Outdoor Fireplaces

An outdoor fireplace gives a patio a vertical focal point and a defined edge, which a fire pit set into the ground cannot do. This collection spans built-in fireboxes, wall mounted and freestanding units, and tabletop pieces, in electric, ethanol, natural gas, propane and gel.

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Outdoor fireplaces give a patio something a fire pit cannot: a vertical focal point that defines an edge, blocks wind, and turns an open slab into something that behaves like a room. The trade is that people face it rather than each other.

Fireplace or fire pit

This is the decision worth making first, and it is about how the space gets used rather than which looks better.

A fire pit is horizontal and open. Seating surrounds it, everyone faces inward, and conversation works. A fireplace is vertical and directional. It anchors one edge of the patio, everyone faces the same way, and the structure gives you a wind break and a mantel line to design around.

Large patios often want both. Small ones almost always want one or the other, chosen deliberately.

Fuel decides where it can go

Most of this collection runs on electricity or ethanol, and that is not an accident: they are the two fuels that need no gas line, which is what makes a balcony, a rooftop, or a rental patio possible at all.

- Electric needs an outlet and a covered position, with no flame, no fuel and no refilling. Be clear-eyed about the heat: these use a fan-forced coil heater that warms air rather than people, and outdoors that air drifts away, so an outdoor electric fireplace is bought for the look rather than the warmth. See outdoor electric fireplaces.

- Ethanol and gel burn a real flame with no utility connection of any kind, which is why they turn up where nothing else can go. See outdoor ethanol fireplaces.

- Natural gas never needs refilling but needs a line run to the location. Propane skips the line at the cost of tank swaps. Both give the most heat. See outdoor gas fireplaces.

Clearances, not dimensions, govern a covered patio

Most units here can go under a roof or a pergola, and the constraint is never the fireplace's size. It is the manufacturer's clearance to combustibles, measured to the nearest surface above and beside it. On a slatted pergola that means the nearest slat, not open sky, which is the mistake that gets made.

Those figures are in each product's manual. Check them before you choose a location, not after.

Weather is harder on the parts than the housing

Stainless steel and powder-coated housings are built to live outside. Burners, igniters and electronics are not, and they are what fails. Cover the unit when it is not in use, and in freezing climates keep water from pooling in a burner pan, which is the actual mechanism behind most winter damage.

The combination that actually works: a fireplace plus heaters

The best outdoor living rooms use both, and for a specific reason. A fireplace anchors the space and gives real radiant warmth to whoever is sitting directly in front of it. Overhead patio heaters cover the whole seating group, so the people on the far chairs are comfortable too instead of quietly migrating toward the fire.

That split matters because the two appliances heat in different ways. A gas fireplace radiates. An infrared patio heater also radiates, warming objects and people directly the way sunshine does on a cold day, which is why it keeps working in a breeze. An electric fireplace does neither: its fan-forced coil warms air, and outdoors that air drifts away, so it earns its place on looks rather than warmth.

So if the goal is a seating area people stay in after dark, put the fireplace where it does the most for the room and let patio heaters handle the comfort. The fireplace is the focal point; the heaters are what extend the season.

For design ideas, see modern outdoor fireplace ideas, and our outdoor gas fireplace picks cover the gas end in depth.

Frequently Asked Questions about Outdoor Fireplaces

What is the difference between an outdoor fireplace and a fire pit?

Orientation, and it changes how the space works. A fire pit is horizontal and open, so people sit around it and face each other. A fireplace is vertical and directional, so it anchors one edge of a patio and people face it. A fireplace also blocks wind and gives you a mantel and a chimney line to design against. Choose a pit for conversation, a fireplace for a room-like outdoor space.

Which fuel is best for an outdoor fireplace?

It depends on what the space can supply. Natural gas needs a line run but never needs refilling. Propane needs no line but does need tank swaps. Electric needs only an outlet and a covered location, and gives no real flame. Ethanol and gel need no utility at all, which is why they dominate balconies and rooftops. Most of this collection is electric or ethanol for exactly that reason.

Can an outdoor fireplace go under a covered patio or pergola?

Usually yes, and most are designed for it, but the clearance to combustibles above and to the sides is what governs it, not the fireplace itself. Every manufacturer publishes those figures. A slatted pergola needs particular care, because the required clearance is measured to the nearest slat, not to open sky.

Do outdoor fireplaces need to be covered in winter?

The housings are built for outdoor life, but the burners, igniters and electronics are the parts that fail. The standard advice is to cover the unit when it is not in use and to keep water from pooling and freezing inside a burner pan, which is what actually causes damage over a winter. Electric units in particular should be shielded from direct rain unless specifically rated otherwise.

Do I need a permit for an outdoor fireplace?

For a plug-in electric or a portable ethanol unit, almost never. For anything gas-fired that requires a new line, or for a masonry structure, frequently yes, and requirements vary widely by municipality. Some areas also restrict solid-fuel burning outright on air-quality grounds. Check with your local building department before ordering a permanently installed unit.

How much heat does an outdoor fireplace actually give?

Less than the number suggests, because outdoors there is nothing to hold the heat. Gas models here run from roughly 15,000 to 70,000 BTU and throw real radiant warmth at anyone sitting in front of them. Electric is the one to set expectations on: outdoor electric fireplaces use a fan-forced coil heater, which warms the air rather than the people, and outdoors that warmed air simply drifts away, so you barely feel it. Buy an outdoor electric fireplace for the look. If you want electric heat outside, an infrared patio heater is the appliance built to do it, because infrared warms objects and people directly instead of the air. Ethanol and gel models are ambiance first, with a little warmth as a bonus.