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Serving the Naperville Community
Serving the Naperville Community
 When the weather is beautiful, you don’t want to spend time indoors. Instead, make the most of your time outdoors on your patio at your home in the Naperville or Hinsdale, IL, area. The memories made outdoors with your family and friends will be some of your favorites. Here are some of the ways you can make more memories outdoors on your patio.
Related: Is Your Wheaton, IL Landscape Design Missing a Cozy Touch? A Fire Pit Could Be the Answer Movie Night Outdoors Set up a projector and a screen and watch a movie outdoors with your family. With an outdoor living area that’s located beneath a pavilion where it’s protected from the elements, you’ll have the opportunity to have a TV installed where you can watch movies in ultimate comfort. Just don’t forget to bring the snacks outside. Cooking & Dining Opportunities If you have a grill, there are countless opportunities for grilling up some delicious foods. You can prep your food in your outdoor kitchen and cook it all in one place. When your yummy steaks are grilled to perfection, or your chicken wings are crisp and ready to eat, you can take a seat in your outdoor dining area and enjoy your meal with family and friends while being able to feel the cool breeze at the same time. If your idea of the perfect patio includes an outdoor pizza oven, this can make for some fun family cooking time. Just give everyone an individual crust and they can add their toppings. Grab an ice-cold beverage from your outdoor refrigerator and enjoy. Host a Bonfire-Style Party Fire pits provide the wonderful opportunity to host bonfire-style parties. These can be especially fun on a crisp autumn evening, where you can roast hotdogs over the fire, sip on hot cocoa or apple cider, and make s’mores. Fire creates a natural, gathering place, which makes for good conversation that flows easily. Your backyard patio will quickly become a popular gathering spot. Family Game Night Outdoors All you need is an outdoor dining table and comfortable patio chairs or an outdoor coffee table to enjoy a family game night outdoors. You can play a competitive game of Monopoly or a low-key game of Uno. There are also various yard games that can make for lots of fun, such as a giant game of checkers or Jenga. Children love family game nights, so this will be a popular event that you can hold once per week or once per month. Romantic Evenings Cuddle up with that special someone beneath the twinkling stars while you are seated next to a warm outdoor fireplace. Grab a blanket, two glasses of wine, and spend quality time together in your beautiful outdoor space. If you want additional entertainment, consider grabbing a game that provides interesting questions to help you get to know each other better. Even if you have been a couple for a long time, there are likely things that you will learn about each other. You could also enjoy watching an outdoor movie night, cooking together in your outdoor kitchen, or simply relaxing by your fire pit. Related: Renovating Your Patio? Here are 6 Reasons to Include a Fire Pit in Naperville, IL
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 One of the most exciting and useful features for any landscape has to be the fire pit. This simple, yet magnetic fire feature can be the missing puzzle piece to backyards that seem to be missing something. A fire pit is such a versatile landscape feature. It can fit in many different applications and works with every design style. While you plan the next steps of your landscape renovation, here are six reasons a fire pit belongs in practically any backyard in Hinsdale and Naperville, IL.
