apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

bet these people also live in a mcmansion and drive a hummer...

this is like the people buying snowmakers... you're going to see it out there, but it's really just (hopefully) going to be the people that need to take everything to excess.

I live in the middle of the Midwest and everyone and their brother is running out and buying fire pits. I am also amazed at how often people let them rust away and then go out and get another. They are nice in the Autumn and Spring; it's much too hot and buggy in the Summer and lord knows Missourians don't like Winter (generally speaking.)

One major downside -- real wood=pollution, natural gas = waste of fossil fuels. And, that is something people should consider.

Personally, I'll save my money for an indoor vented gas fireplace.

you folks sound like a lot of fun.
outdoor fireplaces can be a beautiful thing, just like outdoor showers
very poetic

why is this post so negative about them?

My parents have a small firepit (NOTHING! like the one in the picture--this one is movable!) that we use in the backyard in their home in California. It's terrific for parties, for cool summer evenings when you've just climbed out of the pool, and especially for fall. I really love it--and it makes S'mores so tasty! If I lived in a house with a backyard or had a garden space, I'd get on board.

While I don't know anyone with actual fireplaces I know lots of folks with brick barbecues that serve the same function after the cookings done, and look pretty darn good. I'm from New England and lots of people around here have the portable fire pits. It gets plenty chilly at night and nothing caps off a summer or fall day better than drinking a few beers around the fire. If I had a yard I wouldn't object to having an outdoor fireplace.

seems pretty harmless to me. no need for the negative tone in the posting.

In NM, I've seen quite a few outdoor adobe fireplaces, both at private homes and on restaurant patios. They are usually quite small and seem like a pretty organic addition. It gets chilly at night in the desert, so they do serve a purpose-esp. for restaurant applications where they extend the time that people can comfortably dine outdoors.

I think it's even more basically related to the need for men to say "come see my big fire, roar!" Just so all the guys don't jump down my keyboard, I am joking.

My objection is that the one shown isn't useful and it's butt ugly. That said, in some places in the country an outdoor fireplace is useful: California, New Mexico, Colorado, perhaps Arizona, Utah, and Nevada...

When I read the article the subtext of it appeared to me to be that these gigantic fireplaces are more about status than enjoyment. The usual "mine is bigger than yours." Outdoor fireplaces can be lovely, but something like the behemouth pictured I just find depressing.

I just want to put some walls around the thing, throw on a roof, et viola! A house!

I have this urge all too often in Atlanta neighborhoods.

O.K. yes, Mr. Weintraub’s set up is a bit much – a case of more money than sense – but I don’t get why people would poo poo a modest, portable fire pit, or why anyone would say that it’s foolish to have one in a Northern state. I have a friend who lives in Minneapolis, where, yes, it’s freezing in the winter, and yes, parts of the summer are smoldering, but there are the middle seasons and cooler summer nights. I visited them last May and we roasted marshmallows and made S’mores with her kids. After the kids went to bed, we all sat around the fire drinking wine and chatting. It was utterly pleasant. Trust me – we New Yorkers are really missing out. Ecological ramifications aside, if you have the outdoor space to use one of these safely, why wouldn’t you?

The one shown is quite a monstrosity, but the idea of a more modest one could be nice. That is like the Hummer of the outdoor fireplace world.

There is nothing wrong with having a nice fire pit in your backyard (my friends in South St. Louis have one and it is the perfect way to spend a cool spring/fall evening).

The one in the photo is a bit much (considering it was 2/3 the price of my house). This fire pit doesn't really represent the norm. There can be excess in everything.

Oh, and you don't have to be "well to do" to burn some wood in your backyard.

Portable fire pits are great. I have seen fire pits powered by propane or natural gas - like an eternal flame. But they were low key. The idea of them out here is for them to be round, so lots of people can huddle around and chat. The monstrosity shown doesn't seem to allow for that kind of socializing.

Although there have been quite a few pollution warnings, which result in "no burn" rules for fire pits.

My family has a portable fire pit on Long Island. It's obviously no where near as lavish or permanent as the one featured here, but it's always a big hit at the winter parties. Especially with my Brooklyn-based relatives, who've been forced outdoors with their cigarettes. One Dec. Christmas party was moved almost entirely outside just for the novelty of the thing. So, you know, they can be useful and fun, even in the harsher NY winters (and cool NY summer nights).

we had a fireplace indoors (a woodburning stove) that got moved outoors during our eternal renovation - it's really nice. Even when the heat isn't a major issue, it adds ambience - and nowhere near a mcmansion or hummer.

Seriously, try it sometime.

my mom has one like in the picture, although not as tall and has a smoking thing on the side for smoking up some tasty fish. the "fireplace" part is up higher to also function as a grill. we're definitely not rich and built it ourselves (alright, my cousins are construction workers, so we cheated =P) from brick left over from some construction project. it's really nice and lots of guests really enjoy it.

oh, forgot to add. the reason we built it because they're really popular in eastern europe, and since we're from there, my mom really wanted one. another one of those things to remind her of home.

why does it NOT surprise me that the owners of that monstrosity were considering adding a waterfall to it?

it's THAT ostentaciousness that leads to huge ugly granite mausoleums in cemeteries.

STAMP OUT UGLY STONE AND GRANITE MONUMENTS (and hearths)

That fireplpace is butt ugly!!! I love outdoor firepits, but this monstrosity is just another example of mine is bigger than yours....

Let's face it, aside from the cultural and regional considerations, this is yet another fad whipped up by the residential construction industry. These things showed up on HGTV and other home shows a while back and the next thing you know everyone's got to have one, even if they are largely impractical outside the West.

Prior fads included outdoor kitchens, giant stainless steel barbecues, waterfalls, water features and water gardens, giant stone and/or concrete paver patios with pergolas, and ostentatious decks. In the average home with a permanent outdoor fireplace/pit, there are already one or more spaces with fireplaces and at at least one well furnished entertainment/gathering space. If these existing amenities are not enough to bring your family together, as noted by one of the article's interviewees, adding another expensive amenity will not likely result in a different permanent outcome. In fact, it is likely to result in greater separation.

We're purchasing a home with a large courtyard -- a firepit is definitely on our must-have list, even if we do live in Chicago. It will extend "summer" in the courtyard -- there are plenty of evenings in April, May, September and October when it's a bit nippy outside but a firepit would provide enough warmth to stay out there.

Not to mention the s'mores possibilities! :)

Now, 15 feet is extreme -- we're thinking about 3 feet in diameter, less than $400...

bring back the outdoor shitter, too!