Can I build my own gas fire pit or should a professional install it?
Around Brevard, the enclosure is yours to build — but the gas is ours, and here that usually means propane. Because propane is heavier than air, the venting, drainage, and a pressure-tested line matter even more, and in North Carolina only a licensed gas contractor can legally run and connect it. You build the shell; we set the burner, permit it with Transylvania County, and test the line.
Propane changes the safety math
Brevard and the cabins around it are propane country, and propane behaves differently from the natural gas piped through Asheville. It's heavier than air, so if a line leaks or an enclosure is sealed up without proper venting, fuel can settle and pool in the pit rather than rising away.
That's the core reason a gas fire pit's fuel side is licensed work and never a DIY project. We connect the propane at the regulator and appliance, build the air vents into the enclosure so stray gas escapes, run the outdoor-rated line, and pressure-test it before you ever light a match. The stone half — the block, the seat wall, the veneer around Connestee Falls or a downtown patio — you or your hardscaper can build with our guidance.
Wet country demands real drainage
Transylvania County catches 80-plus inches of rain a year, and that water is hard on outdoor fire features. It cracks crowns, rusts hardware, and fouls ignition when it's allowed to pond around a burner — the same moisture that punishes the crawl spaces and chimney chases on so many homes here.
A gas fire pit needs a gravel core, weep paths, and a base that sheds water away from the fuel components rather than trapping it. We'll spec that drainage with your hardscaper, rough in the line before the pad goes down, pull the Transylvania County permit, and meet the inspector. We're about 40 minutes southwest of the showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 before you start.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Can I build a fire pit enclosure out of pavers or retaining wall blocks?
- What is a fire pit burner kit and can I drop one into my own enclosure?
- Can my landscaper build the fire pit enclosure while a licensed gas company installs the burner and gas line?
- Can I run my own gas line to a fire pit?
- Do I need a permit to install a gas fire pit?