With home prices rising, it has some people wondering whether it’s time to add a home remodel project to their to-do list. A good home improvement project can increase your property’s resale value while making it more appealing to potential buyers. One of the biggest trends in home remodeling in recent years has been to create outdoor living areas that allow people to extend their living space into the outdoors and also create an oasis of pleasure for those that choose to do a staycation to save money. Outdoor living areas can range from outdoor barbecues and kitchen areas, but for ease of construction and the power to impress, a fire pit is one backyard accessory that is both functional and romantic.
Top 5 Ways a Fire Pit Can Improve Your Outdoor Living Space
Fire pits have star power unlike other backyard projects, like simply adding a barbeque grill. An outdoor oven can cook,but it won’t offer all the features of a well-designed fire pit. They can offer the following ways to improve your outdoor living space by creating:
1. An Instant Social Gathering Spot – An outdoor fire pit is the perfect place for people to gather around and socialize. It becomes like an outdoor room set up just for such activity. Plan a party or gathering and light up the fire pit to get people talking and socializing early.
2. A Place to Cook – If you want to cook on your fire pit, you can. It isn’t an oven, however, and will do well with Dutch ovens and other accessories. Or, if you just want to have the luxury of being at home while pretending to camp outside, you can cook marshmallows over it for a fun treat. Since you’re out in the open, it’s a lot cooler to cook outside at night on hot, summer, days than it is to cook indoors, where you’ll only trap the heat.
3. A Ready Heat Source – Fire pits near a pool are an ideal way to dry off after a swim. Outdoor living space company Teton Stone also added, “if you don’t have a pool, it still keeps the chill night air at bay within range. You will have a hard time doing that with most other backyard accessories.” It’s also available to use year-round on those fall nights when you want to extend the use of your backyard beyond the summer season.
4. Large, Romantic, Lighting at Night – There’s a reason people like an open fire. It provides illumination in the dark, but in a way that isn’t harsh, like artificial lighting. Fire is a natural element that is being used as part of the landscaping of an outdoor area, but always looks better and is safer when it is contained in a large pit.
5. Sparks Drama and Ambiance – There are so many designs out there, and not all have to look like Stonehenge. Modern fire pits might use blue fire crystals to give the fire a cool base. In this way, a fire pit is a way to decorate your backyard to give it some drama and ambiance.
Fire pit projects can be as elaborate or as simple as you want to make them. They can fit any budget and can be made with a variety of new and old materials. No matter what look you want to have in the backyard, there is a fire pit design that will help you complement your chosen design theme. They’re a highly functional backyard accessory that can bring a family together and extend your indoor living area, by making the outdoor areas more comfortable year-round.
References:
Huffington Post (2014) 9 Ideas That’ll Convince You to Add a Fire PIt to Your Backyard. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hometalk/9-ideas-thatll-convince-y_b_5516519.html
Bankrate (2006) Home Improvement Guide. Retrieved from: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/homeimprovementguide/outdoor/projects1.asp
