Fire Pit Standards and Considerations

Fire pits have been one of the most popular elements in the landscape industry for the last few years. I think this is from the memories many of have of sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows and eating smores. In our yard we have found a fire brings the family together or keeps our teenage kids around with there friends. Fires extend our patio season from earlier in the spring and later into the fall when the temperatures are cooler. A fire pit is a great upgrade to any new patio design, existing patio or as a stand alone element in your yard. What should you consider when adding fire pit?

Space. The size of fire pits varies greatly. Most store bought units are available in a 24 inches to 30 inch size. Built in units often have an exterior dimension of 36 inches to 58 inches. I like to plan for about 5 feet around the fire pit for seating and access. If you plan a seating wall around the patio and fire pit it is suggested to keep the wall 40 to 48 inches away from the fire pit.

Fire pit, outdoor fireplace and brick patio in Madison, WI

Location.  It is always recommended to check local building and zoning codes when contructing a fire pit.  In general, I recommend keeping the fire pit at least 10 feet away from your house and other flammable items.  We install many fire pits as part of a greater patio space.  We have also installed many that are off on there own.

Materials.  For the casual burner who might have a fire 2-3 times a year, I always recommend a portable fire pit purchased from your favorite retail store.  Many of my customers like to burn a fire weekly or multiple times a week.  Then a built in fire pit makes sense. Brick paver companies like Unilock make fire pit kits.  Accessories include iron cooking grills and covers.  As a kid, we dug out a little earth and created a ring using boulders.  

Gas or Wood?  Gas burning fire pits have become more poplular too.  It is very handy after a long day of work to come home and enjoy a fire on the patio simply by turning it on.  Gas fire inserts are available in many shapes and patterns.  The burner can be covered with a traditional log set or a variety of stones or colored glass.  

Height.  Height varies.  We have built fire pits that are at ground level and some at 24 inches tall.  I usually recommend the fire pit be about 15 inches tall.  Most chairs are about 18 inches tall.  At 15 inches the fire pit is a nice height to put your feet up.  Or, you can convert the fire pit easily to a coffee table with a piece of carpentered wood or remant granite. 

Fire pits have become more and more popular.  They are not only fun in the summer but great on cool times in the spring and fall.  For many, fire pits bring back the memories of childhood.  For others it they family together.  Whatever your reason, please feel free to contact me for help with your new fire pit.

Unilock Authorized Contractor & New Products

Today I attended the Unilock Authorized Contractor Training Program.  This is an annual training I am obligated to attend to remain a Unilock Authorized Contractor.  The great thing about being a Unilock Authorized Contractor is I have been vetted by the leading brick paver company in the country.  

The biggest advantage to you is even though we offer a 5 Year Hardscape Workmanship Guarantee Unilock backs us up with a Lifetime Material Warranty against Manufacturing Defects.  In addition, Unilock has a 2 Year Labor Warranty but only if a Authorized Contractor installs the project.  

Below are pictures of Unilocks new concrete brick pavers for this year.  As usual Unilock has introduced some beautiful new products.  Some are even sealed during manufacturing so even if you spill red wine, no worries, it cleans up with no stains.  Click here for a Unilock Catalog.

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Landscape Planting Design Guidelines

One of the best compliments I can get from someone about a project of mine is when I am told they love their yard.  We love the spaces.  We love to be outside and use the yard.  There is always something flowering. Our house/ yard looks great.  

This does not happen by accident.  I do believe garden design or yard design needs to be done holistically.  A designer needs to consider how the yard will be used and to create harmonious functional spaces incorporating all elements including patios, pergolas, swimming pools, front walks, driveways, yard space and plantings.  Landscape planting design can be one of the more difficult aspects to garden design.  One issue is most customers want low to no maintenance.  But, they also want interest at all times with sequences of flowering, fall color and winter interest.  As a licensed Landscape Architect and a Horticulturist, what are my guiding principles to planting design?

