With our climate here in Phoenix, we all like to spend time outdoors. Cooking out, hosting parties or just relaxing are a great way to enjoy our mild Arizona evenings.

When designing a complete landscape, many homeowners choose to include a firepit or outdoor fireplace in Phoenix in their backyard. Either of these can be a perfect complement to your landscape design while providing an all-season space for fun, entertaining and relaxing—especially during cooler seasons.

Which should you choose? What’s the difference? How do you decide? Here we explore some of the key differences, features and benefits of firepits and outdoor fireplaces in Phoenix, so you can design a backyard landscape that’s perfect for you and your lifestyle.

A firepit is a freestanding masonry structure your family and guests can gather around on all sides. Usually built on the interior of an entertainment space, they’re great for family gatherings and parties, where people can sit or stand facing each other across the fire.

When deciding on a firepit you have several options to choose from:

You might choose a firepit if you like to host larger parties, offering more sitting or standing room and providing a centerpiece for guests to gather around. They can be well suited to smaller backyards and visually take up less space than a fireplace.

A fireplace is a larger masonry structure, often built with additional features or integrated with another element of your landscape design. Typically enjoyed from one side, a fireplace can be built as a standalone structure with columns and seat walls, or built into your ramada or pergola.

In either case, a fireplace provides a visual focal point on the perimeter of your landscape, offering an intimate place for one to four people to enjoy morning coffee or an evening glass of wine.

Options for your custom fireplace are only limited to your imagination:

Like firepits, you’ll also choose from wood-burning or gas and the top surface and side finishes.

Fireplaces add an element of class. They serve as a beautiful focal point in your landscape, adding an impressive statement to any backyard space.

Whether you choose to add an outdoor fireplace or a firepit as part of your landscape design in Phoenix, it’s gonna be hot! When you hire Straight Line Landscape, we’ll design and build a fire structure and landscape that’s perfect for you, your family and your lifestyle. Just don’t get your toes too close to the fire 😉