connects us to nature and to each other.

As we head into another socially distant summer, the acknowledgment and yes, even the appreciation for staying close to home is lighting the fire under many backyard enhancement projects—with fireplaces at the heart of the plan. No matter how big or how small, a fireplace is the quick start method to transforming your existing landscape and elevate the ambiance.

So, if you are stirred with the desire for a cozy night under the stars with your other half or the sweet mess of toasting marshmallows with the kids, a backyard fireplace is an easy and even affordable way to dial up on summer fun that can stretch into the chilly days of fall—if a Neanderthal could do it, so can you!

 
This 20-tonne fireplace constructed from  Oxford Quarry sandstone was designed to be portable. The dragon fabricated by a local metalsmith was inspired by European chimney finials, an idea sparked by Pictou County stone mason, Bob Collins. Photo Credit: Steve Smith/visionfire

What’s your backyard fireplace personality?

The sky is the limit when it comes to exterior fireplace design. It really boils down to your backyard personality. Are you a weekend warrior who enjoys stacking the firewood and the smell of smoke on your fleece, or a modern minimalist keeping things neat and tidy, loving the convenience of an instant flame? From natural stone fireplaces that create an extension of your living space to portable wood burning fire pits or chimineas to contemporary gas fireplaces and tables that can take many forms, the backyard fireplace is quickly becoming the hot commodity in outdoor design and can match any personality. 

Neil Pond, a landscape designer and owner of Urban Landscaping in Rothesay, New Brunswick says he is putting in patios left right and center and many of them to accommodate a new outdoor fireplace.

“We haven’t stopped with the demand for expanded outdoor living spaces since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Pond, who believes that the trend is likely to continue as people think differently about how they spend their time at home. Once they make the investment in the landscape and the accessories that go with them, like fireplaces, they will want to continue to make time to use them.

Pond says he still has clients who like the idea of a wood burning fireplace over the more popular gas-burning models. “They are the weekend warriors,” says Pond. “They are the people who make the whole fire building process an experience. When you light a wood fire you commit to it.”

Pierre Bouche and his wife Carol of Saint John, NB, likely identify with the modern minimalist approach. When they were designing their outdoor living space with the help of Neil Pond, they knew that wood burning was not for them. 

Having spent time around wood burning fireplaces owned by their friends, they opted for gas, as they were not fans of the lingering scent of wood smoke on their clothes or the idea of having to keep wood stocked.

“The gas fire table has many great options,” says Boucher. “It’s beautiful.  You can adjust the flame height and it is just so easy to use and when you are done you just flip a switch, and the fire is gone.”

Bouche also has a few options for where he and his wife can enjoy their fireplace; and because their table is portable and not running off an existing propane line, they can easily move it to wherever they want to be in their backyard.

“People are looking at their backyards a little differently,” adds Neil Pond, who says he believes that there has been a societal shift.

“There is a pattern of behavior that has developed during the pandemic and I think it’s here for a while,” Pond says.

 

Don’t get burned by the regulations

While designs may be as endless as the inspirations on Pinterest, your municipal bylaws may not be as exhaustive. Before you start stocking the wood pile or extending your propane line to your patio make sure you check all the boxes with both your municipality and your insurer to make sure that your dream does not become a disappointment. In some cases, a permit may be required before the fireplace is installed and an inspection completed to ensure your fireplace meets regulations.

Outdoor wood burning fireplaces are subject to more regulation and safety practices due to the increased risk associated an open flame that can spark. In his business of landscaping design, Neil Pond says he sees trends happening elsewhere in North America, especially in the cities where wood burning outdoor fireplaces will be completely banned. 

“Small lot sizes and the need to keep wood burning fireplaces a good distance from the home make them more challenging to use safely,” says Pond.

Climate change is even having an impact on the consumers increased desire for outdoor gas fireplaces. Hotter, dryer summers translate into more frequent and longer fire bans.

“Gas fireplaces are still permitted when your area is under a fire ban,” says Blaine Morrison, who manages Hearth and Ember in Kensington, PEI. “A flame from a gas fireplace does not spark the way wood burning fires does, so you can still enjoy your fireplace safely even when there are burning restrictions in place.”

Morrison adds that the market wasn’t ready for the increase demand for outdoor fireplaces last summer, but the supply chain has improved. At his business, he can have a Canadian-made fireplace table for a customer within a few days.

Wood burning or gas, the placement of your fireplace is key to your enjoyment. Keeping in mind the safe zone for a wood-burning fireplace and its proximity to structures and other potential combustibles, consider how you intend the use the feature.

Locating the fireplace near other backyard features like a hot tub and swimming pool are good options. You should also scan your space for other obstacles in close range. It’s important to keep the path or deck connecting you to the fireplace clear of tripping hazards; this will help eliminate the risk of a fall when you return to the house to replenish that summer beverage or clear away what’s left of the s’mores at the end of the night.

Go big and stay home

An outdoor fireplace can be a simple feature or an extravagant one, becoming a centrepiece of the backyard—or even the neighbourhood. Ask Pictou, NS resident Moody Mansour, who engaged master stonemason Bob Collins to build a substantial fireplace in his backyard last summer. Opting for a wood-burning fireplace, Mansour’s project kept evolving to include a mantel that he decorated for the Christmas holiday and a pizza oven built into the side of the hearth. It functions as a fireplace in a fireplace. Mansour says he must finish a few elements of the pizza oven but looks forward to wood-fired pizza this summer. This spring anyone driving by his home in the west end of town did a double take when they noticed his installation of a six-foot dragon perched on the top of the chimney created by local blacksmith, Ruben Irons.

“When you have a fireplace this big you need a fire breathing dragon on top,” jokes Mansour. The novelty of the dragon amuses Mansour but also has created a challenge, as he needs to re-engineer the belly of the beast, so the smoke billows out of the right spaces.

In a thousand years when archeologists are digging through the dirt looking for artifacts of the time when the world stood still for a little while, their big find just may be the remnants of Moody Mansour’s fireplace, and they will discover just how important fire was to the humans in the year 2021.