Fire pit vs outdoor fireplace — which is better for my patio?
Around Brevard both features run on propane — there's no gas main out toward Connestee Falls or the cabins — so fuel doesn't decide it; your patio and your appetite for masonry upkeep do. The fire pit is the lighter, lower-maintenance build; the outdoor fireplace gives you a wind-blocking anchor but adds a masonry chimney to a place that gets eighty inches of rain a year.
Rain is the local variable
Transylvania gets more than eighty inches of rain a year, and that water is why crowns crack, brick spalls, and dampers rust faster here than most of WNC. It's worth thinking about before you build: an outdoor masonry fireplace is one more chimney structure to cap, waterproof, and keep maintained through that wet season, roughly March through June. A gas fire pit has far less masonry to shed water and far less to go wrong when the weather sits on it. If you love the look and presence of a stone fireplace, we build it to stand up to the rain — stainless cap, sealed crown — but go in knowing it's a structure the climate will test.
Propane, done right
Propane burns hotter than natural gas and needs the correct orifices and regulator pressure, or the flame soots and the look you paid for goes dull. The tank itself is coordinated with your propane supplier, but the regulator, piping, and appliance setup are licensed work — we pull the Transylvania County permit, meet the inspector, and pressure-test the line. Brevard is about 40 minutes southwest of our Asheville showroom, and the free in-home assessment usually settles the pit-or-fireplace call in one visit.
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
- 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?