Gas, wood-burning, and natural stone fire pits designed and built for Front Range backyards. One crew handles design, gas line, masonry, and finish, so you get a fire pit that holds up to Colorado winters.
Most homeowners searching for a fire pit contractor near me have already tried a steel bowl from the hardware store and watched it rust through a season of snow and afternoon hail. A built-in fire pit is a different project. It involves a footing that won’t heave during freeze-thaw, a gas line if you want push-button flame, and stone rated to sit inches from open fire at 8,000 feet.
Griffin Outdoor Living is a custom fire pit builder serving the South Denver and foothills. We design the pit, pull the permits where gas is involved, set the base, lay the stone, and clean up the site. You deal with one team from the first sketch to the first fire, not a separate mason, gas fitter, and landscaper who each blame the others.
If you’ve been comparing fire pit contractors and getting vague quotes, here’s what we put in writing: the fuel type, the burner brand, the stone or block, the diameter, and a build window. That’s the difference between a weekend purchase and an outdoor feature that adds usable months to your yard.
The fuel and the build decide almost everything about how you’ll use your fire pit. Here’s how our fire pit installers break it down.
Natural gas or propane with a stainless burner and lava rock or fire glass. You light it with a switch or remote and shut it off the same way. No smoke, no ash, no wood to store. Best for homeowners who want fire on a weeknight without the cleanup, and for HOA areas with burn restrictions.
The crackle, the smell, and real heat output. Wood-burning pits cost less to build and need no gas line, but they require a wider clear zone and a spark screen. We size the bowl and the surrounding patio so embers stay where they belong.
Colorado buff sandstone, flagstone, or granite veneer over a concrete core. Every stone pit is a little different, which is the point. Natural stone reads as part of the landscape and handles direct heat without spalling when it's specified correctly.
Poured or precast concrete and segmental block for clean, modern lines. Concrete takes color and texture well and pairs with contemporary homes. It's also the most predictable budget of the group, which matters when you're pricing custom fire pits against a fixed number.
Shape changes how people gather. We pick the form around your patio size and how many chairs you actually want to fill.
The classic conversation circle. A 38 to 48 inch round pit seats six comfortably and keeps everyone the same distance from the flame. The most requested shape we build.
Squares and rectangles align with deck lines, retaining walls, and modern architecture. They also make it easy to set a tabletop lid for double duty as a low table when the fire’s off.
A long trough burner, usually gas, that runs four to six feet. Linear pits work as a centerpiece on a dining patio or as a glowing edge along a seat wall. Striking at night, low and quiet by day.
A recessed fire pit with built-in seat walls around it, dropped into the grade. It creates a sheltered, private feel and works beautifully on a sloped foothills lot. Want it ringed in stone underfoot? Surround your fire pit with a paver patio for a finished, level seating zone.
A fire pit fails at the material spec long before it fails at the design. We use components chosen for heat exposure and freeze-thaw, not whatever’s on the shelf.
We walk your yard, confirm grade and drainage, find the gas meter, and talk through fuel type, shape, and where the smoke or heat will travel. Free, no obligation.
You get a layout, the exact materials and burner, the diameter, and a fixed price. For gas builds we handle the permit so you're not chasing the city.
We excavate, compact, and build a drained footing, then run and pressure-test the gas line where one is needed. This is the part cheap installs skip.
Stone or block goes up, the burner gets set and tested, and we light it with you on site so you leave knowing exactly how it runs.
People ask us this on almost every consultation, so here’s the honest version. A fire pit is open on all sides, so people sit around it in a circle and share the heat. A fireplace faces one direction, throws heat forward, and acts as a wall or backdrop. Neither is better. They solve different problems.
| Factor | Fire Pit | Outdoor Fireplace |
|---|---|---|
| Seating | 360°, conversation circle | One direction, faces the fire |
| Heat | Spreads outward, shared | Directed forward, stronger |
| Footprint | Low profile, open patio | Tall structure, anchors a space |
| Privacy / wind | Open to the breeze | Blocks wind and sightlines |
| Typical budget | Lower | Higher |
Short version: pick a fire pit if you want people gathered together on an open patio, and a fireplace if you want a focal point that also screens wind or a neighbor’s view. Want something larger and taller that doubles as a backdrop? See our outdoor fireplaces. Many of our clients add outdoor lighting around either one so the space stays usable well past sunset.
A simple wood-burning stone pit usually starts in the low thousands. Gas builds run higher because of the burner, the gas line, and the permit. Linear and sunken designs with seat walls land at the top of the range. We give a fixed number after the site visit, not a guess over the phone.
Choose gas if you want instant on-off, no smoke, and no ash, and if your area has burn restrictions. Choose wood-burning if you want real crackle, more heat, and a lower build cost, and you have room for a wider clear zone. We’ll tell you straight which fits your yard.
Yes. On gas builds we run and pressure-test the line and pull the permit. You don’t need to coordinate a separate plumber or gas fitter. It’s one crew, one point of contact.
Most fire pits are built in two to five working days once we start, depending on size, fuel type, and whether seat walls or a surrounding patio are part of the job. Weather and gas inspection timing can shift the window, and we tell you upfront if they will.
Often, yes, if the surface and base can carry the weight and we can route any gas line. Sometimes the better move is to integrate the pit into a new section of patio so the base and drainage are right. We’ll assess it during the consultation.
They are when clearances are respected. We position the pit with proper distance from the house, fences, and overhanging branches, size the clear zone for the fuel type, and add a screen on wood-burning builds. Colorado fire conditions are part of every layout we draw.
We build across the Denver Metro and foothills, including Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Centennial, Evergreen, Golden, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Parker. If you’re nearby, ask and we’ll confirm.
Tell us about your yard and we’ll bring options to the consultation, fuel type, shape, materials, and a real budget. No obligation, just honest advice from a contractor who builds these every season.
Free Consultation · No Obligation · Serving South Denver & Foothills