Although we’ve seen many, many beautiful outdoor fireplaces made from our Stone Age kits, when people come looking for inspiration on our site, they often ask us how to recreate this particular one. This earns it the title of our “most popular finished outdoor fireplace.”
Made from a Stone Age kit by a contractor in Massachusetts, the kit was supplied by our dealer Landscape Depot in Milford, MA. Back in 2018, the mason who built this fireplace (and did an amazing job!) used a Contractor Kit to create it. These days, we’d recommend using a New Age Kit to create this fireplace configuration. See below to find out exactly how to build this type of fireplace!
Here’s the “recipe” we’ve come up to build the base of a majestic fireplace that looks like this:
1 – New Age 42″ Fireplace base kit — SA-NA-42
1 – New Age 42″ Arched Lintel — SA-NA-ARCH42
4 – New Age Chimney Extensions — SA-2226-8
2 – New Age Clay Flue Inserts — SA-FL1317
2 – New Age Wood Storage Boxes with Arched Openings — SA-WCA-NA
To assemble this kit you would also need:
7 – Buckets of High-Temp Mortar for Assembly (6 for the fireplace and 1 extra for the added flues)
120 – Full Firebricks
For veneer:
It will vary, and we do not sell veneer, but it comes down to roughly 158 sf of flats, 43 LF of corners.
(Breaking this down: the unit requires 105 square feet of flats, 32 LF of corners; chimney extensions add 29 SF of flats, 11 LF of corners; wood boxes 9 SF back, 3 SF front x 2 = 24 SF. Corners already accounted for with fireplace, so you just need veneer for the front and back.)
This unit appears to be a New England Blend in an Ashlar pattern, but of course, there are many options to how you can veneer outdoor fireplaces depending on what your customer has in mind.
Download the “recipe” for this outdoor fireplace here.
From there, the magic all comes from the mason who will build the outdoor fireplace. Contractors who work with our Stone Age kits love them because they speed up installations and take “getting a proper draft” off of their plate, but the kits are routinely modified to suit the wishes of individual customers. Decisions about overall height, chimney caps, and hearths can affect the final look of the fireplace. (Unfortunately we don’t know the name of the contractor who built this fireplace, but they did a truly phenomenal job.)
What are the factors that make this outdoor fireplace so pleasing?
Symmetry: Symmetry is synonymous with beauty and in this fireplace, the symmetrical alignment of of the wood storage boxes and arches pleases the eye.
Proportions: The proportions of the storage boxes to the mantle, hearth and chimney are really lovely, approaching Da Vinci’s “golden ratio” ideals.
Scale: The overall scale of this fireplace is a perfect balance between grand stature and conversational comfort.
Solidity: To give a satisfying solidity to the fireplace structure, the sidewalls of the firebox were built out — adding to those nice proportions. Each Stone Age Kit Base is made of reinforced, heat-tolerant concrete, but the structure of this fireplace in its finished state just looks solid.
Aesthetics: The matching stone in the hearth, storage box tops, chimney cap and benches feels elegant and understated, blending nicely with the veneer stone and patio surface.
Details: Lights have been added to highlight the beauty of the fireplace as a feature in the backyard, day or night, or whether a fire is lit or not. Lastly, the keystone made from coordinating stone sitting above the firebox arch is a graceful detail that acts as a beautiful pendant necklace, drawing the eye without screaming for attention.
Variations using this New Age Outdoor Fireplace Base Kit:
Although we’ve used this outdoor fireplace as an example, it just goes to show how versatile the kits are. Even with the “recipe” we’ve given here, different contractors can build vastly different fireplaces for their customers.
Here are a few other fireplaces built with the New Age kit:
Contact us at 203-270-2900 or fill out the form below to find out more about New Age fireplaces. Ready to buy? Find a dealer near you to buy a kit!
