Incorporating a fire pit into your hardscape design provides a focal point for your landscape design, a social destination for gatherings, and a warming addition to the overall feel of the yard. Choosing the shape, design, and style for your fire pit’s construction to match your New Hampshire hardscape will require some consideration into both how you plan to use it and the aesthetic you wish to create.
Shapes
Shape is just one area where your fire pit design can be customized. You can choose to create a round, square, rectanglular, or even more of a fireplace-esque hardscape. Your choice will largely depend on what you hope to gain from the structure. If your goal is to enhance conversation and social gatherings, a round fire pit enables this with a shape designed to increase ease of conversing and equal distribution of heat. On the other hand, if your primary objective is to create an aesthetic impression, a square fire pit accentuates lines and highlights a formal structure for your landscape.
Rectangular fire pits work well if you frequently host large gatherings, or as a base for a magnificent view. Position the fire pit next to seat walls for incorporated seating, and you’ll have a readily built hosting area. Some homeowners even choose to by-pass the conventional fire pit in favor of a fireplace design with a wall and a mantle. This choice blocks wind, provides a clear focal point, and brings more of the indoors, outdoors. Whichever shape you choose, include appropriate design choices to make the hardscape work with your overall landscaping plan.
Designs
The design elements that you choose to include in your fire pit design should reflect the architectural design of the property and the personal tastes of the homeowner. A few areas where design choices can influence the fire pit construction include the decision to add accent pieces, the choice of coping, and even where the construction is placed.
Unilock makes it easy to include color bands into the fire pit walls in a complementary or striking shade. They also offer multiple coping options to create a well-finished look. Brussels Fullnose Coping offers a smooth, rounded edge for comfortable permanent seating around your fire pit, as well as to provide a comfortable ledge for your fire pit on which to warm your feet. The Ledgestone Coping option will work with practically any of the vertical building units offered by Unilock, so you can easily protect the structure from the elements while creating a striking visual product. Where you choose to place the fire pit will have an effect on the frequency of use, how it’s used, and the impact on the overall landscape. You can include a fire pit within patio walls, use the feature as a central point, or place it in the yard as a focus of a softscape area.
Styles
Fire pits are available as in-ground or above-ground, semi-mobile or built-in units, and you can even select a pre-packaged kit or a customized option. In-ground fire pits are lower profile and make less of an impact on the surrounding design. Above-ground options lend themselves to seating plans and offer the ideal visual focal point. Unilock offers the choice of both pre-packaged kits and customized options. You can choose the Rivercrest or Sunset option for pre-built fire pit kits, or you can choose to personalize the entire construction and select your own design, materials, and styles, to make sure that your fire pit benefits your landscape functionally and aesthetically.
The title image features a fire pit built from Lineo Dimensional Stone, topped with Ledgestone coping and complemented by an Artline patio.
