“There’s such a good vibe in Minneapolis. You’ve got an upscale downtown, and yet people aren’t afraid to sit around the fire pit in the middle of winter and drink a beer. It’s amazing.”
Philip Winchester, Actor
Pros and Cons of Fire Pits
You think about installing a backyard fire pit in your garden but are not entirely sure whether this is the right decision or not?
Make sure to check out all the pros and cons of backyard fire pits in this article to get a better impression of what having a backyard fire pit really looks like.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Backyard Fire Pits
- You can enjoy nice evenings outside
- You can throw fancy parties
- Fire pits even allow you to sit in your yard in winter
- Fire pits give you a feeling of coziness
- They just make your home look nicer
- Back to the roots
- Backyard fire pits are easy to install
- You can choose between wood and gas
- Especially nice if you have children
- Your yard will feel like additional living space to you
- You can choose between portable and permanent fire pits in your yard
- Installing fire pits can increase property value
- Many different fire pit designs to choose from
- Wood fire pits may even replace your grill
You can enjoy nice evenings outside
One advantage of backyard fire pits is that you can simply enjoy nice evenings outdoors in your yard with your family.
It can be great to just get back from work and to relax from a hard day by sitting down in front of your fire pit for a while.
You can also get a cool beer or another drink of your choice to make the experience even more relaxing.
You will also be much more motivated to spend your time on the fresh air in your garden instead of just sitting indoors in front of the TV all day long since you will really enjoy your time sitting next to your outdoor fireplace.
Thus, installing a backyard fire pit can make quite a lot of sense for you if you want to increase your overall quality of life and also plan to spend more time in natural environments to unplug from your stressful private and professional life for a while.
You can throw fancy parties
Not only you will really enjoy your backyard fire fit, also your guests will be pretty impressed by how much better your yard will look.
Having an outdoor fireplace can also be great if you want to invite your favorite people to throw nice parties since your fire pit will often be the location where most people will be sitting.
Not that many people have a fancy fire pit in their yard and you can really stand out by getting one of these.
Consequently, apart from your own benefits of installing a backyard fire pit, you can also throw nice parties for your friends who will really enjoy the overall atmosphere and the efforts you make for them.
Fire pits even allow you to sit in your yard in winter
Another upside to outdoor fireplaces is that you can even spend plenty of time outdoors in your yard in winter.
Even if temperatures fall below the freezing mark, you will still be able to sit outside since your fire pit will just heat up the air and it will reel pretty warm in front of your fireplace.
This can be great, especially if you are the type of person who just wants to spend as much time outdoors as possible and don’t just want to spend the whole winter indoors with your computer or your TV.
Fire pits give you a feeling of coziness
In general, fire pits just exhibit a real feeling of coziness.
Through the heat and the light that they produce, fire places just make our lives much better since they can get us in a much better mood.
Imagine you come home from work and are quite frustrated since something just not worked out at all and your boss may even fire you due to that.
While you could worry all night long, you can also just sit down in front of your fire pit, calm down and relax for a while.
After a certain period of time, chances are that you will just feel much better since you can think about different career options and how to improve your life in general.
They just make your home look nicer
Apart from the practical benefits of fire pits, they can also just make your house look much nicer.
Many backyard fire pits you can buy right now are quite aesthetic and can really give your home a special appearance.
Especially if you combine outdoor fireplaces and a pool, you can produce a certain atmosphere that is hard to achieve otherwise and chances are that you will be really happy every time you have a look at your nice fire pit and your yard in general.
Back to the roots
There is also a reason why most of us like making fires and enjoying the cozy atmosphere.
It is due to the fact that our ancestors evolved with those fireplaces for many thousands of years before electricity has been invented.
This means that it is deep inside our DNA to make bonfires and to tell our stories and to share our ideas with others.
Thus, by installing an outdoor fireplace, you can also satisfy your instincts of going back to the roots and to get a little piece of the life that our ancestors practiced for a quite long period of time.
Backyard fire pits are easy to install
Most backyard fire pits are also not that difficult to install.
In fact, if you have a certain level of technical knowledge, you will often be able to install your fire pit by yourself.
This means that you can just order a fire pit or buy it in your local home improvement center and you can install your fire pit within a few hours.
Of course, make sure that you comply with all the safety measures to avoid any unpleasant surprises or accidents.
You can choose between wood and gas
There is also a huge variety of different fire pits for your yard out there.
Not only will you find fire pits in various different shapes and sizes, but you will also be able to decide if you want to get a fire pit powered by wood or gas.
