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Go with Gas for Your Outdoor Fireplace

If you are planning to enhance your backyard with an outdoor fireplace, we at IBD Outdoor Rooms would like to tell you why we recommend installing a gas-fueled fireplace. Although a wood-burning fireplace is less expensive to install, the disadvantages to having one outside can outweigh the initial cost. Wood-burning fireplaces involve a lot of cleaning chores, including removing ashes from the firebox, sweeping up the residue of ashes and embers outside the fireplace, and professional sweeping of the chimney to remove hazardous and combustible creosote deposits. With a gas fireplace, you will not have to spend so much time cleaning. And, if you already have a gas line connected to your home, the installation of a gas fireplace will not be so expensive. Here is why we feel a gas-fueled appliance is the best choice for your outdoor fireplace.

Outdoor Gas Fireplace - Concord NC - IBDODR.com

The Convenience of a Gas-Fueled Outdoor Fireplace

As mentioned above, one of the major benefits of a gas fireplace over a wood-burning one is not having a list of cleaning chores before, during, and after a fire. You will not have to waste energy by hauling firewood to the fire to get your flame going because all you will have to do with a gas fireplace is push a button or flip a lever to ignite a fire. With a wood-burning outdoor fireplace, you can spend a lot of time building and trying to light a fire. If you install a gas outdoor fireplace, you will not have to worry about losing time in front of the fire because it is so easy to start, even on a windy day.

The Environmentally-Friendly Nature of a Gas Outdoor Fireplace

In some cities, you cannot even burn a wood fire outdoors because of its pollution-filled smoke. With a gas-fueled fireplace, you will have a clean burning fire with few emissions. Additionally, since a gas fire produces very little smoke, you and your family and friends will not have to deal with breathing in a lot of smoke. If you have ever sat around a wood-burning fire outside, you know how much smoke it produces and how a lot of that smoke can end up blowing towards you. You do not have to worry about your clothes smelling like a campfire when you sit around a gas-fueled outdoor fireplace.

The Easy Maintenance of a Gas Outdoor Fireplace

Since no wood is involved, you will not have to be concerned with large deposits of creosote forming and sticking to the walls of your inner chimney. A highly flammable compound, creosote develops naturally as part of the wood-burning process. With a gas outdoor fireplace, you will not have to worry about scheduling multiple professional chimney cleanings to remove creosote. However, IBD Outdoor Rooms does recommend you have your gas fireplace system inspected and serviced once a year.

The Options of a Gas Outdoor Fireplace

If you do not have a natural gas connection at your home, you do have another option. Propane gas fireplaces are ideal for the outdoors, and according to HGTV, a propane fireplace is more efficient and can be moved to different locations. IBD Outdoor Rooms help you decide if a natural gas or propane fireplace is a better choice for you.

Have questions about installing a gas outdoor fireplace? Contact IBD Outdoor Rooms to find out more about the ease and convenience of a gas-fueled fireplace.

By Sheryl Isenhour | Tagged with: Tags: , | Comments Off on Go with Gas for Your Outdoor Fireplace

Thinking of a Garden Fireplace

If you dream of having an outdoor fireplace but don't have enough space, opt for a garden fireplace instead.

If you dream of having an outdoor fireplace but don’t have enough space, opt for a garden fireplace instead.

Outdoor fireplaces can be grand, elaborate focal points of patios, decks, and outdoor rooms; however, if you do not have the space for a large fireplace in your backyard, you may want to consider a garden fireplace. Smaller designs to fit in small spaces, garden fireplaces can still provide a relaxing entertainment and meditation area for your family and friends without taking up a lot of room. At IBD Outdoor Rooms, we carry gas, biofuel, and gel fuel units in a variety of shapes and sizes. Our garden fireplace kits come in unfinished and finished, including a granitech finish. As with all outdoor fireplaces and landscaping projects, several things must be considered in the design process according to the Landscaping Network website, and we would like to share what you need to think about when planning for a garden fireplace.

● local codes

For safety reasons, you must contact your city planning office to find out the zoning regulations for an outdoor fireplace. These regulations include how far away your garden fireplace must be from any existing structures and how tall the chimney should be in relation to those structures. Building permits, fire codes, and residential ordinances may also apply. You do not want to face any expensive fines, so it is essential to know the laws concerning outdoor fireplaces in your community.

● privacy

As your garden fireplace is meant to be a personal retreat for you, your family, and your friends, privacy should be considered when you are deciding where to build your garden fireplace. One idea is to place your fireplace with its back facing your neighbor’s yard to act as a privacy screen if you do not have a privacy fence. You may want to think about even building a stone wall or enclosure to ensure a secluded area for your garden fireplace.

