Fire pit vs outdoor fireplace — which is better for my patio?
For most Asheville patios the fire pit wins on sociability and the view, but the real answer turns on your neighborhood. On a tight West Asheville or Montford lot, an outdoor fireplace builds a wall and a private outdoor room; on a South Asheville lot with a ridgeline behind it, a low pit keeps the mountains in frame.
We're right up the road on Emma Road
Being headquartered at 629 Emma Rd means we work Asheville patios constantly, and in the gas-main neighborhoods that shows up as short, clean line runs. Natural gas runs along the Asheville mains, so a gas fire pit or gas fireplace ties into a permanent line — no propane tank to top off, no cylinder to swap mid-party. Wherever the flame burns fuel, extending that line is licensed work in North Carolina. Your hardscaper can lay gorgeous stone, but by law they can't connect it to gas. We can, we pull the Buncombe County permit, and we pressure-test the line before we ever light it.
Reading your lot, block by block
Montford and North Asheville carry a lot of original masonry, and those older homes usually have the yard for a fireplace that anchors a real outdoor room. Dense in-town lots in West Asheville and Biltmore Village lean the same way, because a fireplace wall buys you privacy and blocks the wind between houses. South Asheville's newer construction is where the pit shines — flat modern patios, open sightlines, and views worth protecting. And remember the elevation: nights here sit in the 20s well into early spring, so a fire feature of either kind earns its keep across a long shoulder season, not just in deep winter.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- Outdoor gas fireplace vs outdoor wood-burning fireplace — which should I build?
- Masonry outdoor fireplace vs a prefab outdoor fireplace kit — which is better?
- Gas fire pit vs wood-burning fire pit — which is better?
- What's the difference between a fire pit and a fire table?
- Gas fire pit vs patio heater — which keeps you warmer outside?