Fire Pits
Starting at $2,450
The reason people stay outside longer
Adding a fire pit to your outdoor living area extends the enjoyment of your backyard for you and your guests. They provide warmth, light, a cooking source, and ambiance, making them a natural gathering spot for socializing, entertaining, and relaxation.
A fire pit can also serve as an important focal point in your outdoor landscape design. There are many options when it comes to size, shape, and style. Choose from pavers, stone veneer, natural stone, and more. Fire pits can be round, square, L-shaped, triangular, or an entirely custom shape.
Popular Add-Ons
Investment
Most clients invest $4,000–$8,000
- Size and shape
- Material selection
- Gas vs. wood burning
- Fire glass or lava rock
- Seating wall addition
- Gas line plumbing
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Real fire pits we've built across Kansas City
Gas and wood burning fire pits in every style. Each one custom designed for the homeowner's space.
Gas or wood burning.
Almost every fire pit conversation starts here. It is worth settling before anything else, because it changes what gets built and what it costs.
Gas
A gas fire pit lights with a switch or a key and shuts off the same way. There is no smoke, no ash, and no wood to buy or store. A gas fire pit gets used with ease any night of the week, while a wood burning fire pit is typically saved for special occasions or the weekends. The trade is cost. For a gas fire pit, a gas line must be run out to wherever the pit will sit, and that work is a real part of the budget. Gas fire pits also burn over fire glass or lava rock instead of logs.
Wood burning
A wood burning fire pit costs less to build, because there is no gas line to run. You get a real wood fire, with the crackle and the woodsmoke smell, and it throws enough heat to keep people outside into late October in Kansas City. You can also add a cooking grate over a wood burning pit. In exchange, you buy and store the firewood, clean out the ash, and deal with the smoke depending on which way the wind is blowing.
If you are not sure which fuel you want, think about how often you would actually light the fire pit. We went through the whole comparison, including what each costs to run, in gas vs wood burning fire pits.
What a fire pit costs.
Our fire pits start at $2,450, and most projects fall between $4,000 and $8,000. The range is wide because a fire pit is rarely built on its own.
Size and shape affect the price the most. We build round, square, L-shaped and custom shapes in pavers, stone veneer or natural stone. After that it is the fuel, since gas adds the line and the burner, and then the finish details, such as fire glass or lava rock, a cap that matches the patio, and lighting built into the surround.
The other thing that moves it is seating. A fire pit with a seating wall wrapped around part of it is a different project than a pit dropped onto an existing patio, and it is usually the version people actually picture. For a ballpark on your own project, use our project calculator.
The other fire question.
The second thing people ask is whether they want a fire pit at all, or an outdoor fireplace. Homeowners often weigh the two against each other as if they were the same decision, but a fire pit and an outdoor fireplace do completely different jobs.
People sit all the way around a fire pit, so everyone can see everyone and nobody has a bad seat. A fire pit works in the middle of a patio, at the edge of a lawn, or sunk a few steps down into its own area. It also puts out far more usable heat, because the fire is open on every side and everyone sitting around it feels it.
An outdoor fireplace anchors one wall of the patio and points everyone the same direction, which makes the space feel more like an outdoor room. A fireplace is comfortable if you are sitting directly in front of it, but there is only so much room in front of one, so it warms far fewer people at a time.
For most backyards, a fire pit is the more practical choice. It heats more people, it seats more people, and it costs less: our fire pits start at $2,450 and our outdoor fireplaces start at $13,950. An outdoor fireplace makes more sense when what you want is the structure itself and the wall it builds into the patio.
Both are worth building, and they are not substitutes for each other. If you are still deciding, we wrote about this in detail: fire pit vs fireplace, which is better for your space. Or see what we build on the outdoor fireplace page.
Fire pits we've built around Kansas City.
Gas and wood burning, sunken and raised, some wrapped in a seating wall and some standing on their own. Here are a few recent builds from around the metro.
We build fire pits throughout the Kansas City metro and Johnson County, including Overland Park, Lenexa, Olathe, Leawood, Shawnee, Prairie Village, Lee's Summit, and Parkville. See every area we serve.
What homeowners ask us about fire pits.
Gas or wood burning, which should I get?It depends on how you plan to use it. A gas fire pit lights with a switch or a key, makes no smoke and leaves no ash, so it tends to get used more often. A wood burning fire pit gives you the crackle, the woodsmoke smell and more heat, but you have to store the firewood and clean out the ash. A gas fire pit costs more up front, because a gas line must be run out to it.
How much does a fire pit cost in Kansas City?Our fire pits start at $2,450, and most projects fall between $4,000 and $8,000. Size and shape affect the price the most, followed by the material, whether it is gas or wood burning, and add-ons such as fire glass, lighting, or a seating wall around it. You can run your own numbers through our project calculator.
Should I build a fire pit or an outdoor fireplace?A fire pit is something people sit around in a circle, and our fire pits start at $2,450. An outdoor fireplace anchors one wall and makes the patio feel more like an outdoor room, and our fireplaces start at $13,950. For most homeowners the fire pit is the more practical of the two. It heats far more people, because everyone sits around it rather than in front of it, and it seats more people for the money. An outdoor fireplace is the better choice when you want the structure itself as the focal point of the patio. We wrote this up in detail in fire pit vs fireplace, and you can see what we build on our outdoor fireplace page.
How big should a fire pit be?Around 48 inches across is the size we build most often. At that size everyone sitting around it still feels the heat, and two people across from each other can talk without raising their voices.
Can I cook over it?Over a wood burning fire pit, yes, with a cooking grate. A gas fire pit that burns over fire glass or lava rock is built for warmth and looks, not for cooking. If cooking outside is the main goal, a grill station or an outdoor kitchen is a better fit, and we build those as well.
Do I need a permit for a fire pit?Usually not for a standard backyard fire pit. Cities in the metro set their own rules on open flame and on how close a fire feature can sit to a building or a property line, and many HOAs have rules of their own. We check the requirements for your address during the design process, and permitting is a service we provide when one is required.
Can you add a fire pit to a patio I already have?Often, yes. It depends on what is underneath the existing patio and whether a gas line can be reached. If the base is not solid enough to hold it, we will tell you at the design meeting rather than build on top of a patio that is already settling.
Paver patio cost in Kansas City
Real ranges by size, what drives the price, and the things cheap quotes leave out.
Read the guide →Hardscape contractors in Kansas City
How to evaluate quotes, spot red flags, and pick the right contractor.
Read the guide →Areas we service
Every city in the KC metro we build in, with in-depth guides for the suburbs that matter most.
See the map →Let's design your fire pit.
A 45-minute consultation is all it takes to see what's possible. No pressure, no hard sell, just experienced designers and a clear next step.