● wind direction

Another thing to consider when planning where to build your garden fireplace, the wind direction can have a huge effect on how well your fireplace will work. Placing your garden fireplace where it will act as a wind break creates a calm and comfortable space to relax and fully enjoy your outdoor flame.

● fuel type

IBD Outdoor Rooms offers three different fuel options for a garden fireplace: gas, biofuel (ethanol), and gel fuel. Familiarize yourself with the benefits and disadvantages of each kind of fuel to select which type is the best for your garden fireplace.

● seating

Patio furniture can be a great choice for seating around your garden fireplace because it can be moved around so people can sit as close or as far away from the flame as they want. When selecting patio seating, consider comfort and safety. A conversation set with deep-seated chairs and a love seat or small sofa is a popular choice; just be sure the seating is comfortable and not made of metal. Metal patio furniture can be very dangerous as it conducts heat and may burn you, your family, or your guests. Another seating option is to build in seating or seat walls. Made from concrete, stone, or brick, these seats can be either bench style or have backs. You may want to add pillows or custom cushioning to make your built-in seating more comfortable.

If you are considering a garden fireplace, contact IBD Outdoor Rooms today to talk with our experienced staff about planning your new backyard oasis.

By Sheryl Isenhour | Tagged with: Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Thinking of a Garden Fireplace

You Need Your Chase

All About Chases

Whether we’re talking about an indoor or outdoor fireplace, certain components are built into the design that are specifically there to help protect that beautiful fireplace from the damaging effects of rain, snow, sleet and any other forms of moisture that come its way.

Unsure what your chase cover does? Interested to know more about decorative options? Contact us today.

Unsure what your chase cover does? Interested to know more about decorative options? Contact us today.

One component that sits at the top of your chimney — the chase — ends up being more or less the first line of defense against that damage. It forms a barrier that diverts water away and protects the stone, brick or other masonry materials in the process. Chases — particularly the ones we carry at IBD Outdoor Rooms — aren’t simply utilitarian though. They can add a lot of visual interest, either bringing in a pop of color with copper or bringing in a dynamic shape that complements or enhances the design of your home.

Different Materials, Different Benefits

If you had a fireplace installed with a chase that’s begun to fail, with rust streaking down its sides and pits and corrosion holes peeking through, odds are that was a galvanized chase. Galvanized metal is a really cost-conscious choice, and that’s why galvanized chase covers and chimney caps are often chosen and installed by builders. But depending on factors like weather and location, galvanized metal can wear down sometimes in just a handful of years.

At IBD Outdoor Rooms, we can show you a variety of chases in copper or stainless steel, which we find to be the most aesthetically pleasing and functionally dependable materials you’ll find.

Stainless steel is also a good value and has a beautiful clean look. As an outdoor material, it’s also highly durable, so you can expect a much longer, much less trouble-marked service life than you would with galvanized metal. We also offer powder-coated stainless steel chases for clients who want a different look — maybe a bold color, or dynamic black — with the durability of stainless steel.

Copper chases bring remarkable beauty to a home or outdoor space. And through the years, while remaining strong and durable, copper develops that gorgeous telltale colorful patina — it truly only gets better with time.

Simple Or More Dynamic Shapes

IBD Outdoor Rooms can help guide you toward the perfect chase, whether you’re looking for something visually simple or something that really draws the eye. We carry classic chase covers with and without a hole (the latter would be for vent-free units), but we also offer chases with shroud extensions that bring a bold design pop, from a Gothic look to Roman and Grecian designs. Talk to us about the design you’re envisioning, and we’ll help you find the perfect new chase!

If you’re looking to have a chase replaced or installed — or just have some questions about their function or possibilities when it comes to aesthetics — we’re always glad to help. Just give IBD Outdoor Rooms a call!

By Sheryl Isenhour | Tagged with: Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on You Need Your Chase

An Outdoor Fireplace to Warm You Up

Choosing an outdoor fireplace that's just right for your home, your needs, and you style can be hard. We at IBD Outdoor Rooms can help you pick out the best one from among our wide array of options.

Choosing an outdoor fireplace that’s just right for your home, your needs, and you style can be hard. We at IBD Outdoor Rooms can help you pick out the best one from among our wide array of options.

While summer days are hot and sunny, the nights of the season can be cool, and it is really never too warm for a soft, crackling fire after dark. Adding an outdoor fireplace to your patio creates warmth, both literally as a heat source and figuratively as a focal point for your family and friends when relaxing or entertaining. IBD Outdoor Rooms offers a variety of outdoor fireplaces, including Art of Fire, visual expressions of art functioning as outdoor fireplaces. Our team can help you customize the perfect outdoor fireplace and install it on your patio, allowing you to enjoy the beauty and warmth of fire outside your home.

