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DIY Fireplace Reviews – FL and UT

It Started in Florida

Let’s talk about two beautiful DIY fireplaces built by the same people, years apart, in two different states. These fireplaces transformed their backyards into such welcoming areas. But first, let’s meet our player

outdoor fireplace pizza oven DIY — Combo fireplace and pizza oven DIY

s. Husband and wife team, Marko and Kelly, were customers of Backyard Flare years ago and they built a stunning DIY outdoor fireplace and pizza oven combo when they lived in sunny Florida. They used a Backyard Flare construction plan and the backyard was positively changed forever. The structure drew lots of accolades from Backyard Flare followers and it was definitely a beautiful, one of a kind, fireplace. It’s easy to see why so many people were raving about it. It was so different than most.

DIY outdoor fireplace pizza oven — The red color on the oven adds so much to this design.

I have seen lots of pizza ovens and most are earth tone colors. Marko and Kelly decided that a bold and deep reddish color would look great on their oven instead of keeping it like everyone else’s ovens. I have to say, I was impressed with the color choice. It worked so well with the surrounding area and it brought a pop of color not seen anywhere else in their yard. Coupled with the dark tones of the accent tile and the light color stucco, it was a hit. I’m sure it made a huge impact in the sale of their home, bringing in more money on the sale, than they would have had with a plain Jane backyard.

And then They Moved

Now fast forward a few years, with Marko and Kelly relocated to the great state of Utah. They bought a new home and needed to bring the backyard up to a standard they were used to. The new fireplace structure, although smaller than the Florida fireplace, is no less impressive.

Utah outdoor fireplace diy pergola — Utah backyard with DIY fireplace and pergola

The fireplace sports a square topped firebox and an equally wide firewood storage void under the hearth. Natural stone is on the horizontal surfaces, including the top of the fireplace. Keeping with the earth tone feel, Marko and Kelly added a wood mantel and a beautiful faux stone veneer.

outdoor fireplace diy wood mantel storage — This fireplace sports a wood mantel and a firewood storage void.

It’s not just the fireplace that brings the total feel to the backyard. The natural flagstone table in front of the fireplace draws the earth tones to the patio. A huge pergola with a large outdoor table is the perfect place to have an outdoor dinner or just a place to sit and really relax. The white picket fence in the background with the bold green grass, adds contrast to the whole picture. The large boulder wall behind the fireplace and the slight hill with natural vegetation adds to the rustic look as compared to the veneer on the fireplace. The bold color on the pots to the sides of the fireplace make the structure appear to be wider than it is.

DIY outdoor fireplace fire — In action with a raging fire.

This is such a beautiful fireplace and I am sure this backyard will create lots of great memories. Great job Marko and Kelly. We are sure you will continue to enjoy your backyard paradise and we hope you will continue to share your fireplace with us.

Kudos Go Out

Special thanks to Marko and Kelly for sharing these great photos with us and allowing us to share them with the world. Also, thank you to all our faithful readers out there and to those who just found us. We can help you with your outdoor fireplace dream. Visit our website at www.backyardflare.com for some great inspiration and fireplace ideas.

Check us Out on Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for lots of cool info and fun pics and video. Thanks for reading and as I always say…happy building.

-Dan

Five Ways to Make a Beautiful Backyard

There are so many ways to make a beautiful backyard and so many different things to make it a ‘one of a kind’. If a backyard was just a standard layout and everyone did the same thing, where would the fun be? For as long as people have been living in houses, they have strived to create outdoor living spaces full of functionality and beauty. Backyard popularity and the drive to create the perfect outdoor space has always been there, and I feel the things to build, construct, and add are more abundant now than ever. So many options and so little time. Here is Backyard Flare’s list of ‘Five Ways to Make a Beautiful Backyard’.

Outdoor Fireplace

First and foremost, we love outdoor fireplaces and bang for your buck, they are amazing. They seem to be the one thing outdoors that will bring you a massive return on your investment. What you may spend a few hundred dollars on could gain thousands in return at time of sale. Outdoor fireplaces are our bread and butter and it’s what we think about day and night. We are always talking to DIY homeowners about different layout possibilities and available building footprints. It seems like people are building fireplaces in spaces small and large. Even places that seem to not work for a fireplace, people seem to build in.

Now, you don’t have to build a massive structure to have it be the focal point. If you position your fireplace in a way that the flame is visible from inside your house, it becomes a very cool feature in that you can build a fire for ambiance. It’s so peaceful to have a fire crackling and you don’t even have to be sitting next to it to enjoy it.

Outdoor Kitchen

Holy cow, who doesn’t like to grill? I don’t know anyone right off the top of my head. Most homeowners will have a small Weber grill or a cheap standalone grill on their back patio. Over time, it will probably be in a state of rust and full of cobwebs. It’s probably because the backyard wasn’t welcoming. It wasn’t a place where the homeowners wanted to spend their time. Ah, but build a nice outdoor kitchen and it becomes a destination… a “cooking” destination.

beautiful backyard — Outdoor kitchen with black granite countertop.