Both of them have their upsides and downsides, yet it is mainly a matter of personal preferences what kind of fire pit you want to get.
While some people prefer the natural option with wood, others prefer the typical American version with gas.
You can also just go to your local home improvement market and get some advice from an expert regarding which one is better suitable for you.
Especially nice if you have children
Outdoor fireplaces in your yard can not only make your own life much better, it can also be pretty nice if you have children how love to play outside since you will just be able to spend much of your time as a family in your garden instead of just sitting in front of a computer or TV screen for the whole weekend.
You can also teach your kids a lot about nature and why it is important to protect it as best as possible.
If your kids grow up in those natural environments, they are much more likely to behave eco-friendly as well once they get older and getting a fire pit may therefore also make sense from an environmental perspective, even though it also implies some emissions from the burning of wood or gas.
Your yard will feel like additional living space to you
Having a backyard fire pit can also be pretty nice in case you only have a rather small home and a big family at the same time.
In fact, many people complain that their home would just be too small for having a big family and don’t know how to manage their space properly.
By installing a fire pit in your garden, you can solve this issue to a certain extent since fewer people will be inside your home and you can just turn your garden into kind of an additional living space where people really love to spend their evenings.
You can choose between portable and permanent fire pits in your yard
Thanks to the big variety of different fireplaces and manufacturers, you can also choose from a huge variety of different fire pits.
You can also buy permanent as well as portable fire pits.
Portable fire pits have the advantage that you can change their location if you come to the conclusion that the current location had not been optimal and that you want to change the location of your fire pit in the future.
This just gives you a greater level of flexibility since you can simply adjust the location of your outdoor fireplace anytime you want without any problems.
Installing fire pits can increase property value
Since backyard fire pits can increase overall quality of life and can also make the appearance of your home much nicer in general, installing one of those pits can also significantly increase the value of your property.
Thus, with a relatively small investment for a fire pit, you can increase the value of your home quite a lot and may be able to get many thousands of additional dollars once you sell it compared to a state without having a fire pit.
Many different fire pit designs to choose from
You can also choose from many different designs when it comes to fire pits.
While the selection of fire pits had been pretty confined just a few decades ago, there are now almost endless opportunities in this regard.
Designers from all over the world have invented fire pits that are convenient and functional on the one hand but also look pretty decent on the other hand.
If you search for a while, chances are that you will also find the fire pit that perfectly blends in with the overall appearance of your garden.
Wood fire pits may even replace your grill
Not only will you be able to enjoy many nice evenings at your fire pit since it just exhibits a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, but you will also be able to grill some sausages on it.
You just have to get a stick, put it through your sausages and heat it on your fireplace.
This can be pretty nice since it gives your food an original flavor and sitting in front of this fireplace while making delicious grilled food can just be a great way to spend your evenings.
As you can see, there are definitely many advantages to having a fire pit in your yard.
However, there are also some downsides related to it which I will show you in the following chapters.
Disadvantages of Outdoor Fireplaces
- Backyard fire pits can be dangerous
- Children may not be aware of the risks
- Pets may get into trouble
- You have to protect your firepit from rain and snow
- Installing a fire pit costs some money
- Your firepit will break sooner or later and you have to pay money for repairs
- Constant maintenance efforts
- Fire pits need some space
- Your neighbors may not be happy about the smell
- Local laws and regulations may even prohibit you from installing a fire pit
- Unsecured fire pits are also a risk for your guests
- Risk of burning down your home
- Your neighbors may call the fire department
Backyard fire pits can be dangerous
One problem with backyard fire pits is that they can simply be expensive.
Since you will need to burn wood or gas for your fire pit, there will always be a small risk of explosions or other incidents.
This can be due to the incorrect installation of these fire pits or also due to material errors.
Even though those risks are rather low, accidents with fire pits happen quite frequently and you should just be aware of this risk before making the decision to install an outdoor fire pit.
Children may not be aware of the risks
While you as adults may know how to operate your fire pit and what dangers are related to them, your children will often not know that.
Quite often, children will not be able to evaluate risks properly and they will often also try to push their boundaries.
Consequently, children are at greater risk of getting injured by fire pits since they simply often don’t keep enough distance between them and the fire pit and also do things that they shouldn’t do.
In turn, this means that you will have to watch your children much more carefully once you install a backyard fire pit to avoid any accidents.
Pets may get into trouble
While you can tell your children to be careful with your fire pit, you will not be able to explain this to your pets that well 😉.