Modern Look

If you need design inspiration for how to set up your outdoor fireplace with your patio, the website for the cable channel HGTV posted 20 Cozy Outdoor Fireplaces, with pictures of different patio designs integrating indoor fireplaces. One features a large outdoor fireplace as the star centerpiece with its stone facade, highlighted by a black iron-accented patio. Another highlight, a double-sided outdoor fireplace you can enjoy from a covered section of your patio, if it rains. If you want the more contemporary, modern look, an idea infusing an IBD Outdoor Rooms favorite, Art of Fire-like mod circular metal fire pit with curved deck seating was eye-catching in the HGTV collection of outdoor fireplaces blended in with patios, lakes, and decks.

Traditional Look

Into more of the traditional outdoor stone hearth fireplace style? With choices between two different series of fireplaces, IBD Outdoor Rooms recommends Estate Series as these outdoor fireplaces are customized to fit anywhere they are CSIA-certified to be installed, meaning they can be any size, any fuel type (wood, gas, bio-fuel, or gel fuel), and can be vented or vent-free. This gives you so many options in just about everything! These fireplaces start out with a cabinet and a hearth base, with options for extended hearth bases and dress out bands. Chases are then selected, with a choice of Classique 42-inch and 72-inch heights, Stratford 36-inch height, Tuscan 42-inch height, and to add vertical appeal to an existing chimney, the Venetian Chase – 1872 is also used commonly to clear out wood-burning smoke or vented gas log fumes, as it adds height.

Contemporary Classic Look

If you are seeking a more contemporary classic look, you may be more drawn to our Veranda Series. Providing a ready to finish surface, the fireplace cabinet surrounds a manufactured outdoor fireplace. This cabinet is the required piece to be pipeless and serves as the base for all components of the fireplace. The qualified staff at IBD Outdoor Rooms will be able to help you build on with choices of front and side hearths, a chase top dress out, and the elegant Veranda wood box. You then choose between chases; like the Estates, your choices are Classique, Stratford, Tuscan, and Venetian.

As you can see, you have so many different outdoor fireplace design ideas to warm up your patio, so contact IBD Outdoor Rooms today to request a consultation with our experienced staff about designing your own outdoor fireplace.

Tell Me About Wood Fired Ovens

Give your taste buds a treat. Get wood fired oven installed in your outdoor kitchen.

Give your taste buds a treat. Get wood fired oven installed in your outdoor kitchen.

Whenever we meet a food-loving client who’s interested in creating or updating their outdoor room, our first thought is: Wood Fired Oven. If you’re really into cooking — or eating — a wood fired oven not only gives you a whole new world of culinary options, it makes your outdoor living space that much more beautiful and functional, too.

At IBD Outdoor Rooms, we specialize in installing and designing unique and custom-completed wood fired ovens that suit our clients’ preferences, space and plans to the letter. We start with factory-built modular components, completing a basic size and shape that meets your taste and needs, go through add-ons that made your oven that much more fine-tuned to what you like and how you plan to use it, and then we finish it to become a gorgeous (and durable) part of your home. We absolutely love to design and install outdoor fireplaces, but if you really want to stretch your gastronomic legs, a wood fired oven brings warmth and charm with flexibility to make tons of amazing meals as a bonus.

What Kind Of Cooking Can We Do In A Wood Fired Oven?

Lots of folks think wood fired ovens are specifically for pizza. That’s partially true — you can make some amazing pizza in your oven, since the best pizza crust really needs to be cooked up crisp quickly and at super high heat, which a wood fired oven does exceptionally well. But your cooking options certainly don’t stop at pizza. Bake bread, roast vegetables and meats, make salmon steaks that’ll wow dinner guests, stews, sandwiches, desserts… Just about anything you might make in your regular oven can be made in your wood fired oven, and we might be biased, but we think everything comes out even better. Plus, when you’re entertaining, you don’t end up running in and out while everyone’s enjoying each other’s company in your outdoor room.

Can My Wood Fired Oven Serve As A Fireplace Too?

Absolutely — you don’t have to cook in it to enjoy it. You can still circle around and enjoy the warmth and ambience, maybe make some s’mores if you felt moved to. A wood fired oven is kind of like having the best of both worlds — a fireplace when you want it, an oven to cook in when you want that too.

Can A Wood Fired Oven Be Part Of An Outdoor Kitchen?

Your wood fired oven can be the centerpiece of a complete outdoor kitchen, absolutely — and we also specialize in designing and building outdoor kitchens at IBD. We can help develop a kitchen island that perfectly suits your needs, whether that’s really basic or just as fleshed-out with amenities as your indoor kitchen. Just tell us what your vision for an outdoor kitchen is, and we’ll help make it happen!

Do you have any questions about wood fired ovens or how they might fit into your outdoor-room vision? We’d love to talk you through it. Just give IBD Outdoor Rooms a call!

By Sheryl Isenhour | Tagged with: Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Tell Me About Wood Fired Ovens