Related: Is Your Wheaton, IL Landscape Design Missing a Cozy Touch? A Fire Pit Could Be the Answer Warmth Everyone who spends time in your backyard knows how perfect weather can be quite fleeting. A fire pit can solve many of the issues caused by winds or cooler temperatures. Wherever you and your loved ones like to gather in your backyard, a fire pit can anchor that spot and provide everyone with plenty of warmth as the temperature starts to dip. Light Fire also always produces plenty of usable light in an outdoor setting. Depending on the fuel used, the ambient light can either be a varying consistency or a steady stream of flickering light. Wood tends to burn quite intensely, giving off plenty of ambient light but it must be tended constantly. Natural gas burns steadily but not as brightly, giving off a more bluish glow. The ambient light of a fire pit can be a pleasing sight that draws people to the area. Gathering Everyone loves to spend time around the fire pit with their loved ones. Whenever you have people in your backyard, they will automatically be drawn to the fire. This provides the perfect opportunity for providing seating in a circle around the pit. Depending on your seating arrangement, you can comfortably fit quite a few people around even the smallest fire pits. This will end up being one of the anchor points in your entire outdoor living space. Beauty As the flames light the area, the eye will be drawn to the fire pit and whatever sits around it. This could be your outdoor kitchen, a secluded nook, a fantastic view, a poolside patio, or a pergola. Even though the focus is on the fire after dark, every nearby feature is bathed in flickering light - and everything seems to look more beautiful and romantic when washed in fire light. The masonry structure of the fire pit can also be a thing of beauty. A far cry from a rustic fire ring, modern fire pits are sophisticated structures that complement surrounding masonry or stand alone as a dramatic focal point. Cooking When you think of a campfire, you’re probably thinking about s’mores, hot dogs, or other foods that you can cook over open flames. It’s one of the favorite activities of many people and it can surely bring back some wonderful memories. However, not every fire pit has cooking capabilities. The lava rock or glass fire pit stone found in natural gas fire pits can be extremely difficult to clean when food drippings are baked on by the heat. Wood fire pits can be used for cooking and depending on the wood (fruitwood is recommended for cooking), will impart a delicious flavor to the food and you won’t need to do any cleaning besides extracting ash. Value A well made and high quality fire pit is a permanent masonry structure that becomes an important fixture in any backyard. It will certainly be an attractive component of the entire property and can even be considered a selling point for the home (note that gas fire pits tend to be more desirable for resale than wood fire pits). Related: Why a Fire Pit Becomes the Prime Destination of the Backyard Patio in Hinsdale, IL  The addition of a fire feature to your landscape is a great decision that enhances outdoor living and adds value to your home. When it comes down to fire pit vs. outdoor fireplace, we can help you make the best decision for your Hinsdale and Naperville, IL backyard.
Humans have gathered around the fire for millennia and we’re still enamored with fire, whether it’s a wood or natural gas fire. Related: If a Landscape Design Is One of Your Resolutions, Here's Why You'll Want to Include a Fire Pit in Naperville, IL Fire Pit A fire pit is rudimentary, but not primitive. It’s not a fire ring made of random stones. Masonry fire pit kits are available. You can also build a custom masonry fire pit, or use a premade modern steel or concrete bowl-style fire pit. Heat and light radiates outwards from a fire pit, allowing everyone to share equally in the experience. Fire pits can be wood- or natural gas-fueled. If you burn wood, a fire pit can mean constantly shifting positions to keep the smoke out of the eyes. You’ll also need to store wood, remove ash from the fire pit, and clean up wood debris on the patio. A gas fire pit won’t have the authentic wood-fire crackle and aroma, but it’s cleaner, more consistent, and safer. You can cook over a wood fire pit: whatever a charcoal grill can do, a fire pit can do, with the addition of a grate and the right wood. We recommend not cooking on gas fire pits because decorative lava rock and fire pit glass are difficult to clean. Outdoor Fireplace The outdoor fireplace turns a patio into a cozy space with a distinct living room feel. Since an outdoor fireplace has a chimney to disperse smoke, you’ll never have smoke getting in people’s eyes. An outdoor fireplace is customizable. Fireplace kits are available, or you could go custom and incorporate a wood-fired pizza oven, a water feature, lighting, and decorative inlays and accents. An outdoor fireplace creates a warmer space since it can be positioned to act as a wind block. The design of most outdoor fireplaces limits the number of people who can sit in front of the fire. An outdoor fireplace is a large structure that may be visually overwhelming depending on the patio design. If a fireplace feels too big, consider moving it to a corner so it’s not so prominent. Wood or Gas? Both fire pits and outdoor fireplaces can produce a large amount of heat when fueled by wood. Even a gas-fueled fire feature generates enough heat to make friends and family comfortable. A wood fire needs to be tended constantly. Some people love tending the flames, and won’t be happy with a gas fire. On the other hand, gas is cleaner, doesn’t produce acrid smoke, and you never have splinters and ash to dirty the space. A wood fire pit must be located in an open space away from combustible materials. An outdoor fireplace can be located almost anywhere since it contains the flames and prevents flying embers. Gas-fueled fire features can be housed on a porch, under a pergola or pavilion, or even under trees. Seating Permanent masonry seating around a fire pit helps contain the heat, allows more people to sit together, and prevents patio clutter. Seating at an outdoor fireplace usually involves cushioned living room furniture, since fewer people will be close to the fire box. Related: Is Your Wheaton, IL Landscape Design Missing a Cozy Touch? A Fire Pit Could Be the Answer  The best landscapes feature areas where friends and family can gather; and nothing is more of a draw than fire. Fire pits are incredibly popular additions to any landscape. These features are reminiscent of a roaring campfire (whether wood or gas-fueled) and can be customized to fit any design theme. So, if a landscape design is one of your resolutions, here’s why you’ll want to include a fire pit in Naperville, IL.
