Outdoor fireplaces
Outdoor fireplaces in Montgomery County, MD — gas and wood, built for the weather
An outdoor fireplace is what turns a patio from a summer room into a three-season one. The units are built for weather and for open air, which makes them a different catalog from anything indoors — and the decisions, from venting to the refractory face, are made at the same time as the patio itself.
Get a free outdoor fireplace consultation
Send a photo of the patio or the plan
Covered or open, gas or wood, and roughly where it would sit — enough to start.
Plan it with the patio
Decided at the slab,
not at the furniture
Almost everything expensive about an outdoor fireplace is decided before anything is built: where the gas line runs, whether the structure is covered, how the chimney clears the roofline, and what the face is made of. A unit chosen after the hardscape is finished usually means cutting something back up. If the patio is still on paper, this is the cheapest moment in the whole project to have the conversation — and it goes hand in hand with the outdoor kitchen, because both want the same gas run.
Four kinds of outdoor fire
Gas, wood, see-through, or a firebox in a stone face
Outdoor units split by fuel and by how they are finished. A gas firebox is quick to light and clean to live with; a wood-burning outdoor fireplace is the one people picture and the one that needs a real chimney. The see-through models are a category of their own: one fireplace, glass on both sides, open to the living room and the patio at once.
- Covered or open changes the unit, not just the comfort. Open-air structures and covered roofs have different requirements.
- A wood-burning outdoor fireplace needs a Class A chimney that clears the roofline — plan the height early.
- Refractory face is a choice, not a default: herringbone, stacked brick and traditional all come from the factory.
| Type | What it needs | What it gives | Sizes we see most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor gas firebox | A gas line to the patio and an outdoor-rated front vent. | Flame in two minutes, nothing to store, nothing to sweep. | 36 and 42 inches. |
| Linear outdoor gas | A gas line and a framed opening in the hardscape. | A long, low band of flame — the modern patio look. | 48, 60 and 72 inches. |
| Indoor/outdoor see-through | A shared wall between the room and the patio, and direct venting. | One fireplace serving two spaces, glass on both sides. | 36 inches. |
| Wood-burning outdoor | A Class A chimney clearing the roofline, and somewhere dry for wood. | The real thing — flame, sound and smell, with no gas line at all. | 36, 42 and 50 inches. |
Patio still on paper? Send the plan — this is the cheapest moment in the whole project to choose the unit.
Send us the planThe outdoor lines we carry
Who makes what
Outdoor Lifestyles covers most of what gets built here. The rest of the list matters when the patio is also a kitchen.
Outdoor Lifestyles
The widest outdoor range: gas fireboxes, linear gas, indoor/outdoor see-through, and wood-burning fireplaces in three widths.
Regency and Superior
Outdoor gas fireplaces and fire tables from two lines we already carry indoors — useful when the inside and the outside should match.
Escea EK series
An outdoor wood-fired fireplace and a professional grill in one unit: firebrick base, stainless back plates, cooking plates that slide away.
Grills and fire pits
Fire Magic built-in grills, HearthStone Outdoor griddles, pizza ovens and cast-iron fire pits — the cooking half of the patio.
Outdoor Lifestyles
Outdoor Lifestyles — the core of the outdoor range
Outdoor Lifestyles is Hearth & Home’s outdoor line, and it’s the one we quote most often because it covers the whole spread: a 36-inch gas firebox that disappears into a stone face, linear gas up to six feet, wood-burning fireplaces in three widths, and the indoor/outdoor see-through models. The refractory face is chosen from the factory — herringbone, stacked brick or traditional — which is the difference between a fireplace that matches the house and one that was ordered from a photo.
- Gas: Courtyard and Vesper fireboxes at 36 and 42 inches, Lanai linear at 48, 60 and 72, single-sided or see-through.
- Wood: Villawood, Castlewood and Cottagewood at 36, 42 and 50 inches, with a Class A chimney.
