Fireplace accessories can be loosely grouped into four categories: tools, items for the surroundings of your fireplace, decorations and miscellaneous small things. Let us look at these groups in detail.

Fireplace tools are any devices you will need to either start a fire, maintain a fire or clean the fireplace afterwards. Examples for fire-starting tools are lighters and bellows as well as special fire starters. To maintain a fire, every fireplace should be equipped at least with tongs, a poker and a shovel. Usually, these tools are available as a set. For cleaning, special cleaner fluid, ash buckets and fireplace brooms are available.

The immediate surroundings of your fireplace are mostly influenced by the design of your fireplace. Depending on its style -whether old-fashioned or modern- a wide variety of accessories for storing firewood are available. Different types of log holders made of iron or steel and log carrier baskets and bags are examples of this. Other items are hearth rugs and hearth pads. Pads are made mostly out of fire-resistant tiles and are usually used with stoves. Hearth rugs come in many different forms and materials and are designed for use with an open fireplace as well.

Fireplace decorations are mostly a question of taste. Candles, lamps and clocks are classic accessories, however, pictures or plants often add an important personal touch. Other typical items would be seasonal ornaments like spring, fall or Christmas decorations.

Other fireplace accessories are for example firebacks, large iron plates installed at the back of your fireplace which store heat from the fire and radiate it back into the room, thereby improving the efficiency of your fireplace. Also, the logs must be arranged properly inside the firebox before starting a fire to ensure optimal air circulation. Fireplace grates and andirons are used for this purpose. Finally, you may want to use your fireplace for heating water or even cooking, especially if it is an outdoor fireplace.

Whatever accessories you are looking for, we provide detailed information in specific articles at our site. Enjoy, and hopefully you will find the items you are looking for.

The alternative to such an individual building project is to buy one of the many outdoor fireplace kits for sale available on the market. The variety of models offered by most manufacturers has increased significantly in recent years. Most of these fireplaces can be customized in their outside appearance either by painting the outside of the construction or by adding a stone or brick layer on top after assembly. Most outdoor fireplace kits are designed to be built as freestanding constructions, but can still be integrated into, for example, an existing wall with slight modifications.

Available Outdoor Fireplace Kit Options

Most fireplace kits can be delivered for use with either wood and charcoal or with a gas burner. Both natural gas and propane can be used as fuels with outdoor gas fireplace kits, supplied either from the fixed installed line or from a gas bottle which regularly needs to be exchanged. The typical size of an outdoor fireplace kit will be somewhere between 30 and 48 inches, usually spaced in 4 inch intervals.

The main attraction of a prefab outdoor fireplace kit compared to a custom built hearth is the ease of assembly. While building an outdoor fireplace from the ground up will require both expensive tools and considerable expertise, raising up an outdoor fireplace kit is an easy do-it-yourself project that could be completed by one or two persons in a single day. Most kits do not require mortar, glue or other kinds of fasteners for assembly.

The Fireplace Kit Assembly Process

The actual assembly of an outdoor fireplace kit proceeds as follows: at first, a level surface needs to be created upon which the construction will be built. Most assembly kits contain anything between 10 to 30 prefabricated stone or concrete parts which are already shaped in such a way as to fit tightly together. Construction starts with the lowest part of the fireplace, where the four bottom walls are connected in such a way as to form a basis for the firebox itself. The next levels of the fireplace including either the walls of the firebox or, in the case of see-through fireplaces, the front, back and side screens of the firebox are then stacked upon each other in the same way. On top, the chimney construction is again built from stone or concrete plates which will then be secured to the rest of the construction in such a way that the whole fireplace now forms a tight fitting construction.

Afterwards, the fireplace is already finished from a technical point of view and could be used without further building efforts. However, most installations will be finished with an additional decorated layer on top of the stone construction which will give the fireplace its final outside appearance. The materials needed for this are usually not included in the outdoor fireplace kit but need to be purchased separately. Most manufacturers offer a large variety of materials for this purpose specifically.

Due to the standardized manufacturing and the do-it-yourself installation, outdoor fireplace kits are significantly cheaper than individually designed fireplaces, saving the owner large sums of money which can then be spent for other purposes on and around the fireplace, enhancing the overall appeal of the ensemble. This possibility is certainly one of the major reasons why people choose to buy an outdoor fireplace kit instead of building a hearth from the ground up.

Gas fire pits fall into one of two groups: portable or built-in. Both are used for the visual enjoyment of the flickering flames as well as for heating purposes. Most of the time, an outdoor gas fire pit is of the portable kind, with built-in pits being used only in advanced landscaping settings. There are some features common to all gas fire pits, indeed to all gas fireplaces. Two kinds of gas fuel are used almost exclusively: natural gas and propane. The portable gas fire pit uses small gas bottles attached either externally or integrated into the fire pit housing. For built-in pits, the additional option of a permanent underground gas line exists, which can be fueled either from a large gas tank or the main house line. Typical materials used for gas fire pits are clay or ceramic, different metals such as iron or copper and special heat-resistant reinforced concrete. Commonly seen decorations such as colored fire glass provide the finishing touch for any outdoor gas fire pit.

When prospective buyers express their reservations about owning a gas fire pit, their main criticism invariably concerns the lack of “campfire atmosphere” associated with a wood-free outdoor fire pit. While this objection is certainly worth considering, it is balanced by several advantages unique to gas fire pits. Due to the increased control over the size and temperature of a gas fire, there are less concerns about moving a gas fire pit close to building walls or below outdoor ceilings. The lack of smoke and wood fire-related smells is also seen as an advantage in many settings. Based on the amount of heat generated, a gas fire pit is also more fuel-efficient that its traditional wood counterpart, not to mention the increased convenience due to the absence of any wood-related work.

While it is almost impossible to give a reliable price range for available gas fire pits due to the large variety of available designs and models especially in the case of the portable gas fire pit, it is probably more important to mention two important pieces of advice for potential buyers: first, when comparing offers, make sure that all of them include a gas tank. Second, planning in advance pays off: outdoor gas fire pits are much cheaper during fall and winter, when most buyers have other things on their minds.

Finally, do not forget to check for your local regulations, fire and zoning laws regarding outdoor fires before buying your fire pit. While many communities allow gas fire pits, being aware of any possible restrictions will help you to avoid any disappointments.