Related: Extend the Use of Your Patio With Any of These Outdoor Lighting Options in Naperville, IL A Communal Structure Fires are natural attractive forces in a landscape, especially as the temperature begins to dip. Since it allows people to gather in a circle around it, a fire pit is a communal structure which evenly distributes heat in all directions. A Focal Point or a Destination A natural gas-fueled fire pit is typically located on the patio where running a gas line is more convenient. A wood-fired or propane-fueled fire pit can be located anywhere in the landscape as a destination spot. A fire pit can be the most prominent feature of your patio, sitting close enough to your house for easy access. It can sit at the edge of a hill or the woods where a spectacular view awaits everyone. It can also anchor a place of ultimate solitude far away from the excitement of the home and the outside world. A Primal and Mesmerizing Experience Humans have been fascinated by fire for millennia. Our ancestors used fire for heat, cooking, light, and protection. Today, we still love the fireside experience for these reasons; and fire is something that’s absolutely mesmerizing to look at. While you and your friends and family are enjoying a fireside chat, the fire pit will also visually dazzle while it keeps everyone comfortable. In fact, if you’re enjoying a quiet evening on the patio, a fire pit could turn it into a soothing, meditative experience as you lose yourself in the dance of the flames. Surprisingly Compact The amount of heat and light produced by even a small fire pit can do an amazing job of making a gathering area comfortable and intimate. Remember to allow enough space around the fire pit for chairs - approximately 4-7 feet. You could also install a seat wall or high-backed seat wall around the fire pit to create a more intimate space and eliminate the clutter of furniture. Gas-Fueled Fire Pits: Pros and Cons Gas-fueled fire pits are gaining in popularity for many reasons. Gas is a safer material for fire pits since the flames are much more consistent and controllable. Gas-fueled fire pits avoid all the mess of smoke and the hassles of firewood, but they won’t have the authentic crackle and aroma of wood; and they are not typically usable for cooking since the lava rock, glass, or faux wood can be difficult to clean if food spills on it and bakes on. Choose natural gas if you don’t want the hassle of propane tanks, unless you want your fire pit to be in a more remote location in which case running a gas line could add significantly to the cost. Wood-Fueled Fire Pits: Pros and Cons About as simple as it gets, wood-fueled fire pits require just a masonry structure to contain the flames. You may need a small structure nearby for storing firewood. Wood fires generate more heat than a gas fire pit, and the right wood can make cooked food taste amazing. The snaps, crackles, and aroma of burning wood make for an engaging and memorable experience. However, placement is crucial: a fire pit must be placed far away from any combustible materials including trees. Related: Is Your Wheaton, IL Landscape Design Missing a Cozy Touch? A Fire Pit Could Be the Answer Extend the Use of Your Patio With Any of These Outdoor Lighting Options in Naperville, IL12/21/2021  The outdoor living space is a special place where friends and family can relax outdoors and create wonderful memories. Everyone coming to your backyard should feel welcome and safe at all times. Outdoor lighting is absolutely crucial not only for a welcoming and safe feeling, but for beauty as well. When planning your landscape renovation, consider the lighting strategy as a way to enhance your outdoor living space. Now you can extend the use of your patio with any of these outdoor lighting options in Naperville, IL.