- Indoor/outdoor: Twilight and Fortress — one firebox, glass on both sides, serving a room and a patio at once.
Outdoor Lifestyles is a widely distributed line, not an exclusive one. What we bring is choosing the right unit for the structure you’re actually building, and the specifications your mason needs before the opening is formed.
Know roughly where it would sit? Tell us covered or open and the width you have, and we’ll send the units that suit the structure.
Ask about Outdoor LifestylesRegency and Superior
When inside and outside should match
If the living room is getting a fireplace at the same time, there’s a good argument for taking both from one brand: the same flame picture, the same controls, one order and one delivery. Regency makes outdoor gas fireplaces and fire tables; Superior’s outdoor range runs gas and wood and shares the look of its indoor fireboxes.
Doing the living room at the same time? Ask us to quote both together — one brand, one order, one delivery.
Ask about Regency and SuperiorEscea
Escea EK — a fireplace that cooks dinner
The EK series is an outdoor wood-fired fireplace and a professional grill in the same unit: a firebrick-lined base, stainless back plates that reflect the heat forward, and cooking plates that slide away under the drawer when dinner is done. It’s the one product on this page that genuinely does two jobs rather than compromising on both.
- Wood-fired — no gas line needed at the patio at all.
- Cooking surface stows away, so it goes back to being a fireplace.
- The rest of the cooking side lives on outdoor kitchens and BBQ.
Want the fireplace to cook as well? Tell us how you use the patio and we’ll say whether the EK series earns its place.
Ask about Escea EKA job exactly like this
The fireplace in this review is on this page
I reached out looking for a solution for my vent-free fireplace, and Jesse’s knowledge and expertise were immediately clear. He walked me through the options and recommended replacing it with a Twilight indoor/outdoor fireplace that vents safely outside — the perfect upgrade I didn’t even know existed. The new fireplace is absolutely beautiful and adds a luxury feel to both our living room and our deck area.
What we check before quoting an outdoor fireplace
Building a patio this year? Send us the plan before the slab.
Good to know
Outdoor fireplace questions we hear every week
Can an outdoor fireplace go under a covered patio?
Yes, and most of what we quote does — but covered and open structures have different requirements, and the unit has to be rated for the one you’re building. Tell us which it’s in the first message and it saves a round trip.
Gas or wood outside?
Gas, if you want fire on a Tuesday evening without planning for it. Wood, if the fire itself is the point and there’s somewhere dry to keep a cord. Wood also needs a Class A chimney that clears the roofline, which is a framing-stage decision.
Can one fireplace serve the living room and the patio?
That’s exactly what an indoor/outdoor see-through model does: one firebox in the shared wall, glass on both sides. The review above is that job — a vent-free unit replaced with a Twilight that vents safely outside.
Do I need a permit?
For gas, yes — WSSC Water handles gas appliance permits in Montgomery County, and DPS handles venting and structural work. A wood-burning outdoor fireplace with a chimney is a structural job as well. Who issues what.
Can you do the fireplace and the grill together?
Yes, and it’s the sensible way to do it: one gas line sized for everything, one set of dimensions to the mason, one delivery. See outdoor kitchens and BBQ.
What about a fire pit instead?
A cast-iron fire pit needs no gas, no chimney and no structure — and several of them take a cooking ring on top. Those are on the HearthStone Outdoor page.
Which areas do you serve?
We sell and specify outdoor fireplaces across Montgomery County, Maryland — Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg, Poolesville, and Darnestown, and nearby communities. We’re based in Boyds, work by appointment, and don’t have a showroom: we come to the house, or work from your photos and plans. Not sure you’re in range? Ask and we’ll tell you straight.
Free consultation
Send us the patio
A photo or the plan, whether it will be covered, and whether gas already reaches that side of the house. That’s enough for us to come back with units that fit the structure and the dimensions your mason needs.
Prefer to talk? Call 240-988-9177 · Serving Montgomery County, MD · By appointment