If you are like me, you've seen backyard landscape shows featuring outdoor fireplace kits used to install a wood or

gas burning fireplace. In search of a unit that I could assemble myself that wouldn't look like a DIY project, I quickly discovered some considerations that made my

choice easier.

First of all, it had to be determined if we wanted the outdoor fire source to be portable or stationary. There are tons of options for each. I do like chimineas, but wanted

the piece to make a statement in my landscape so I chose to go with an outdoor fireplace. The second choice was

even easier, we chose to look at wood burning units because there is no natural gas where we live and didn't

want to figure out how to deal with keeping propane tanks or lines unburied from the snow. There is something about wood smoke that helps to create the entire experience of an outdoor fireplace. We can use any kindling or dropped

wood we find without having to plan ahead and make sure the gas supply is sufficient. No running out of propane

mid-burger cooking.

Since we live in a rural location and outdoor fireplace merchants are few and far between, it made sense to order online and we quickly found beautiful outdoor fireplace kits we liked. We decided on one that would

arrive in components that lock together so we could easily assemble it. The model we chose required mortar that was supplied, but it didn't require special stone mason skills to apply. We looked at one with a couple open sides so the

fire could be viewed from other locations, but since it would be sited at one end of the stone patio, we went

with a model where wood could be stored in a compartment located right in the fireplace unit itself.

The style and surface gave us even more choices. The company we purchased from offered several different concrete finishes specially manufactured to weather

extreme outdoor conditions. Some were available painted pewter, sandstone, tan, taupe, copper on tan or tan on

copper. Other units could be custom faced with stone. We wanted to be able to cook and heat our outside

surroundings with it, but mostly we wanted it to be the focal point of the yard. It couldn't be too opulent looking

because our yard is pretty rustic. We didn't like the look of plain concrete because it's unnatural in our setting and we ended up deciding on a fireplace that burned wood, could cook and had a terracotta and a quartz finish on concrete.

The kit was very easy to put together, even with our limited DIY skills. All we needed was some very basic tools like a spatula, masking tape and gloves and the watchful eye and strength of a brother-in-law who is a carpenter

and knows how to use a level. The fireplace went together fast and easy and we were able to put it to use soon after.

Buying an outdoor fireplace kit that we could put together ourselves turned out to be a great idea. It completes our

backyard area and is the first thing anyone notices. It really looks professional and rich. We have used it for big family get-togethers and when just a couple of us want to relax, cook marshmallows and watch for fireflies. The only regret we have is that we didn't order an outdoor fireplace

kit much sooner.

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