Related: Don't Let Your Landscaping Hide in the Dark: 6 Outdoor Lighting Trends to Contemplate in Hinsdale, IL Strategic Combination When designing the lighting scheme of your backyard, it’s important to use a strategic combination of techniques for the best effect. This series of techniques is going to create a layered visual texture that enhances the appearance of your landscape at night. The more focused and intentional your lighting design is, the more time you and your loved ones will want to spend on the patio. Also, less is more. A single low-wattage light fixture can offer enough light for your purposes so we recommend starting small, and gradually adding lights one at a time until you’ve achieved the desired level of illumination. Well-Illuminated Ground Surfaces The patio and walkways need to be illuminated to make sure they’re safe places to walk on, clear of contrasting shadows that could be obscuring obstacles. Single overhead lights won’t be sufficient as they will actually create dark shadows as well as a blinding light should you happen to look up. A better option is to use low-lying walkway lights around the perimeter of the patio and along walkways. These fixtures focus their energy on the ground surface, eliminating dangerous shadows and glare, making a pleasant place to walk around and mingle. Task Lighting When you’re preparing drinks or food in an outdoor kitchen, it’s imperative that there’s decent task lighting. This lighting technique can come in the form of overhead track lights or lights that are embedded into the backsplash if there’s no opportunity to install overhead lighting. Backsplashing Once you’ve made a space safer, it’s time to play around with ambient light to set the mood. This can be done with the technique called backsplashing, which involves shining a spotlight at a blank wall or other large feature and allowing the light to bounce back on the surrounding surfaces. Backsplashing can make use of an otherwise idle surface or feature. Fire Light Take advantage of a fire feature by planning your lighting scheme around the ambient light from the flame. This fire light creates a dramatic ambience that can reflect and enhance any gathering, both relaxing and exciting. Allow the natural light from the fire to wash over that area with the dynamic reflections of dancing flames. After the fire is out, lighting embedded into the fire feature will light the way and remain unobtrusive during the day. String Lighting One of the simplest, yet most exciting lighting schemes for any outdoor living space is string lighting. This lighting technique involves placing tasteful wire lights around the patio. Not only will they create substantial ambient and direct illumination, but they help to make the space feel more magical and lively. These lights can be used on your walkways during parties to help guide guests to where the fun is happening and build on their anticipation. We recommend professional installation if string lights will be hung high in trees or from the home. Related: Brighten Up Your Driveway With These 5 Landscape Design Trends in Wheaton, IL Is Your Wheaton, IL Landscape Design Missing a Cozy Touch? A Fire Pit Could Be the Answer12/15/2021  Your backyard is meant to be enjoyed as a place for gathering and relaxing - and not just in the balmy evenings of summer. Even some of the coldest nights can be enjoyed outdoors with the assistance of a fire pit, a fire feature that can make a wonderful impact on your outdoor lifestyle. As you continue your landscape renovation, consider the question: is your Wheaton, IL landscape design missing a cozy touch? A fire pit could be the answer.
Related: Why a Fire Pit Becomes the Prime Destination of the Backyard Patio in Hinsdale, IL The Basic Structure Fire pits are masonry structures made from stone blocks, natural stone, or concrete blocks with a stone veneer. The base is arranged in either a circular formation or a square, evoking the most primitive of campfires our distant ancestors used to build. This basic structure of a fire pit has been a successful model for building fires for millions of years, and technology hasn’t needed to change very much. The main idea of the fire pit is that people will be able to gather on all sides to enjoy the warmth and light the fire has to offer. The Fuel Fire pits can use wood or natural gas or propane as the fuel. Firewood provides a much more natural, outdoors campfire kind of feeling with all the smoke, boiling sap and water that crackles and pops, and the interactive maintenance it takes to keep a fire going. However, you’re somewhat limited in its placement as a wood-fueled fire pit must be kept away from combustible surfaces. Gas-fueled fire pits can be controlled with the turn of a dial or using a smartphone app on newer models. Gas does much of the same in a fire pit, yet the cleanliness and safety are attractive features. Some homeowners might enjoy the ease of using a gas-fueled fire pit, while others might want to keep things basic and similar to camping experiences. Natural gas or propane-fueled fire pits can be placed anywhere, although the cost of running a gas line is something to consider. A Gathering Area Fire pits are natural gathering places in your backyard. Whether it’s the center of all the action or in a secluded area off to the side, your friends and family will be drawn to the flickering light and warmth. That’s why it’s