Create a Setting and Develop Buffers.  Plants are great at creating a setting. My first step in planting design is to locate views to buffer and think about major plants to frame the house and create great spaces to be in.  An oak tree can provide a great canopy to sit under.  Or a Juneberry planted adjacent to the front walk not only can help frame the house but can develop a living arbor to walk under.  A few well placed evergreens can screen the view of a telephone pole, annoying street light, or provide visual privacy from your neighbors deck.

In general, I like to keep front yard planting simple.

• Frame the house and the front door.  

• Include some evergreen.

• Allow for areas for annual color.  

• Avoid areas that will be muddy in the winter.  

• Use plants that have strong seasonal interests. 

 The picture below is from a project early in my career, but still one of my favorites.  It is formal but it illustrates the concepts well.

Planting in the back yard should create a setting around the house and the seating areas.  Shade trees not only shade the home and can affect heating and cooling of your house but offer a great place to sit under.  Ornamental trees like flowering crab apples offer stunning spring flowers and can soften views you don't like.  Perennials and shrubs will soften the house and hardscape while providing constant variety of flowers and blooming.

The original Green Industry!  How you can Affect the Environment of Your Home and Property.  Shade trees, with proper species selection, can shade roofs in the summer reducing air conditioning needed and keep your garage cooler.  When leaves are lost in the winter sun can still warm the house.  Groupings of trees can be used to create wind blocks and prevent snow drifting across driveways.  Rain gardens can be used to encourage water infiltration reducing the burden on city storm sewers and assisting in keeping lakes cleaner.  I haven't even mentioned providing cover and habitat for our furry and feathered friends.  They love the berries too.  And after the bees pollinate the Black-Eyed-Susans the birds eat the seeds.

Keeping Maintenance to a Minimum.  Easy curving plant beds are easy to mow along.  It is always my goal to plan for a now edge trimmer yard!  Eliminating big open plant beds and planting full plant beds reduce weeds.  Placing flowers where you see them will reduce the amount planting space and maximize the flowers affect.  A perennial garden on the side of your house may rarely be seen, but placed along the back border where you see it from your kitchen window will provide much more pleasure.

Other Considerations.

• Soil type.

• Light conditions.

• Layers of plants with tallest in back.

• Edible plants.  Juneberry for an ornamental tree, strawberry for a groundcover, or blueberries as a foundation shrub.  Yum!

• Flower smells.

• Fall color.

• Winter interest isn't only evergreen.  How about berries, bark color, snow on branches or even a place to have holiday lights.

• Wildlife as noted above. 

• Allergies.

Having a great looking yard doesn't happen by accident.  Thought and planning will provide a setting for your house and outdoor spaces.  Plants can help affect your immediate environment as well as our world's environment.  There are many things to consider.  Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance with your yard.

Designing A Great Patio

One evening last summer we had a terrific evening with friends on our patio. We sat around a cocktail table eating appetizers.  After grilling burgers, we ate at the dinner table.  Then we retired to sit around the fire pit.  The company and weather was great and the ability to sit outside and entertain on our patio made the night special.

Having the patio space to host our party was key to a fun night.  What do you need to think about when designing the perfect patio?

Location, Location, Location. You should locate your patio where you like to sit. Most patios are small spaces jammed up against the house where the back door is. Tables and chairs are always at the edge of the patio not by the house.

When I design a patio, I walk the yard slowly and linger a bit. My goals are:

• To find the spot I am most comfortable in.

• The most comfortable spot is usually away from the house where you get more light, a better breeze and usually a better view.

• Remember circulation, you need to connect the patio to doors.

• Locating the patio away from the house allows you to soften the space between the house and patio with a garden.

 What about Size? When you identify the spaces and functions you desire it becomes easier to provide the space you. When I ask clients how large a patio they are thinking about I usually get a blank stare and a shoulder shrug. Then, I ask the question in a different ways.

• How many people will use your patio regularly?

• What types of furniture groupings do you visualize?

  • A grilling space.

  • A space for dinner table.

  • A conversation setting, two chairs, a couch or chaise lounges.

  • A fire pit or fireplace?