Adding an outdoor kitchen, can be as simple as encasing your existing standalone grill, with countertop to the sides. More extravagant structures may have a raised bar area with stools, a refrigerator, a sink, or even a pizza oven added. The possibilities are endless and will de

pend on how much room you have to work with. The layout could be rectangular, built like an “L” shape, or even a “U” shape. Drop in grills can be purchased for reasonable costs if you look around enough, and you can opt for propane or natural gas. Building a sunken pit into your structure could even accommodate the use of charcoal, which in our opinion tastes wonderful.

Outdoor Lighting

Spend some time looking into your backyard at night and think about where you would add low voltage lighting. Adding a transformer and some perimeter lights in the yard can add a lot of character. Upward lighting on trees and bushes can add visual depth that all but fades away at night.

Outdoor lighting fireplace beautiful backyard — Lighting along the front of a fireplace hearth.

If you add the lighting to a structure such as a fireplace or outdoor kitchen, you will bring those structures to a focal point. Many homeowners will incorporate lighting throughout their entire yard and through structures, having it illuminate all at the same time. This is a really elegant look.

Lighting outdoor kitchen beautiful backyard — Lighting brings out the beauty at night on the outdoor kitchen.

Potted Plants

Potted plant beautiful backyard — Colorful flowers in a white potted and textured pot.

The right pot or three with colorful flowering plants puts the finishing touch on many backyards. The flowers provide a visual pop of color not usually found anywhere else in a backyard. With colorful pots or textured pots, you can add lots of cool looks. Change the flowers each season for different colors or type of plants. If you add a drip line into the pot, you’ll be able to minimize the maintenance time and possibly forgetting to water the plants. They don’t tend to live very long if they don’t get water.

Shaded Seating

Adirondack chair beautiful backyard — Comfy Adirondack chairs begging for usage.

Last on our short list for a beautiful backyard but not even close to being the least important, add some shaded seating to your outdoor space. On cool mornings, I will grab a cup of coffee and sit in my Adirondack chair with my feet propped up. This chair lives under my patio cover, adding lots of protection from sun fading. When I want to venture out from the confines of the patio cover, I can relax in one of my teal colored padded chairs. The rectangular shaped glass table sports a teal colored umbrella providing great sun protection for most of the day.

Outdoor chair beautiful backyard — Teal padded chairs and umbrella around glass table.

Just adding a few different places to sit comfortably in your backyard will offer the look of a welcoming area.

Over time, with these few things added or built in your backyard, you will have transformed your outdoor space and you will hopefully have a beautiful backyard that begs for usage. Lots of usage. And who knows, maybe you’ll add all five recommendations, completely renovating it to the envy of all your neighbors.

If you have any questions about any of the suggestions, or if you want to build an outdoor kitchen and/or outdoor fireplace, visit www.backyardflare.com. We’ll help you with your project and provide you with a very comprehensive DIY construction plan. Most if not all the guesswork will be gone.

The Perfect S’more

Is there a day that goes by where you don’t contemplate the perfect S’more or the ingredients that it takes to construct one? I don’t think so, as these quandaries are what keep lots of people up at night. I often lie there for hours at a time, beads of sweat collecting on my forehead, while I count marshmallows and small squares of chocolate. Did I break the graham cracker perfectly, so the two sides are equal? Is the marshmallow gooey enough? The perfect S’more…oh my…so much to consider.

Funny to think about, and “no” I really don’t drive myself into crazed sleeplessness over something as simple as a S’more. Having said that, I thought this would be an amusing blog post to write about how to build the perfect S’more and to get some feedback on what constitutes your perfect S’more.

So Many Questions

What is the perfect roast level of the marshmallow? How much chocolate is necessary for these tasty and crunchy dessert sandwiches? These seem like crazy questions and an over analyzation of a simple sweet snack, but really think about what you do when you build the perfect S’more. You make a lot of micro decisions when you are in the S’more frame of mind.

Marshmallow on a stick — Marshmallow on a Stick

You will usually impale a helpless marshmallow on a skewer or metal stick and hold it over the open flame without mercy. The question lies; however, do you hold it just outside the flame or catch it on fire? Do you require a golden brown slow roast, or do you prefer the stick mounted flaming marshmallow ball like a torch used by Indiana Jones? How long do you let the marshmallow burn before you blow out the flame? Is there a point when too much burn is too much, and intending to start over, you resort to flinging the sticky mess off the stick for the dog to devour?

Do you prepare your graham cracker and chocolate before the marshmallow torture or do you yell at others in panic to get your cracker and chocolate ready? If you’re like most, you do the latter. You were so focused on the marshmallow torture and open flame that you “tunnel-visioned” yourself out of paying attention to the chocolatey crunchy portions of the sweet treat. Remember that your failure to prepare the cracker and chocolate should not constitute an emergency on the part of your family and friends.

S’more (Some More) Questions

Do you forget and leave the graham crackers open, so the dog gets into them, “Pavlov Dog Style”? Do you viciously eat a good portion of the chocolate beforehand, and then realize that there may not be enough to go around? Are you the one that puts the hot and sticky marshmallow skewer down on the chair in haste not realizing that it will glue itself to the seat cushion?

