Outdoor living
Firepits & fire features for North Georgia backyards
The place everyone gathers after the sun goes down. Wood-burning or gas, built into a paver seating area and set with the clearances that keep it safe, designed as part of your whole outdoor space, not dropped in as an afterthought.
Quick answer
A firepit or fire feature in North Georgia is a wood-burning or gas fire built into a proper paver seating area, not a metal bowl dropped on the grass. We design the pit and the patio it sits on together, site it with safe clearances from the house, eaves and overhanging trees, and match the stone to the rest of your outdoor living space. Wood gives you the crackle; gas lights instantly and shuts off with a switch. Because we install the patio the pit sits on, it stays level and safe for years.
Gas or wood-burning, which firepit is right for you?
A firepit is the simplest way to make a backyard usable at night, and in North Georgia's long cool shoulder seasons it earns its keep from September clear through spring. Wood-burning pits and rings give you the crackle, the smell and the bigger flame; gas features light instantly, burn clean, and turn off with a switch, no ash, no smoke drifting toward the neighbors. Many of our clients choose gas for a built-in feature by the patio and keep a separate wood ring further out in the yard.
Whichever you pick, the feature that gets used is the one with somewhere comfortable to sit. That's why we design the firepit and its seating together, a paver terrace, low seat walls and the right spacing so a group can actually gather around the flame instead of shouting across it.
What's included
More than a ring of stone.
Wood-burning pits & rings
Stone or paver-block fire pits and simple rings, sized and sited for a real fire and easy tending.
Gas fire features
Clean-burning gas pits and bowls with instant on/off, coordinated with a licensed gas hookup.
Paver seating areas
A properly based paver terrace and low seat walls that turn the pit into a genuine gathering space.
Safe placement & clearances
Set back from the house, eaves, fences and overhanging trees, with clearance to walk and sit safely.
Seat walls & surrounds
Natural-stone or block seat walls that add built-in seating and frame the fire feature.
Planting & screening
Heat-tolerant, non-flammable plantings that soften the space and screen it from neighbors.
The horticultural difference
A fire feature that fits the land, not just the patio.
Fire and trees don't mix casually. We site a pit with the mature canopy in mind, clear of low limbs and resinous evergreens like the pines and cedars common across Cherokee County, and we know which nearby plantings can take radiant heat and which will scorch by August. Embers and dry mulch are a real risk in a hot North Georgia summer, so we detail the surround to keep flammable material back.
Because we design the whole landscape, the fire feature lands where it belongs, reading the slope, the prevailing breeze that carries smoke, and the sightlines from the house, instead of wherever there happened to be flat ground.
Explore outdoor living
How it comes together
From cold corner to gathering spot.
Consult & site
We walk the yard, talk gas vs. wood, and find the safest, most usable spot.
Design & quote
A layout for the pit, seating and clearances, with a clear written quote.
Build
Compacted base, paver terrace, the fire feature and any gas line, built clean.
Enjoy
We hand it over ready to light, with simple guidance on safe use.
Built for North Georgia
Fire, clay and canopy.
A fire feature has to hold up to red-clay ground that heaves when it's wet, summers that dry out mulch and grass, and the mature trees that make our lots beautiful and a little combustible. We build with those realities in mind so the feature stays safe and level for years.
- A compacted, well-drained base so pavers don't shift on clay
- Generous setbacks from the house, decks and overhanging limbs
- Non-combustible surrounds and mindful placement of mulch and beds
- Siting that respects the breeze so smoke doesn't fill the patio
Fire ring, built-in pit or seat-wall feature?
"Firepit" covers a range of features, and the right one depends on how you gather, how permanent you want it, and whether you're burning wood or gas. Here's how the main options compare:
- Simple fire ring, an open, in-ground or low-wall wood ring set on gravel or stone, further out in the yard. The most casual and economical option; big flame, easy to tend, no gas plumbing. Best paired with movable chairs.
- Built-in paver or stone pit, a permanent round or square pit anchored on a paver terrace, wood or gas. The classic centerpiece: substantial, matched to your hardscape, and sized so a group can pull chairs right up.
- Seat-wall fire feature, a pit wrapped by a curved, sit-height stone or block seat wall. Adds built-in seating for a crowd, defines the room, and reads as the most designed, high-end option. Ideal when you entertain and want fixed seating.
- Gas fire bowl or table, a clean-lined bowl or low table with an instant-on gas flame near the patio and house. No smoke, no ash, no drift toward the neighbors, the low-maintenance choice for a spot close to the door. Gas hookup handled by a licensed pro.
Many North Georgia homeowners combine two, a built-in gas feature by the seating area for easy weeknight use and a wood ring further out for the full crackle. We help you choose as part of your outdoor living plan.
How far should a firepit be from the house?
As a rule of thumb, a firepit should sit well clear of anything that can burn, commonly at least 10 to 15 feet from the house, deck, fences and overhanging limbs, and out from under low tree canopy entirely. Exact distances depend on the feature, the fuel and your local code, and many North Georgia jurisdictions and HOAs have their own rules on open burning and gas connections. We site every pit conservatively and flag anything that needs a permit or a licensed gas hookup before we build. What we watch on a wooded, sloped lot:
- Overhead canopy, clear of low limbs and resinous pines and cedars common across Cherokee and Pickens County, where embers and needle litter are a real summer risk.
- Setbacks from structures, generous distance from the house, decks, eaves and fences, with room to walk and sit all the way around.
- Non-combustible surround, stone or paver hearth around the pit, with mulch, pine straw and dry beds kept back from the flame.
- Prevailing breeze, oriented so smoke drifts away from the seating and the house, not into it.
- Level, drained base, a compacted base so the terrace and pit stay stable on clay that heaves when wet.
Selected work
Gathered around the fire.
Firepit FAQ
Questions homeowners ask.
Gas or wood-burning, which should I choose?
Gas lights instantly, burns clean and shuts off with a switch, ideal near the patio and the house. Wood gives you the crackle and a bigger flame but means smoke, ash and tending. Many homeowners do a built-in gas feature by the seating area and a wood ring further out in the yard.
How far does a firepit need to be from the house?
We keep pits well clear of the house, decks, fences and overhanging limbs, with room to walk and sit around the flame. Exact clearances depend on the feature and local code, and any gas connection is handled by a licensed pro. We site every pit conservatively for safety.
Can you build the seating area at the same time?
Yes, that's how we prefer to work. A firepit only gets used if there's somewhere comfortable to sit, so we design the paver terrace, seat walls and the pit together as one gathering space rather than adding chairs to bare ground later. We install the patio the pit sits on, so the base under the whole feature is built to the same standard.
Do I need a permit for a firepit in North Georgia?
Often a simple wood firepit doesn't, but many counties and HOAs across Cherokee, North Fulton and Forsyth have open-burning rules, and any gas line needs a licensed connection and usually a permit. We check the local requirements for your address and handle the safe placement, so you're not guessing about setbacks or ordinances.
Is it safe to have a firepit under trees on a wooded lot?
Not directly under low canopy. Our lots are beautiful and a little combustible, pines, cedars and pine-straw litter dry out in a North Georgia summer. We site pits clear of overhanging limbs and resinous evergreens, keep mulch and dry beds back, and build a non-combustible stone or paver surround so embers land on hardscape, not fuel. Extend the evening safely by pairing the feature with outdoor lighting so no one trips in the dark.
Which areas do you build fire features in?
We build across North Georgia and Metro Atlanta, including Canton, Woodstock, Roswell, Alpharetta and more. See our full service area.