Choose wood if you want the crackle, the smell and a bigger, hotter fire, and you don’t mind hauling wood and clearing ash. Choose gas if you want a fire at the turn of a key, no smoke in your guests’ clothes and nothing to clean up. Gas needs a fuel line or tank planned in the design; wood needs more clearance from the house and trees.
How they feel
A wood fire throws more heat and changes as it burns; it’s the campfire experience. A gas fire is steady and adjustable, lights instantly and goes out when you turn it off, which makes it easy to use for half an hour on a weeknight.
Smoke and neighbors
Wood smoke drifts with the wind. On tighter lots in Ballantyne or South Charlotte, that can mean smoke in the neighbor’s yard or your own windows. Gas produces no smoke. Some neighborhoods and HOAs have rules about open burning, so check yours before you choose.
Placement and clearances
Any fire feature needs distance from the house, overhanging branches and anything overhead, such as a pergola. Wood fires need more room than gas because of sparks and heat. On a design project, the 2D plan sets the clearances and the 3D rendering shows the fire pit with the seating around it before anything is built.
Fuel and planning
A gas fire pit runs on natural gas from the house or on a propane tank. A natural gas line is trenched to the fire pit, so it’s planned with the patio rather than added later. A wood fire pit needs a liner and a place to keep firewood dry.
Wood and gas side by side
| Wood-burning | Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting | Lay and light wood | Switch or key |
| Feel | Crackle, smell, more heat | Steady, adjustable flame |
| Smoke | Yes | No |
| Cleanup | Ash to clear | None |
| Planning | Bigger clearances | Gas line or tank in the design |
Fire pit, fire table or fireplace
A round fire pit with a seat wall keeps a group facing each other. A low fire table works on a dining or lounge terrace. A tall masonry fireplace can close in a seating area or screen a view. RK builds all three, from block, natural stone kits or as custom builds.
Questions homeowners ask
Can a fire pit go on an existing patio?
Often, depending on the patio and the clearances. We check at the site visit.
Do you build seat walls around fire pits?
Yes. It’s one of our most common pairings, usually in the same block as the patio walls.
