The Ventless Patio Fireplace - Great Autumn Fun
By Jessica Brylan

With autumn having just invaded us, we have months to enjoy before we hit winter. That s why you re going to have to hurry up and get on that patio fireplace project you ve been thinking about all year. It s not difficult to build a patio fireplace that you ll actually enjoy year around, but one you ll start enjoying this fall.

The easiest of all patio fireplaces is the fire pit. It s easy to build and all it requires is a ventless fireplace insert to make for no mess, no smoke and no hassle. You can also invert it into a patio table when not in use.

The next time you re out for a lazy Sunday drive take a route through a new housing development in your area. Look for the beautiful brick houses in the neighborhood. You just might find a load of bricks stacked to the side of a few of the houses if the contractors haven t taken them away yet.

If you look at the house and find that it is finished, that it doesn t need any more bricks, then you ve found a good place to start. Ask the owner if they would appreciate your services and offer to haul them away at absolutely no charge to them. They might come back at you with an offer, but that s business. You ll still get a great discount on bricks if you don t get them free for being a Good Samaritan and offering to haul them away.

Once you have your bricks, get some mortar and a trowel. You re now ready to become your own brick layer. Pay attention to what you re doing and be as careful as you possibly can. You should be able to do it on your own with no trouble. Purchasing a book about masonry is a few dollars investment that can save you from having to hire a brick layer rather than simply doing it yourself.

There are plenty of pit designs that really enhance the look of any patio. A square is the old reliable. But pits can be circles, ovals and octagons. When you have angled sides like with an octagon or a hexagon, they can get a little complex if you let them. Master brick layers know how to cut brick so that the angle fits perfectly into shape and looks beautifully formed. Circles and ovals are also a bit tricky. You ll need to learn more than the average person in order to make them look any good.

Don t allow yourself to be limited. If you want a circle pit, go ahead and learn how to do it. Either use your imagination and give it a try or buy a masonry book so that you can teach yourself. But, a square is rather easy and it looks great on any patio.

Take measurements of how high you would like the fire pit to be. Measure it up to your leg or sit down in a chair and measure a comfortable height for yourself. I would suggest anywhere from two to three feet. That s about the normal depth so that it s high enough to comfortably sit around and low enough to reach into rather easily. You have both relaxation and maintenance purposes taken care of at the same time. A good square to go with would be about four feet by four feet.

Now, you have to approach the project with a hearty attitude. Look forward to creating something on your own and that your family will enjoy. Otherwise, you ll screw it up and yell at me for talking you into it.

Stacking bricks isn t difficult as long as you remember that you need mortar between the bricks, on all sides. That means you can simply slap some mortar on top of the bricks and make sure mortar goes between them. Keep the thickness of the mortar uniform, normally half an inch.

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You ll get the hang of it rather quickly, so have fun and enjoy yourself. You d need enough bricks to stack anywhere from ten to fourteen high. Be sure to adjust your own math if you plan on making a deeper pit.

A fire pit should only take a few hours at the most. It s one of those jobs that seem overwhelming at first. But taking it one step at a time and you soon start to see the work coming together quite nicely.

Once you ve finished your pit, simply place a ventless gel fireplace insert in the pit and light your Sunjel to give you a patio experience you ll enjoy time and time again. Plus when you are finished using your fire pit, be sure to fashion a nice wood cover so that you can make it into a table for other purposes. The cover will hide your patio fireplace away so that you can surprise your company when they come over for an evening of entertainment.

The patio fireplace is a great idea for anyone who is looking around their home and wondering what more could they add to it. It s the perfect home improvement project for anyone who loves to do work with their hands and create interesting additions that make the neighbors jealous. But more than any of that, it s the perfect attraction to have when you simply want to enjoy a quiet evening at home on the patio.

Jessica Brylan has been a student of construction all her life, under her father who retired in 2004. Her passion strangely enough turned to the design and structure of the fireplace. You can look forward to her newest publication, Pros and Cons of Ventless Gel Fireplaces after it s scheduled to publish soon.

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