Perhaps you’re just completing your dream house and outdoor space, or maybe you’ve been sitting inside dreaming about finishing it for years.
Whatever the case, here’s some tips to design the ultimate outdoor area for your house.
Tip #1: Add a feature that draws you outside
It sounds simple, but we all need a reason to use our outdoor area’s. We like to think that just being outside is reason enough, however having something to watch, something to do, something to experience…these are all motivators to use our outdoor spaces.
Many enjoy just the process of lighting and watching their fire, others couldn’t think of a better place to savour a fine wine or craft beer, families enjoy time without devices, just chatting and the best thing is you can cook and entertain for all your friends and family.
An outdoor fireplace is a simple thing that gives you reason to do very little and feel completely satisfied that you’ve spent the best part of your day doing it.
Tip #2: Consider the space you have available
This is another simple idea, if you are going to place an outdoor fireplace into your outdoor space, you’ll want it to look good and add to the design, functionality and appeal of the area you have available.
One of the key considerations therefore is the footprint of the outdoor fireplace. The solution has to match your space well. That’s why all our outdoor fireplaces are modular, enabling our customers to scale the outdoor fireplace to suit their outdoor site.
Another key consideration is obviously the physical appeal of the outdoor fireplace. We’ve spent years developing outdoor fireplaces that have considerable design merit so as to act as an outdoor centre piece. Our outdoor fireplaces may not suit all tastes but our range of fires tend to provide options most love the look of.
Tip #3: Consider the costs
Occasionally cost isn’t really a consideration, design and functionality is everything. But when cost does matter, there are a few factors:
A. Consider making it stand alone – if you make the fire part of your house construction you will need to think about building permits, design, the cost of a firebox and the complication of building it into the structure. Keeping it stand alone removes most of those complications. You can still push it through a roof structure and we can provide specifications on how to best do that.
B. Consider your property boundaries – if you place the outdoor fireplace on or near your boundary you may need to consult your neighbour and seek consent. Proximity to boundary considerations vary from council to council. Typically if you are over 1.5m away from a neighbours side boundary you will be fine, but it’s always best to check with your council.
From our end, we work hard to keep our outdoor fireplaces as cost effective as possible. This is something our increasing scale has helped us achieve, we’re also in the process of setting up manufacture in Cromwell to reduce the freight costs into that part of the country. We are pleased to say that our outdoor fireplaces (ranging in price from $3,695 to $5,995) are considerably cheaper than an outdoor setting or a spa pool. Yes there are additional costs, such as freight and install, but the overall investment is still relatively low compared to other outdoor products.
Tip #4: Install something you can cook on, not an ‘open fire’
We believe being able to cook outside is the key to entertaining outside well. Some take it further and add running water and a sink or benches (all of which we can customise for you), but really, adding the ability to cook outside is enough for most. However, there is another benefit that cooking provides;
Clean air rules in some parts of NZ are changing, and for some an ‘open fire’ is not really an option anymore. Fortunately however, New Zealand officials haven’t gone as far as making it illegal to cook outside, and we doubt they ever will. Outdoor cooking is what a Flare Fire is all about…you can call your Flare Fire a wood burning BBQ, a Braai, a food fired smoker, whatever suits your style…it’s exactly what it is.
A bit more about Flare Fires
If you haven’t seen our outdoor fireplaces before, we are New Zealand’s leading outdoor fire company. Our head office is in Te Puke and we are also located in Cromwell, Central Otago.
Having an outdoor fireplace you can cook on is one of our main points of difference but the design merit of our outdoor fireplaces is probably what really sets us apart. Flare Fires make a great outdoor centrepiece. You don’t have to cook on them at all, but you can relax knowing that if you want to, the cooking options have been very carefully thought out.
Flare Fires are sold directly to customers and can be seen in our Te Puke show room, around the country…or right here on our website. Any questions just give us a call.