Backyard Fire Pit: How to Choose, Place and Build One

Picking the right fire pit for backyard gatherings comes down to four decisions: wood or gas, a built-in stone fire pit or a kit, where it sits, and what surrounds it. Get those right and a backyard fire pit becomes the spot people actually use. Get the placement wrong and it is either unsafe or too far from the house to bother with.

This guide walks through those choices for Massachusetts homeowners, including the local rules that apply to backyard fires. Gerrior Masonry designs and builds stone and paver fire pits as part of our patio work, so we also cover what drives the cost and what to ask any fire pit builder.

Wood-burning or gas?

Wood-burning

Wood gives real heat, the crackle and the smell most people want. It also gives smoke, sparks and ash to clean out. A wood fire pit needs a steel liner or fire ring inside the stone so the heat does not crack the block, a way for rain to drain out of the bowl, and enough clearance that sparks cannot reach the house, trees or a fence.

Natural gas or propane

A gas fire pit lights with a switch, makes little smoke and leaves no ash. The burner sits in the same kind of stone or block surround as a wood pit. A natural gas fire pit needs a gas line run from the house. A propane pit uses a tank that has to be hidden and reachable, often in a cabinet or a nearby enclosure.

In Massachusetts, gas piping must be installed by a licensed gas fitter or plumber under a permit (Mass.gov fact sheet on plumbers and gas fitters). The masonry around the burner and the gas line are separate trades, so plan for both.

Built-in stone, block kit or metal bowl?

• Built-in stone or block. Built with the patio, on the same base, with a steel liner. It lasts as long as the patio and can match its pavers, a seat wall or fieldstone. This is the work we do.
• Block fire pit kits. Paver makers such as Unilock and Techo-Bloc sell fire pit units in their block styles. They still need a level, compacted base and a liner, and they look best tied into a patio rather than set on the lawn.
• Metal bowls and portable pits. The lowest-cost backyard firepit and easy to move, but they rust, and they need a non-combustible surface under them. Never set one on a wood deck.
• Concrete. Poured or precast concrete pits suit modern designs and are common for gas burners.

On smoke: dry, seasoned hardwood smokes far less than green or wet wood, and a pit with open sides or air holes near the bottom burns cleaner than a deep, closed bowl.

Where to put it: distance from the house and local rules

There is no single number that answers "fire pit distance from structure" for every yard. Fire codes and town rules set it, and your local fire department is the authority. In practice, keep the pit well away from the house, any overhang, a deck, sheds, fences and low tree branches, and think about which way the wind usually blows across your yard so smoke does not drift into windows.

Massachusetts treats backyard fires in two ways. MassDEP's open burning rules apply to fire pits that are not used for cooking, and some cities and towns prohibit open burning all year. Cooking fires are allowed year-round, within limits on size and supervision (Mass.gov: Open Burning Safety). Before you build, call your town's fire department and ask what is allowed for a wood-burning pit at your address. A gas fire pit may be treated differently, so ask about that too.

Fire pit design: seating and the surround

• Size the area for the seats, not the pit. Leave room for chairs to sit back from the fire and for people to walk behind them.
• Seat walls. A low stone or block wall around part of the circle gives built-in seating and blocks wind.
• A non-combustible surround. Pavers or stone all the way around the pit, not mulch or grass, so embers land on something that cannot burn.
• Connection to the house. A walkway or a step down from the main patio makes it easy to carry things out, which is the difference between a pit that gets used and one that does not.

What drives backyard fire pit cost

We do not publish prices, because they depend on the yard. The things that move backyard fire pit cost are:

• Built-in stone or block versus a kit or portable pit.
• Wood or gas. Gas adds a burner, a licensed gas fitter, a permit and the trench for the line.
• The patio or surround around it. Often the patio is most of the project.
• Seat walls, steps and lighting.
• Site work: digging, base, slope, drainage and equipment access.

Our paver patio cost guide covers the surround in more detail.

Fire pit or outdoor fireplace?

An outdoor fireplace is a different project. It has a firebox and a chimney, so it draws smoke up and away and throws heat in one direction, like a wall. It is much heavier, so it needs a footing below the frost line, and it usually needs a building permit. A fire pit is open on all sides, gathers people in a circle and sits on the patio base. Gerrior builds fire pits as part of its patio work. If you are weighing an outdoor fireplace instead, ask about it during your estimate.

How to choose a fire pit builder

When you search for the best fire pit builder or contractor near you, ask each one:

• Will the pit sit on the same compacted base as the patio, and how deep is that base?
• Is there a steel liner, and how does water drain out of the bowl?
• For gas, who runs the line, and who pulls the permit?
• Can I see photos of fire pits you have built?
• Are you insured, and is the work guaranteed in writing?

When to call a mason

If you are planning a new patio with a fire pit, or adding one to an existing patio, our outdoor fire pits page covers what we build, and our patio and fire pit projects show finished work. If you also want a place to cook, see outdoor kitchens.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for a backyard fire pit in Massachusetts?

Rules vary by town. Ask your local fire department about wood-burning pits. A gas line needs a permit pulled by a licensed gas fitter or plumber.

Can I put a fire pit on a paver patio?

Yes, if it is built for it: a liner inside the pit, pavers rated for the location, and the pit set on the compacted base.

Is natural gas better than propane for a fire pit?

Natural gas never runs out but needs a line from the house. Propane needs no line but needs a tank you can reach and refill.

Can a fire pit go on a wood deck?

Not a wood-burning one. Embers and heat are a fire risk on wood decking.

Thinking about a fire pit this season? Request a free estimate or call (781) 933-4157. Gerrior Masonry is family-owned, fully insured and based in Woburn, with over 30 years of hardscape work.