With so many things to consider, should we as humans even be stepping into the tough decisions necessary to build the perfect S’more? Is it better done as a team event? This blog post has not done anything except make me hungry for a S’more and nervously anxious at the thought of building one. I hope the next time you decide to make the perfect S’mores that you talk it over first with your guests. Think about logistics and have a game plan before indulging in such glorious delicacies.

Or just have fun. S’mores are a great way to share memories with family and friends. Leave a comment and let us know some of your S’more memories or thoughts. We’d love to hear them.

Build Your Own Marshmallow Fireplace

Please visit www.backyardflare.com if you are interested in a DIY fireplace or outdoor kitchen construction plan. They are perfect places to build a fire necessary for your marshmallow torture. Thanks for reading, and as always…happy building.

Dan

DIY Summer

Get Excited

Oh my gosh, I am excited about this DIY summer. So many people are diving into great DIY outdoor fireplace and outdoor kitchen projects. We have received countless emails and calls about custom fireplaces and are really pumped to see these structures built. There are so many great ideas and backyard spaces that are begging for a stunning outdoor fireplace. Do you have one of those spaces? If you said yes, we want to hear from you too.

The best part about a late spring and summer build is that you can take your time on the construction. By doing most of the building during the hotter parts of the spring and summer, there won’t be any rush to complete the structure. Your construction can be solely a few hours each weekend or sporadic hours throughout the week. Those cooler days will arrive and when they do, the fireplace will be ready to go.

I was at a graduation party a couple days ago and it just so happened to be at a friend’s house where I built Backyard Flare’s second ever fireplace. This structure is absolutely huge. I remember building this structure in the heat of the Arizona summer, under the beating rays of the sun. Plenty of water was consumed and I think we are still paying off the credit card bill from our purchase of sunscreen. We killed a saw while cutting block and even drew a little bit of blood during the build. Those things at the time were a nuisance, but now I look back on them and smile, remembering all the fun we actually had during construction.

Reminiscing an old DIY Summer

During the graduation party, I ventured out into the backyard and walked around the fireplace to reminisce. It was built on an old basketball court after the homeowner’s kids grew up and moved out. I wanted to stoke up a fire, but because the temperature was still in the 90s, I decided that that wasn’t necessary. I took a few pics to show my wife that the fireplace still looked great after more than ten years.

DIY Outdoor fireplace in Tucson. — Decade old outdoor fireplace in Tucson, Arizona.

DIY outdoor fireplace with stucco and tile finish — The memories around an old fireplace are great. Build your own memories.

What I’m getting at is that a well built outdoor fireplace or kitchen becomes backyard furniture in a sense. A decade later, a fireplace will still be there, begging to be used.

Contact Us

Let us know how we can help if you are interested in stepping into a fantastic DIY build. Visit us at www.backyardflare.com, email us at dan@backyardflare.com, or call Dan at 520-269-9740. We would love the opportunity to help you design a beautiful fireplace or kitchen. Take care and as always…happy building!

Dan Heston

Vintage and New Outdoor Fireplaces – They’re Everywhere

outdoor stone fireplace, house is gone — What stories can this AZ fireplace tell?

Outdoor Fireplaces – What History Can They Tell?

I have been traveling quite a bit lately. Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to have gone to some really neat locations. Just a few visited in the past few months are Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Winterpark, Colorado, El Paso, Texas, and the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. When I go to a new place, I love the opportunity to walk around and explore the old and new.

One thing that seems timeless is the fireplace built in an old house lot. They still stand, absent the house or an old cabin. I love walking around these towns and noticing great outdoor fireplaces built in new areas, at shopping malls, at apartment complexes, and even outdoor patios of fancy bars and restaurants.

Vintage Fireplace — Old fireplace in a WV city park

The old vintage stone fireplaces through their cracks and stains can sometimes tell a silent story, letting your mind wander at how much they have seen and been witness to over the passing years. Who graced the hearth and seating around these graceful structures? What conversations and decisions took place in front of the fire?

Imagine the fireplaces in the homes and parks of West Virginia that kept home owners and those fighting in the civil war warm. They used them every day during the harsh winters. Imagine the fireplaces in the Grand Canyon lodges that kept tourists warm during the 1930s when the park was really becoming a destination. Now those are old fireplaces with stories too abundant for us to even imagine.

How About the New?

Shopping center outdoor fireplace — Fireplace spotted in an AZ shopping center

But let’s think about how we can create our own memories and stories around an outdoor fireplace. When you spot an outdoor fireplace at an outdoor shopping center, stop and check it out. Sit on the hearth and if it is providing heat, enjoy it for a few minutes. Relax and even grab a drink if you have time. Become the history that can be told by that fireplace 100 years from now.

Pay attention to where you are and if you see an old or even a new fireplace that needs to be in a photograph, take a pic and send it to us at, dan@backyardflare.com. Let us know where and how you found it.

Thanks and as always, happy building!