only natural to plan a good seating area around your fire pit, giving it some decent patio space for people to gather. You could include some high-backed seat walls in the plan, making the fire pit area the most comfortable place in the outdoor living space. High-backed masonry seat walls also provide some shelter from chilly winds and trap heat in the small area. Creative and Elegant Masonry A fire naturally draws the eye, so a fire pit presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase some creativity and elegance in masonry. While the general design of the fire pit should mimic the surrounding landscape masonry features and the home, here you can add some extra flourish to the design and make something truly unique. Consider the outer ring or four-sided surface of the fire pit a wonderful place to put in some extra tiles or contrasting stone. Also, be sure to consider a beautiful and striking stone color for the capstone of the fire pit. Additional Lighting Fires fueled by firewood will lose their energy as the wood is burned up and there will be much less ambient light as a result. Compensate with this loss in ambience by including some soft LED lights under the capstone of the fire pit so no one gets left in the dark. Related: Warm Up Your Wheaton IL Brick Patio With a Traditional Fire Pit  Integrating outdoor lighting into your landscape is one of the key ways to make your outdoor living space and property safer and more beautiful. When a landscape isn’t given proper illumination at night, it can feel scary and unwelcoming. The best strategy of outdoor lighting is to use a mix of strategies, creating a rich visual tapestry that sets the mood and provides a feeling of security. Don’t let your landscaping hide in the dark: six outdoor lighting trends to contemplate in Hinsdale, IL.
Related: Adding a New Fire Pit in Hinsdale IL? Consider These Other Outdoor Lighting Ideas Too Hard-wired Walkway Lights The most important lighting strategy in your landscape is one that focuses on safety. Walkways, pool decks, patios, and driveways need consistent illumination on the ground surface in order to make your outdoor living space safe. Instead of using a flood light to illuminate your ground surfaces, opt for walkway lights. The energy will be focused where it’s needed, providing the best visibility of a walking surface. While some areas of the country can easily use solar-powered walkway lights to reduce electricity bills, here in the Midwest we recommend hard-wired pathway lights that will shine no matter if we’ve had weeks of cloud cover (solar lights only operate at about 50-60% capacity under heavy cloud cover). Updating to LEDs Now is a great time to update your landscape lighting to use light-emitting diode (LEDs) bulbs; or replace older fixtures with modern LED styles. Traditional light bulbs produce a substantial amount of heat, which is essentially wasted energy in a landscape and must be replaced typically once a year, producing a large amount of glass waste. LEDs are incredibly energy efficient and bulbs typically last around 10 years. Some LEDs can even be programmed to change color and be set to automatic timers accessible from apps on your smartphone. Underwater Lighting If you have a pool, you’re familiar with the ethereal blue glow and shimmering waves that wash over the landscape. You can achieve this same effect in smaller water features as well. Fountains, waterfalls, reflecting pools, and more water features will have similar effects. Your landscape will have a more dramatic feel that amplifies the most exciting parties or the most soothing evenings. And, because of the refractive properties of water, the water feature will act as a source of ambient light. Moonlighting Part of creating a dazzling visual experience in your backyard as well as increasing safety is placing lights in the background. Trees make excellent places for effective lighting. Moonlighting is a strategy that places a light high in a tree canopy and aims it downwards. As the light passes through the leaves, it will scatter and create a rich visual texture that dances in the slightest breeze. Use white light to simulate the soft glow of the moon. Embracing Fire Besides being admired in your nighttime outdoor living space, outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, and fire tables also provide a substantial amount of lighting. The ambient light that comes from a warming fire feature is a primitive experience that attracts everyone. Instead of battling your fire features with light, allow them to light their own space. You can also incorporate landscape lighting into many fire features. Choose dimmable fixtures so you can increase the brightness once the fire is out. Finishing Touches for a Layered Effect Identify any overly dark spaces that might create an unwelcoming feeling at night. Place a few (less is more) individual lights in these areas, such as under shrubs, or spotlight a tree, to give dimension to the space without destroying the charm of the night. Related: Brighten Up Your Driveway With These 5 Landscape Design Trends in Wheaton, IL  The fire pit is often the hub of outdoor gatherings, especially when the evening takes on a chill. As such, it’s a backyard focal point; but the fireside space can be made even more dramatic with a few key lighting strategies. Adding a new fire pit in Hinsdale, IL? Consider these outdoor lighting ideas too.
