Technology in the garden - outdoor fireplaces

We’re increasingly using our gardens as an extra room and with chilly autumn nights upon us, installing an outdoor fireplace can really extend the season for sitting out in the garden.  It’s rather wonderful to wrap up and sit by a glowing fire, warming drink in hand. 

A garden fireplace structure can make a stunning focal point, so it needs to be positioned carefully considering the line of sight from the house.  And as the hub of social gatherings, it’ll need plenty of space nearby for gatherings.  There’s lots of choice when it comes designs.  Fireplaces, whether contemporary or traditional in style can be built into a pre-existing or constructed brick or concrete wall and really do make a wow statement.  If you have the space, a stand-alone fireplace that’s open on the sides makes a good central focal point for gatherings.

The choice of fuel types available has also increased with pros and cons to consider.  Wood or coal, whilst having an authentic appeal, have the disadvantage of smoke, fumes and ash.  Gas fireplaces can look great with stunning flames that pump out plenty of heat.  If fuelled by gas bottles you’ll need a place for these to be stored and access for them to be carried into the garden.  Using a gas engineer to create a gas supply is more costly but easier long term.  Eco-friendly bioethanol fireplaces can be good for areas that are hard to access such as roof terraces.  The fuel can be topped up easily but the flames take longer to fire up and it doesn’t give out much heat.