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Outdoor Fireplaces vs Firepits
I get asked all the time, should I go with a fireplace or a fire pit? It’s a great question. It’s different for everyone. I usually continue by asking them about their family, the age of the kids, what they like to do outside, and then quiz them on what they would do with each one if they had both. As an experienced professional in this industry, there are many differences, and I plan on breaking them down for you today.
1. Cost!
Price is the biggest difference due to size and the amount of labor involved in building it. Typical cost for an outdoor fireplace range from $5000-$10,000. Fire pits vary depending on if it’s wood-burning or natural gas, but typically start at around $1000 and can go up to $4000.
2. Functionality
Fireplaces require less room but only allow for two or three people in front of it to warm their hands. Fire pits, on the other hand, you are able to sit around them and entertain up to a dozen guests and be the same distance from the fire. With large parties or gatherings, multiple people around a fire pit with a stick with a marshmallow on it makes for a much more functional option.
3. Maintenance
Both are usually built with masonry materials or outdoor rated materials so there is not much difference.
4. Size
Fire pits are small and great for having next to a pool. Some are even movable. Fireplaces are very large. Most codes require them to be at least 10 foot tall so they are great for blocking wind or using for privacy on your patio.
When deciding what is right for you and your family, keep in mind your current and future plans for your patio.
Ask yourself, how many people do we normally entertain, do we need privacy on our patio, budget, are you adding a pool or a play set in the near future, etc. These are all good questions and will help guide your decision and what is best for your family.
Outdoor Kitchens : The Counter Top Guide
For the enthusiast, cooking is an exciting activity in itself, but the joy of preparing that mouth-watering meal out in the open is something to behold. Even the general population agrees that an eat-out in the garden is more mesmerizing than having one indoors. However, the concept of having an entire outdoor kitchen only sounds attractive to the passionate lot.
Apart from an urge, an outdoor kitchen requires other things to be taken into account before the construction project is begun. One such element is the choice of countertop materials. The challenges faced by outdoor kitchens are very different from those built indoors and therefore extra consideration has to go into the materials to be used in it. This blog lists three appropriate materials for outdoor kitchen countertops, each with its respective pros and cons.
1. Granite
The professionals from the field say this is the obvious choice because its advantages substantially outweigh its disadvantages and the advantages of any other options that might be available. Granites come in a variety of textures and colors with an equally diverse selection of edges to choose from. They are scratch resistant and durable for outdoor use. The only disadvantage is that some granites are more porous than others and absorb liquids that result in permanent stains.
2. Concrete
This is another viable option but it is limited in terms of shades and colors. Also, it is more vulnerable to scratches and breaking as compared to granite. Furthermore, continued exposure to sunlight tends to dampen the color of concrete, causing the kitchen to lose its appeal.
3. Marble
Marble is a naturally occurring stone like granite; however, their surfaces are not as resilient as compared to granites. The polished surface of a marble top tends to fade away much faster than granite leaving you with a need to contact a professional service to deal with it for you.
There are numerous other options like soapstone, quartzite or even wood. However, experts recommend one of the above mentioned to be considered as the first choice. If, for some reason, these materials don’t satisfy your requirements, you might as well opt for alternatives.
Top 4 Reasons To Install A Pergola
One great way to beat the heat in the summer is to install a Pergola. Here are the top four perks of having a Pergola in your backyard:
1. Lessen sun exposure
With Oklahoma latitude comes high temperatures and UV index. The lattice top to a Pergola is perfect for areas of your yard where you still want plenty of airflow but just less sun exposure. A naked Pergola would have no covering over the top - which would not do as much for you for shade. However, many people will cover the top of a Pergola with poly-carbonate (a translucent hard material that cuts your sun exposure down to 60% of what it would be normally). You can also have a solid top pergola built (which is just a little bit more expensive) but would provide complete shade underneath.
The various reasons that you may be interested in decreasing sun exposure include but are not limited to:
Health: According to the CDC, by seeking shade during times when the sun’s UV rays are the most intense, one can reduce the risk of skin damage and skin cancer. The sun can also have a harmful effect on a person’s eyes. (Centers For Disease Control & Prevention, 2019.)
Kids: The same health effects that the sun has on you - also affects your kids.
Comfort: Most people say they are most comfortable at temperatures between 60- 80 Fº. A Pergola on average will reduce the temperature underneath it by 5 degrees. While a pergola may not bring your temperature into this range during mid-July in Oklahoma, it can bring it a little bit closer to this comfort zone.
Pets: Pets can suffer from the same harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays that humans do. Many pets may have to spend most of their day outside and thus the need for shade is important.2. Increase the value of your property
A Pergola can totally transform the appearance of your home. Many times homeowners will focus on just the curbside appeal of their home when reselling, but the back and sides of the home are just as important. The Return On Investment (ROI) on homes in warmer climates can be significant.