Related: Renovating Your Patio? Here are 6 Reasons to Include a Fire Pit in Naperville, IL Keeping the area around your fire pit safe is a top priority, especially when the fire goes out. Subtle path lights could be used to provide just enough lighting to make the space comfortable and safe; and you can also use these other lighting strategies to create a welcoming place for your family and friends. Layering To avoid a stark contrast between the light that the fire pit gives out and the darkness of the surrounding landscape, consider placing a few low-lying lights more or less randomly throughout the landscape to create subtle illumination that gives your backyard more dimension. For this purpose, you could use pathway light fixtures, or bullet lights, and place them under shrubs or within a plant bed. Be sure to use subtle lighting to create a layers effect: just enough to add interest without taking away the magic of the night time atmosphere. Spotlighting Choose one or two prominent landscape features, such as a mature tree, a sculpture, retaining wall, or even the side of the home, and illuminate it from below using a spotlight. This technique places a light fixture at the base of the structure and points it upward to dramatically highlight the textures and cast some ambient light around it as well, as the light will bounce off onto nearby objects. Washing If your fire pit area is close to the home and that part of the home features a relatively blank wall, consider a technique called washing. Similar to spotlighting, this method directs light at the vertical surface but from a greater distance and less of an angle. The resulting effect is softer and the light bouncing off the surface will do a great job at providing ambient light. Built-in Lighting Modern light-emitting diode (LED) light fixtures are small and can be integrated into any vertical structure: a retaining wall, a privacy fence, or any permanent seating around your fire pit. This reduces the visual clutter of having a lot of freestanding light fixtures around your outdoor living space. In general, you want to orient these lights downward so that the light energy is directed where it’s most needed: the ground; and to prevent a blinding effect. Moonlighting If your backyard features any large, mature trees, you could add magic to the setting with a lighting technique called moonlighting. This involves placing a bluish-white light fixture high in the tree canopy and pointing it downward. The effect is that of moonlight filtering through the tree, and some amazing dancing shadows on the ground. String Lighting Today’s string lights are a wonderful way to add a festive atmosphere to your outdoor living space. There are many styles available, and today’s string lights often come in an LED format for significantly longer bulb lifespan. This means that once they’re installed, you can forget about them for many years: so have string lights installed anywhere you like: within a pergola, between trees, or anywhere around your fire pit area that you want to create a fun atmosphere. Related: Why a Fire Pit Becomes the Prime Destination of the Backyard Patio in Hinsdale, IL  Your patio is the focus of your outdoor living area and so it should include features which keep you outside longer. One of these features is the fire pit, which has been bringing everyone together for thousands of years. Are you renovating your patio? Here are six reasons to include a fire pit in Naperville, IL.
