Clayton, NC & greater Raleigh
Fire Pits in Clayton, NC
A fire pit is the reason a patio gets used in October. Built into the surface, sized for the space, and wrapped with seating that is already there.
What it involves
Fire Pit, done properly
A fire pit works when the whole area around it works. That means enough patio to walk a full circle around the pit, seating within comfortable reach of the heat, and a location that keeps smoke away from the porch and the neighbors. We work that out on the ground before anything is built.
We build square and round pits, in block, natural stone or a paver format that matches the patio. Wood-burning pits get a proper fire-rated liner. Gas pits are set up with the burner, pan and gas run planned into the build so there is no trench cut across a finished patio afterward.
The pit is set on the same base as the patio and integrated into the paving pattern, not dropped on top as an afterthought. Where a seat wall wraps the pit, the two are laid out together so the spacing between the wall face and the pit is right.
Square or round
Square pits sit naturally inside a rectangular patio and a capped seat wall; round pits suit circle kits and open lawns. Both work — it is a design decision, not a technical one.
Wood or gas
Wood-burning pits are built with a fire-rated liner. Gas pits are planned with the burner and gas line as part of the build, so nothing is retrofitted through finished paving.
Sized for people
Laid out with enough clear patio to walk around the pit and enough distance from the seating that the fire is comfortable, not scorching.
Seating built in
Wrapped by a capped seat wall on two or three sides, with an opening to walk through — permanent seating with nothing to store.
Our work
Fire Pits we have built
Photographs of this crew’s own projects. Captions describe only what is in the picture.
Questions
Fire Pits: the questions we get asked
Wood-burning or gas — which should I get?
Wood gives you the fire most people picture, and it costs less to build, but it means keeping firewood, cleaning ash and dealing with smoke direction. Gas lights instantly, produces no ash and no smoke, and shuts off when you go inside, but it needs a gas run and it costs more up front. Households that use their pit on weeknights tend to be happier with gas; households that use it as an event tend to prefer wood.
How far does a fire pit have to be from the house or the fence?
Far enough that heat, sparks and smoke are not a problem, and far enough to satisfy your local requirements and your HOA if you have one. Setbacks vary between jurisdictions here, so we check the specifics for your address rather than applying one number everywhere. In practice the location is also driven by prevailing wind — putting a pit upwind of a screened porch is a mistake you only make once.
Can you add a fire pit to my existing patio?
Usually. We would look at whether the patio is big enough to keep clear walking room around the pit, and how the pit can be tied into the existing surface. Sometimes the better answer is a small extension off the existing patio so the fire area gets its own space instead of eating the dining area.
Do I need a gas line run for a gas fire pit?
Yes, and the time to plan it is before the patio goes down. Running the line while the base is open avoids cutting a trench through finished paving later. If you are considering gas at some point in the future, tell us at the estimate and we can sleeve for it during the build.
Fire Pits across the greater Raleigh area
We build fire pits in Clayton, Raleigh, Garner, Wendell, Knightdale, Zebulon, Wake Forest, Smithfield, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Angier, Chapel Hill and Wilson, NC. See what we do in each town.
Often built together
Other services
Next step
Thinking about fire pits?
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and where you are. We will come out, look at the grade and the access, and give you a straight answer about what it takes.