In fact, there are many accidents with fire pits and pets since pets simply often don’t realize what fire pits really and sometimes just want to play with them.
Thus, also make sure that you install some protective measures to protect your pets from unpleasant surprises with your fire pit.
You have to protect your firepit from rain and snow
If you want that your backyard fire pit lasts for a long time, you also have to protect it against rain and snow since it will often start to rust otherwise.
This implies plenty of additional work since you will always have to cover your fire pit in case you expect bad weather and you will also just forget about it sometimes.
Installing a fire pit costs some money
While you don’t have to spend many thousands of dollars for a fire pit, you will still have to invest some money.
You should estimate a decent fire pit to be around $1,000. Sure, you can get an even cheaper one.
Yet, the quality of those pretty cheap fire pits is often quite poor and I suggest you invest some more money to have more fun with your fire pit in the long run.
Your firepit will break sooner or later and you have to pay money for repairs
Another downside to backyard fire pits is that you also have to spend money on repairs sooner or later.
Nothing lasts forever and also your fire pit will break down sooner or later and repairs can be quite costly.
Moreover, you also have to invest some money on fuel and you should factor in all of these costs before deciding to install a fire pit in your garden.
Constant maintenance efforts
Not only will you have to spend plenty of money on your fire pit, but you will also be forced to do some manual work by yourself.
If you want your fire pit to look nice, you will have to clean it on a regular basis and this can be really annoying, especially if you work in a demanding job and have to spend your precious leisure on those rather unpleasant things.
Fire pits need some space
You should also not underestimate the space requirements for backyard fire pits.
While the pit itself may not be that big, it can still take away plenty of space, especially if you want to place it centrally in your garden.
Hence, before getting a fire pit, make sure that you take some time and plan your project wisely to avoid any unpleasant surprises afterward.
Your neighbors may not be happy about the smell
While some neighbors will not complain about your fire pit at all, others may be more difficult.
In fact, some neighbors do everything to make your life as hard as possible and may therefore just complain about your fire pit, even though it secretly doesn’t bother them at all.
Some neighbors will also not be happy about the smell of your firepit, especially if it is operated by wood or even coal and you should make sure that you don’t get into any trouble with your neighbors related to your fire pit.
Local laws and regulations may even prohibit you from installing a fire pit
Also make sure that local regulations or laws don’t prohibit the use of fire pits in your region.
While the installation of fire pits will rather be unproblematic in most states, there might be different regulatory norms in your area and you should ask an expert in a home improvement center first whether you are allowed to install a backyard fire pit in your garden or not.
Unsecured fire pits are also a risk for your guests
Another disadvantage of backyard fire pits is that you also put your guests at risk of accidents, at least if you don’t secure the spot around your fire pit in a proper manner.
Your guests will often not be aware of the potential dangers of your fire pit and it is your responsibility to take appropriate safety measures and to inform them properly so that you will not be liable for potential accidents that might occur.
Risk of burning down your home
Some people even managed to burn down their home with their fire pits in the past.
Sure, this is extremely unlikely if you know what you are doing.
Yet, there is still a small residual risk and I just wanted to inform you about that to give you the full picture.
Your neighbors may call the fire department
Especially in the first days after installing your fire pit, your neighbors might think that there is a fire in your house and may even call the fire department, even though you might just sit at your fireplace.
This may cause plenty of unnecessary trouble and you should just inform your neighbors about your new fireplace so that they know that you are safe and that there will be no need to call the firefighters.
Top 10 Fire Pit Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Fire Pit Pros | Fire Pit Cons |
|---|---|
| Fire pits provide a cozy atmosphere | Backyard fire pits can be expensive |
| You can enjoy evenings outside | Costs for repairs |
| Backyard fire pits increase property value | Maintenance efforts of fire pits |
| Your guests will envy you | Risk of accidents |
| Fire pits are easy to install | Pets may be in danger |
| You can get a mobile fire pit | Your house may burn down |
| Different fuel options | Neighbors may be annoyed by the smoke |
| You can even sit outdoors in winter | Backyard fire pits need space |
| Good to throw nice parties | Law may prohibit you from installing |
| Feeling of back to the roots | Neighbors may call the fire department |
Should You Get A Backyard Fire Pit?
I hope this article had been helpful for you regarding the decision whether you should get a backyard fire pit or not.
Make sure to evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of backyard fire pits of this article carefully to make the best possible decision in this regard.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_pit
https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/outdoor-living/build-a-fire-pit/
https://www.landscapingnetwork.com/fire-pits/cost.html
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
