Can I build my own gas fire pit or should a professional install it?
In Swannanoa, the enclosure is yours to build, but connecting the fuel is licensed work we handle. A lot of homes here are being rebuilt and renovated after storm damage, and that's actually the ideal time to add an outdoor fire feature — we rough in the natural-gas line while the ground is open, set the burner, permit it with Buncombe County, and pressure-test it.
Build it into the rebuild
Swannanoa is in the middle of a rebuilding stretch — Grovemont's 1940s-through-60s homes and others across the valley are being renovated and reconstructed after the storm. If your project is already underway, that's the smart moment to plan an outdoor fire pit. With walls open and the patio not yet poured, we can rough in the natural-gas line to the backyard cleanly, instead of cutting it in later or retrofitting a line into a sealed enclosure the hard way.
Your builder or hardscaper handles the shell — the block, the seat wall, the stone veneer. We handle the fire: sizing the listed burner, running and connecting the line, venting and draining the enclosure, and pressure-testing it. Folded into the rebuild, it's a small addition with a big payoff on the patio.
Damp valley, drainage first
The Swannanoa river valley traps fog, pools cold air, and stays damp much of the year — conditions already hard on the area's masonry chimneys, and just as hard on an outdoor burner and its fittings. So drainage leads the plan: a gravel core, weep paths, and a base that sheds rain away from the fuel components rather than holding it against them.
We spec that with your hardscaper, then run the natural-gas line, pull the Buncombe County permit, meet the inspector, and pressure-test before you light it. We're only about 15 minutes east of the showroom, so a site visit is quick and easy to schedule. Call (828) 545-0525 to get on the calendar.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east 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?