Adding a basic Pergola to your backyard can increase the value of your home. There are features that you can add to your Pergola to make it even more valuable:
Decorative footings
A privacy wall
Protective screen
Stone footings
Pergola cover
3. Beautification
A Pergola can be positioned on your patio or in your backyard to provide a focal point in your yard. Vining greenery can be grown to vine up the Pergola posts or potted plants positioned near the posts for a purposeful arrangement.
Cedar Pergolas compliment brick homes very nicely. Contrasting materials and colors for both interior and exterior home elements has been on trend over the past couple years (but people have been using cedar shingles in combination with brick homes to create a very nice visual contrast for a long time.) Wood also brings a nice, natural look to the exterior of your home.
Pergolas can be built over a walkway or garden and really anyplace in your yard. It is wise to consult with your construction company and landscaping company on what is right for you.
4. Create a space for entertaining
A Pergola can make a space feel protected and give a sense of privacy without having a privacy wall or fence installed. The area underneath a Pergola on your patio is a great place to put your seating if you are having a dinner party or grilling for your friends. Most guests will not want to sit directly in the sun.
A Pergola also provides a structure to decorate. Decorating a pergola for a special event like a birthday party or wedding shower can make the space feel extra special. Some ways that you may want to decorate a Pergola for ambiance are:
Lights
Plants
Wall hangings
Candles
Lawn Ornaments
If your Pergola is situated on your patio you may be able to think of this space as an extension of y our interior living space. Keep in mind that your furniture and decorative additions should be weather safe as a Pergola does not protect against rain and wind.
Pergola building and installation is what we do at PMHOKC. It usually takes us anywhere from a week to three weeks after we schedule your project to complete the building process. We can build you one anytime of the year (the only exception is in extreme cold or rain). The main thing to think about is when you need your Pergola. We would love to come out and see your space in person so we can figure out what the right option for you and your family would be.
Why Western Red Cedar
1. Durability
Western Red Cedar has been used for centuries to build homes, boats and furniture and outdoor decor. There are actually red cedar totem poles around today that have withstood hundreds of years of weathering and are still in decent shape! Western Red Cedar is also used widely today for home and furniture building.
While cedar does not rank among the highest in resistance to pressure (like Douglas Fir and Hemlock) it is certainly a sound choice of lumber to use structurally. (Mackie, WRCLA.)
One of the reasons that Western Red Cedar is durable is because of the low sapwood content. Underneath the bark there is only about a ¾” ring of sapwood unlike other durable lumbers that have more sapwood content. (DunnLumber, 2019.)
2. Appearance
Cedar is definitely known as being the “pretty face” of lumber.
One of the beautiful things about Western Red Cedar is the wide range of color that occurs naturally. At first glance, some consumers wonder about this natural variation in color. This is no indication of poor quality, it is the natural condition of Western Red Cedar.
The natural color of Western Red Cedar has been widely regarded as having the ability to give the feeling of warmth to a space due to it’s strawberry blonde undertone.
Western Red Cedar is also free of pitch which makes it easy to stain and makes it easier to accept a wide range of stain colors.
3. Resistance to rot
According to the USDA Forest Products Lab, cedar is resistant to rot. This is the reason that you will see Western Red Cedar used for a myriad of outdoor projects, like siding and shingles, and for the construction of buildings.
Trees are constantly under attack by outdoor elements. They are put at risk of decay because of weathering and pests. Some trees, in response, adapt to this by making antifungals. The antifungal protects the cell walls of individual cells in the wood. The antifungal doing this work in the Western Red Cedar is thujaplicin (Nault, J., 1988).
4. Sustainability
Being “sustainable” is the ability to be maintained at length without interruption or weakening.
Western Red Cedar is a sustainable lumber primarily because of its resistance to rot. This makes the life of the cedar product longer and thus more sustainable. Since it lasts longer there is less production needed of cedar and thus less negative environmental impact.
The Environmental Product Declaration on Western Red Cedar states:
“Western red cedar lumber from WRCLA members come from forests that are independently certified as legal and sustainable (FPInnovations, 2015).”
FPInnovations, North American Structural and Architectural Wood Products, Version 2.0 June 2015.
Dunn Lumber (2019), https://solutions.dunnlumber.com/projects/how-western-red-cedar-is-graded.
J. Nault., Wood Sci. Technol. 22: 73- 80 (1988) and Technology 9 Springer-Verlag 1988 Radial
distribution of thujaplicin in old growth and second growth western red cedar
(Thuja plicata Donn), Vancouver, Canada.