Building a Porch with Fireplace: What You Need to Know

Here at Structurally Speaking, we create custom outdoor living spaces to perfectly fit your needs. If you’ve always wanted a porch with fireplace, we can help. Our team has experience building beautiful fireplaces for sunrooms, screened porches, decks, and more. Here’s what you need to know about adding a fireplace to your porch project.

Benefits of Adding a Porch with Fireplace

A porch can be so much more than a way to exit your home. With care given to the design, it can truly be a living space that your family enjoys during most of the year. A fireplace can make a porch functional even during the colder winter months. Here are a few other benefits to adding a fireplace to your porch, beyond having a heat source:

• A place to gather: Fireplaces are great for bringing the family together. Who doesn’t love sitting around a fire telling stories or catching up?
• Relaxation after work: A new fireplace can make your home feel like a family mountain resort.
• Cut your energy costs: Heating an outdoor space like a porch can be expensive. A fireplace is often the more economical option.
• Simple cooking: With a fireplace, you can do some simple cooking, like roasting hot dogs or marshmallows. This is a fun option for a party, but also can be a major benefit if the electricity goes out.
• Romance: Is there anything more romantic than sitting together in front of a crackling fire?
• Decoration: A fireplace looks stunning and you can also decorate the mantle for any holiday.

We can add a fireplace to a screened porch or three-season porch. They also look great in sunrooms and on decks. Any outdoor living space can benefit from a fireplace.

Fireplace Size and Design

When you work with Structurally Speaking, we’ll start with with a free initial consultation. This meeting allows us to learn all about your family’s desired style and function for your porch, including the fireplace you are envisioning. If you aren’t sure what you want, don’t worry; our owner Jim Brennan has experience helping you determine the best options for your home.

When it comes to your outdoor fireplace, we’ll discuss both size and design during this initial consultation. We’ve built everything from large, stone fireplaces to smaller, sleek and modern fireplaces. Additionally, we can discuss different fire feature options, such as fire pits, chiminea, fire walls, and fire tables. Every space is different. We’ll help you find the right option for your porch.

Types of Fireplace

During your initial consultation, we’ll also speak to you about the type of porch with fireplace you want. Wood-burning is of course a popular option, since you get that traditional look and feel. However, you can also choose a gas, propane, or electric fireplace option.

The biggest advantage to an outdoor wood-burning fireplace is the ambiance. This is the coziest option, with logs crackling in the hearth and the smoke rising up through a large chimney. That said, wood can also be the most labor-intensive, since you have to provide the logs as well as clean out embers afterward. These types of fireplaces also require more maintenance.

Gas, propane, and electric fireplaces are an easier option. They can look and feel like a “real” fireplace (i.e., a wood-burning fireplace), but turn on with the flip of a switch. Keep in mind, though, that these types of fireplaces can be more expensive, depending on fuel prices.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to making a decision about your outdoor fireplace. If you aren’t sure what you want, Jim will help you decide based on your budget, style, and desired maintenance.

FAQs about Building a New Porch, Deck, or Sunroom

Whether you know you want a porch with fireplace or aren’t sure, give us a call to set up a free initial consultation. We can answer any questions you may have about building a new porch or other type of outdoor living space. Here are a few frequently asked questions we get from our clients.

What type of outdoor space is right for me?

It depends on your home’s style, your family’s needs, and your budget. This is why we provide custom designs for our clients: no two homes or families are the same. You can click here to learn more about the different types of outdoor living spaces we can build.

Are fireplaces a fire hazard?

Outdoor fireplaces are safe as long as you maintain them properly. Only use your fireplace while you are in the room, and keep a fire extinguisher in your home just in case. Here’s more information about fireplace safety.

What questions should I ask a porch contractor?

We hope you’ll love the porches we design. However, as you are finding the right porch contractor for your project, there are a few questions you should always ask:

• Do you have a team of builders or do you subcontract the work?
• Will you design a porch specifically for me or will I choose from a template?
• Do you provide insurance?
• Can you help me secure any building permits I need?
• Do you have experience building fireplaces?
• Can I see your past customer reviews?

Rave Reviews!

Reviews are an especially easy way to get a feel about whether a porch contractor will be the best option for your project. Here’s one of our recent reviews:

“I had something happen this week that I thought you would appreciate. We are getting ready to add a pool to the backyard, and the other day we had a landscape architect looking at the site for some design ideas. As he stood and looked at it and turned to look back at the porch, he said, “That room looks absolutely fantastic. You must spend a ton of time out there.”

He could not believe it when I told him that it was not original to the house. (As an added side note, we had an actual architect out a few months ago to look at an addition proposal in back and he said the same thing. The interesting side note on that one was that by pure coincidence; he happened to be from the very firm that originally designed the house!) I thought you would want to know how other professionals react to your design sensibilities! We still mention you often when we are sitting out there.” – Charles

You can read more reviews here.

Ready to get started on your porch with fireplace design? You can fill out the form here or call us anytime to set up your consultation appointment!