Related: Take a Fresh Look at Your Patio Options With These 4 Landscaping Ideas in Wheaton, IL The Pride of a Gorgeous Masonry Feature Having a masonry feature standing proud in your backyard will make you feel like your landscape is more complete. Luckily, a fire pit is a permanent feature on your patio (or anywhere in your landscape) that quickly becomes an anchor point. For the most cohesive look, pair the blocks used in the construction of your fire pit with the surrounding patio as well as any masonry and color schemes present in your home and landscape. A Place to Warm Up Fire pits offer that nostalgic campfire feeling without the trouble of digging and building a pit in the wilderness. While they’re fairly rudimentary, fire pits have remained one of the most attractive places for people to get together and warm up. No matter if it’s a night in the heat of the summer after a barbecue with loved ones or a frigid night around the holidays where a small group of bundled-up close friends share mugs of hot cocoa surrounded by crunchy snow, the fire pit is where everyone will go to warm up. A Place to Cook While it might take some professional skill to cook some gourmet food around a fire pit, it’s still a great place to roast sausages or marshmallows to make some delicious s’mores. Some of the finest summer memories are made with skewers around the campfire, so it’s the natural next step to reinforce those memories in the comfort of your backyard. We recommend a wood-fired fire pit for cooking; and be sure to use fruitwoods that impart a delicious flavor to your food. A Place to Gather Even though it’s fun to stand around a fire pit and chat while enjoying the warmth and flickering light, it’s much cozier when you’ve got a comfortable place to sit. Once you’ve gotten the fire started and a few logs start to glow with embers, friends and family will start taking their seats around the pit. Since you’ve already gotten a permanent masonry feature installed on your patio, you could surround your fire pit with some high-backed seat walls which can help retain the heat in the area and shelter everyone from cold winds. High-backed seat walls can provide the opportunity for sturdy and comfortable relaxation around a fire pit and help make the fire area a prominent focal point. A Potential Return on Your Investment As fire pits are one of the most attractive features in any home landscape, it will quickly become one of the selling points should you ever choose to sell your home, especially if the fire pit is fueled by natural gas or propane. Potential buyers will appreciate the ambience that only a fire pit can add. But what about you? A fire pit could be the one feature that gets you to use your outdoor living space much later into the year - even in the heart of winter. And since you are already paying for the space, it’s nice to be able to use it comfortably! A fire pit is one of the best investments you can make in your landscape. Related: Warm Up Your Wheaton IL Brick Patio With a Traditional Fire Pit  Have you been wondering how to make your outdoor living space “the” place to spend your summer - and beyond? If so, a fire pit could be the answer. Here’s why a fire pit becomes the prime destination of the backyard patio in Hinsdale, IL - and why it’s one of the best investments you can make in outdoor living.
Related: Warm Up Your Wheaton IL Brick Patio With a Traditional Fire Pit Fire Brings Us Together Since the dawn of mankind, we have been gathering around the fire. The warmth and safety of a fire draws us in, and we linger, enjoying the mesmerizing dance of the flames as we share stories and laughter with family and friends. A round fire pit is more conducive to larger gatherings because everyone has equal access to the warmth of the fire. Installing a seat wall that partially encircles the fire pit will give plenty of people a chance to gather. A square fire pit can comfortably accommodate fewer people (in larger gatherings, the people sitting at the fire pit’s corners won’t be as close to the flames). Fire Belongs In Your Design A fire pit is a slightly more structured take on the primal campfire: using masonry or other materials such as large metal bowls, poured concrete bowls, or other materials give you unprecedented design flexibility. A fire pit can complement any architectural style and landscape aesthetic. You may prefer the classic round fire pit that brings back memories of fun times roasting marshmallows around a campfire. You may prefer the stark angular shape of a square fire pit that complements a linear landscape design. You may enjoy the gorgeous juxtaposition of a sleek concrete fire bowl with the textures of a gravel patio. You may wish to integrate a fire pit into the design scheme of your patio by using the same materials on all vertical elements including a fire pit, outdoor kitchen wall, and retaining wall. Fire Offers Cooking Alternatives Aside from your outdoor kitchen - which typically houses a grill and sometimes a wood-fired pizza oven - you can expand your cooking experience over a wood-burning fire pit. With the addition of a grate or some skewers, your fire pit can double as another grill - a bonus if you’re hosting a large party! Be sure to use fruit wood to give your food the best taste; and avoid cooking on natural gas- or propane-fueled fire pits, because dropped food can bake onto the decorative lava rock or fire glass, and be extremely difficult to remove. Fire Maximizes Your Use of the Space Have you ever thought about how little an outdoor space gets used after the warm days of summer have passed? In fall and winter, we rarely venture outside to sit and enjoy the fresh air - which is a shame, since we are still paying for the space. A fire pit eliminates virtually every excuse not to go outside. Its warmth will keep the patio cozy even on the most frigid days. The warming effect is more pronounced if you’re burning wood, but you will also be exposed to the elements since a wood-burning fire pit cannot be installed within a pergola or pavilion. However, a natural gas- or propane-fueled fire pit can safely be installed within an outdoor shelter. And with that solution, there are no excuses at all not to go outside, which means you actually get to enjoy the space you pay for year-round instead of just in the summer. Related: Take a Fresh Look at Your Patio Options With These 4 Landscaping Ideas in Wheaton, IL |
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