Outdoor Living — Fireplaces, Fire Pits, Seat Walls & More
Build a backyard you actually use. Outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, integrated seat walls, pergolas, lighting, and outdoor kitchens.
The Difference Between a Patio and an Outdoor Living Space
A patio is a surface. An outdoor living space is a destination. The difference comes down to features that anchor the space and make it somewhere you actually want to spend evenings — not just an empty slab of pavers waiting for chairs to get dragged onto it.
Most of our outdoor living work centers on three feature categories: fire features (fireplaces, fire pits, or both), built-in seating (seat walls, columns, and integrated benches), and overhead structures (pergolas, pavilions, lighting installations). Combine two or three of these and a patio transforms into a backyard living room.
The other half of the equation is design integration. An outdoor fireplace dropped randomly onto a patio doesn’t feel right. The same fireplace positioned to anchor one end of the space, with seat walls flanking it, with the patio shape and paver pattern oriented around the fireplace as the focal point — that’s a designed outdoor living space.
What We Build for Outdoor Living
Outdoor Fireplaces
Full-height masonry outdoor fireplaces with chimney, hearth, and integrated seat walls. Wood-burning or gas. Anchor the patio with a permanent focal point and provide actual heat for extending the outdoor season into spring and fall.
Fire Pits
Round, square, or custom-shaped fire pits in segmental block, natural stone, or steel insert designs. Wood-burning or gas. Integrate with surrounding seat walls for continuous social seating.
Seat Walls & Patio Columns
Low walls (18-24 inches) that double as built-in seating, define the patio edge, and create visual structure. Columns at corners or wall ends add architectural weight and can incorporate lighting.
Integrated Features
Built-in firewood storage, planter walls, water features, and accent lighting integrated into the hardscape. The kind of details that turn a generic patio into a custom outdoor space.
Material Selection for Fire Features
Fire features need different material considerations than non-fire hardscape. The inside surface of a fire pit or fireplace firebox needs to handle direct flame contact and rapid temperature cycling. The outside finish needs to match or complement the surrounding patio and seat walls aesthetically.
For fireboxes, we use firebrick lining backed by either segmental block or natural stone exterior. The firebrick handles thousands of heat cycles without degradation. For exterior finishes, Belgard offers fire-rated products in their outdoor living lines, and we work with regional natural stone suppliers for limestone, sandstone, and granite options.
Gas fire features require either a propane tank installation (typically buried with a remote-fill connection) or a natural gas line extension from the home’s existing service. We coordinate with licensed gas plumbers for the connection work and handle the masonry, base preparation, and surrounding hardscape.
Outdoor Living FAQs
Wood-burning or gas fire pit — which is better?
Depends on use pattern. Wood-burning fire pits give the authentic experience — crackling, smoke, ambient warmth — but require firewood storage, ash cleanup, and burn-ban compliance. Gas fire pits (propane or natural gas) are instant-on, no cleanup, no smoke, and can run during burn bans. Most homeowners we work with default to wood-burning for the experience, but gas is the better choice if you’ll only actually use the pit when it’s effortless to start.
Do outdoor fireplaces need a permit?
In most St. Charles and St. Louis County jurisdictions, permanent outdoor fireplaces require a building permit and sometimes a fire department review. Permits are required for the chimney height, clearance to combustibles, and gas line connections if applicable. We handle permit applications as part of fireplace projects. Setback requirements vary by jurisdiction — we check before the property walk.
How much does an outdoor kitchen cost?
Outdoor kitchen scope varies enormously, from a $4,000 grill island with stone veneer to $50,000+ full kitchens with refrigeration, sinks, multiple cooking stations, and overhead structures. Most homeowners in our market land in the $8,000-$20,000 range for a working outdoor kitchen with grill, prep counter space, storage, and an integrated bar. We typically partner with appliance specialists for the kitchen equipment and handle the surrounding hardscape and structures ourselves.
What's a seat wall and when should I add one?
A seat wall is a 18-24 inch tall low wall around the perimeter of a patio that doubles as built-in seating. It adds permanent seating without crowding the patio with chairs, defines the space visually, and often integrates with planters or lighting. Seat walls work especially well around fire features — you get continuous seating facing the fire from multiple directions. We typically build seat walls using the same block or natural stone as adjacent walls or fire features for visual consistency.
Design Your Outdoor Living Space
Free property walk and written estimate. We'll talk through fire feature options, seating layouts, and lighting integration.