  • An outdoor kitchen.

Grades & Elevations. The topography of your yard is very important. Patios are generally flat. They should pitch between 1% and 2% (1-2 inches of drop every 8 feet). Your yard won’t be this flat. Most local codes require yards to pitch a minimum of 2% (2 inches every 8 feet) away from the house. The slope in your yard can provide both a challenge and an opportunity. Consider a retaining wall or seating wall as part of the patio. Be sure not to hinder your yards natural drainage.

 Round or Square? Customers often ask me to round the corners of a patio to soften it. I would rather think about the patio space as an extension of the house and use the remaining designed space around the patio to soften it. If curves are used, in most cases they should be geometric to compliment the homes geometry. Then use plantings to soften the space.

Brick Paver, Stone, or Concrete. I will always prefer a brick paver patio or a natural stone patio for a number of reasons.

• Brick and stone patios are timeless.

• They can be traditional or contemporary.

• The natural tones of brick or stone patios warm the space.

• They are easy to repair and durable.

• The color and texture of a brick patio or a stone patio provide winter interest.

 Concrete patios do have their place.

• Concrete is less expensive.

• Concrete fits well with many home styles.

• In sunny locations concrete reflects light and causes glare.

• In northern climates concrete cracks easily from freeze-thaw cycles.

• Concrete is difficult to repair.

 Local Building and Zoning Codes. Always check on building and zoning codes with your municipality. You may need a permit. You may have setbacks from property lines or from your home especially if your patio has elements like a fire pit or a structure like a Pergola. Since storm water management is so important, more common now are laws that govern impervious surfaces. Consider a permeable patio or rain garden that will allow water to infiltrate.

Many factors need to be considered when designing a patio. Thinking about how you will use your patio will increase its functionality. The shape and planting space around the patio will soften the paving and help it blend in with your house. Upfront design will benefit you with a patio you can enjoy for years to come. Feel free to  email me for help in designing your patio.

Joe Hanauer, ASLA, Registered Landscape Architect

Welcome to my blog. I am Joe Hanauer, a Registered Landscape Architect, Horticulturist, Landscape Contractor and owner of Landscape Architecture, LLC. I am a member of the 1990 graduating class from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture with a second major in Horticulture.

The first 7 years of my career were spent in the northern suburbs of Chicago and I was very lucky to have an amazing mentor who taught me to challenge myself, and to stretch my imagination. I learned how every project is unique and how creativity can solve problems. When encountering a problem, I was taught strategies to think it through and how to identify the best solution. What my mentor would say is “do it correctly, when things are done correctly, all will work out in the end”.

After my wife and I had our first child, we decided to move back to Madison in our native Wisconsin. After all, I had to make sure my sons grew up Packer fans! I worked for two separate companies in my first year living in Madison. I struggled with both companies’ philosophies. I was told not to worry about the design and just to sell the job. Good enough was good enough and quality was not the focus. So I hung my own shingle and was able to focus on my core beliefs. I started Landscape Architecture, LLC on October 27, 1997. For the past 20 years I have owned and managed the company.

All of this is important because when you hire Landscape Architecture, LLC, you are hiring a passionate Landscape Architect who puts design first. I believe all landscape projects need to start with quality thought out landscape design. A design that is functional with form. Once there is a quality design we focus on quality installation. We do things right the first time. Because we do, we are unique in our Madison, Wisconsin market with our 5 Year Hardscape Guarantee.

Our work includes all things outside. We do small planting designs and install projects with just a few plants. We also do very large outdoor living spaces that include brick paver patios, retaining walls, seating walls, arbors and pergolas, swimming pools, decks, ponds, fire pits, and fireplaces. We do very practical projects like grading to correct drainage problems. Whatever your landscape project includes we would enjoy being involved.

In my blog I look forward to sharing tips and advice about landscaping and gardening. I will share what quality in landscape and landscape design means. You may even learn why your lilacs don’t bloom! I hope you will find the information helpful. Again, welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to email me should you have a question.