Outdoor Fireplace or Fire Pit? A Downers Grove Guide
The short answer: choose an outdoor fireplace if you want a built focal point that throws its heat forward at a seating area and reads as part of the house. Choose a fire pit if you want people in a circle, a lighter build and more freedom in where it goes — within the clearances to the house, fences and trees that the maker and the village set. Gas is the convenient fuel; wood gives you the crackle and the smell. This guide walks through those choices for yards in Downers Grove, Naperville and the western suburbs, and it starts with the difference between the two.
Outdoor fireplace or fire pit: the real difference
An outdoor fireplace is a wall. It has a firebox, a chimney or a vent, and usually a mantel or a stone face, and it stands at one end of a patio the way an indoor fireplace stands at one end of a room. Its heat is directional: you feel it in front, not behind or to the sides. It suits a covered porch, a formal patio and anyone who wants the fire feature to match the finished look of the house.
A fire pit is a bowl or a ring. It is open on all sides, so people sit around it rather than in front of it, and the mood is more casual. It is lighter to build, cheaper to install and easier to place, and a gas pit can be moved later if the yard changes. Which one you want usually comes down to the shape of the space and how you picture using it: a fireplace anchors a room, a pit gathers a circle.
Gas or wood outside
A gas fire feature starts at the push of a button and goes out the same way. There is no wood to store, no ash, no embers and no smoke drifting over the fence. If you want a fire on a Tuesday evening for an hour, gas is the practical choice. It needs a natural gas line to the spot or a propane tank hidden nearby.
A wood fire gives you what gas cannot: the crackle, the smell, and the small ritual of building and tending it. A wood pit or fireplace costs less to install, because there is no gas line, but it needs dry wood stored off the ground, a proper chimney if it is a fireplace, and someone to put it out at the end of the night. Wood also means smoke, so it wants more distance from the house and the neighbors, and on the odd day when the region posts an air-quality advisory it is best left unlit.
The main types
Our outdoor range covers four kinds of fire feature, and each one changes how the patio gets used.
| Feature | Fuel | How the heat works | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built outdoor fireplace | Gas or wood | Forward, at the seats in front of it | Covered patios, formal outdoor rooms |
| Gas fire pit | Natural gas or propane | All the way around the circle | Everyday use, small patios, quick evenings |
| Wood fire pit | Firewood | All the way around the circle | Big yards, the campfire feel |
| Fire table | Natural gas or propane | Gentle, at table height | Dining and drinks, modern patios |
Sizing and placement
Size to the seating, not to the yard. A pit that is too small for the circle around it looks lost and warms nobody; a fireplace that is too big for a small patio overwhelms the space and throws more heat than you can sit near. The right size is the one that fits the chairs you will actually put there, and we work that out at the house.
Placement is partly comfort and partly rules. Put the fire where the prevailing wind carries smoke away from the seating and the house, and think about the path from the back door. Every village sets minimum distances from the house, the property line, fences, overhangs and trees, and a permanent gas feature usually needs a permit. The rules differ from Downers Grove to Naperville to Lombard, so we check what applies to your address and take care of the permit before any work starts.
A word on roofs: a gas fireplace or gas fire pit can go under a covered patio if it is rated for that and the clearance overhead is right. A wood-burning fireplace under a roof needs a proper chimney through it, and a portable wood pit should never sit under a roof or on a wooden deck.
Design ideas that work in Chicagoland yards
The stone fireplace at the end of the patio
A built fireplace in stone or brick, with a hearth to sit on and a mantel shelf for a lantern, is the classic. It suits a large patio and a traditional house, and it shrugs off Midwest weather better than anything else out here.
A linear gas fire in a low wall
A long, narrow gas burner set into a seating wall or a raised planter gives a modern patio a line of fire at knee height. Pair it with concrete or large-format tile and keep the planting simple.
The corner of the deck or patio
A small fireplace or a square pit tucked into a corner uses space a small yard cannot spare and leaves the middle of the patio open for the table.
The outdoor living room
A fire pit in the middle of a circle of chairs, or a fireplace with a sofa facing it, an outdoor rug, a side table and a lamp. This is the layout most people picture, and it is the one that gets used most. Keep a basket of throw blankets by the door for October.
The see-through fireplace
A two-sided outdoor fireplace between a patio and a dining area serves both, and it makes a natural divider between eating and sitting.
Seating, lighting and planting
The fire is the center; the rest is what makes people stay. Built-in seating on one side and movable chairs on the other lets the circle grow for a party. String lights, a few path lights and a lantern keep the area usable after dark without competing with the flames. Keep planting outside the clearance in the burner’s manual, and use pots for color that can be moved when the fire is lit.
Materials that survive the winter
Out here a fire feature sees snow, freeze and thaw, and August sun. Natural stone, cast concrete and stainless steel burners last; thin sheet-metal bowls and unglazed ceramics do not. Pick the finish that will still look right after five winters.
Keeping it in good shape
- Clean out ash and debris after wood fires, and keep the burner ports on a gas unit clear of leaves and fire glass.
- Cover the fire pit or the fireplace opening when it is not in use, and especially over winter, so water does not sit in it and freeze.
- Each spring, look the whole thing over: cracks in masonry, rust on a burner, the condition of the gas line and the shut-off valve, the chimney cap on a fireplace.
- Store firewood dry and off the ground, and keep propane tanks upright, outdoors and away from the fire.
- Shut off the gas supply at the valve when the feature will not be used for a long stretch.
Common questions
Do I need a permit for a fire pit in Downers Grove?
Often, yes. A permanent gas feature with a new gas line almost always needs one, and every village has its own rules on open burning and on how far a wood fire must be from the house. We check the rules for your address and handle the permit as part of the job.
Natural gas or propane?
If you have natural gas at the house, a line to the patio is the better long-term answer: no tanks to swap and no running out mid-evening. Propane is the choice when a line cannot be run or when a fire table needs to move. Most burners are made for one or the other, so decide before you buy.
Can I use an outdoor fireplace in winter?
Yes, and many people do, especially with gas: a natural-gas burner lights the same in January as in June, while propane and the ignition on some models slow down in deep cold, so check the manual for the model you choose. Keep the burner covered between uses and clear the snow off before you light it. With wood, keep the chimney cap clear and the wood dry.
How much heat does a fire pit give?
Enough to warm the circle sitting around it on a cool evening, not enough to heat a patio the way a furnace heats a room. A fireplace pushes its heat forward, so the seats in front of it are warmer and the sides are not. Both are for taking the chill off an evening.
Can I see one before I decide?
Yes. Start in our showroom in Downers Grove, where you can see the finishes, compare burners and talk the layout through with us. Then we come to the yard, measure the space and put the recommendation in writing.
Talk it through in the showroom
A Fireplace Store and More is at 1202-B 75th Street in Downers Grove, open seven days. Bring a photo of the wall or the opening, or just the question. We size it, quote it in writing and install it with our own team. Book a showroom or in-home visit, ask for a written estimate, or call (630) 241-1919.