Outdoor living features are the built elements that give a patio a purpose: fire pits, seating walls and masonry bases for outdoor kitchens. myYardPros builds them for Northern Virginia homeowners who want to use their yard into the evening and the cooler months, planning foundations, clearances and utility routes before any stone is set.
Fire pits and outdoor kitchens disappoint when they are added as afterthoughts, because their placement, foundation and utilities all have to be decided before the surface around them is finished. Common results: a fire pit too close to the house, wall block cracked by direct heat, a kitchen island that settles away from the patio, and finished pavers torn up to run a gas line.
Done properly, the order reverses. Location comes first: distance from the house, fences and tree limbs, prevailing wind, and room for chairs. Then the structure. A wood-burning pit gets a steel insert or fire-brick liner so flame never bears on the wall block, and a base that lets rain drain out. Heavy masonry sits on its own compacted or concrete foundation, not just on patio bedding. Sleeves for gas and electrical go under the paver patio before it is laid.
Each feature can stand alone or be built with a new patio.
Round or square pits in block or natural stone with a steel insert or fire-brick lining, a cap wide enough to rest a foot on, and a drained gravel floor.
The masonry enclosure, burner support and vented cavity for a gas fire feature. The gas line and connection are done by a licensed gas fitter under the required permit.
Low freestanding walls, typically 18 to 22 in. high with a smooth cap about 12 in. deep, that define the patio edge and add permanent seating around a fire.
Masonry islands sized for a built-in grill and counter space, on a foundation suited to the weight. Electrical and gas hookups are completed by licensed trades.
Buried sleeves and conduit under the patio, placed during base work, so licensed trades can run gas, power or lighting later without lifting finished pavers.
Decisions made in the first two steps prevent most rework.
We measure the space and ask how many people you seat, wood or gas, where smoke would drift, and how the area connects to the kitchen door.
You get a scaled layout and written scope. We review county fire code, HOA guidelines and the permits the gas or electrical trades will need. Virginia 811 marks utilities.
Bases are excavated and compacted, or footings poured where mortared masonry requires them. Conduit and sleeves are placed, and licensed trades rough in gas and electrical.
Walls, pit and island are built course by course with adhesive or mortar as the system requires. Liners and inserts are set, and caps are cut and fitted.
Surrounding pavers are completed and jointed. We walk the project with you, covering safe use, ash removal and what to cover for the winter months.
A short evening clip moving past a gas fire pit toward a stone-veneer kitchen island, with a steady flame, string lights and two people cooking at the counter.
The choice comes down to smoke, convenience and what your community allows.
| Wood-burning fire pit | Gas fire pit | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | Crackle, aroma and high heat | Steady flame at the turn of a valve |
| Smoke and sparks | Both, so placement matters most | Almost none |
| Utilities | None | Gas line by a licensed gas fitter |
| Rules to check | Fire code distances, burn restrictions, HOA | Gas permit, appliance clearances, HOA |
| Relative cost | Lower | Higher, rises with gas line length |
Built-in fire pits in Northern Virginia typically run about $2,500 to $7,000 for wood-burning and roughly $5,000 to $14,000 or more for gas, including the gas line. Seating walls commonly cost around $100 to $250 per linear foot, and masonry outdoor-kitchen bases often start near $6,000 and climb past $25,000 before appliances. These are general market ranges as of 2026, not myYardPros prices.
The numbers move with:
Appliances, countertops and trade permits are usually priced separately. For a figure built around your layout, request an on-site estimate.
Before you decide: All cost and pricing guides · How we price a project · How our estimates work
Answer these and the design nearly draws itself.
Tell us what you are seeing. We will look at the site, explain the options in plain terms and give you a written estimate.
Wood-burning fire features in Northern Virginia may be subject to local fire code, enforced by each county or city fire marshal. Fire codes commonly set minimum distances between recreational fires and structures or combustible materials, limit fire size, require attendance, and allow burning to be restricted in dry conditions. Details differ by jurisdiction and by type of fire feature, so check with your fire marshal's office before choosing a location. HOAs add their own layer: many communities in Reston, Ashburn, Bristow and Springfield regulate or prohibit wood fires, particularly near townhomes.
Gas and electrical work is done by licensed trades and generally requires permits and inspection. A roof over a kitchen generally needs a building permit too. For cover, see covered porches, pergolas and pavilions. Wood fire pits do not belong on or under a deck. For level ground on a slope, start with retaining walls.
Follow your local fire code first. Codes commonly call for wood-burning recreational fires to be kept well away from structures and combustibles, often around 25 ft, with different distances for some contained or gas appliances. Your county fire marshal's office can confirm the figure.
Often, yes. Pavers under the pit are usually removed so the walls sit on compacted base, and a liner or insert keeps heat off the block. The patio also has to leave enough clear space around the pit for seating and safe circulation.
Wood gives more heat and the campfire feel, along with smoke, sparks and ash. Gas lights instantly, shuts off completely and is accepted in more communities, but costs more because of the burner and gas line. Lot size and HOA rules often decide.
Gas piping and electrical circuits are installed by licensed gas fitters and electricians under their own permits. We build the masonry and place the sleeves and conduit they need under the hardscape, so nothing finished has to be taken apart.
A common inside diameter is about 3 to 4 ft, with the wall top roughly 12 to 18 in. above the patio. Allow about 6 to 7 ft from the pit edge to the back of the seating so chairs can slide away from the heat.
Yes. A masonry island with a stone countertop and grill is heavy and rigid, so it must not settle unevenly. Dry-stacked block systems get a thickened compacted base, and mortared masonry gets a concrete footing or slab. Patio bedding sand alone is not enough.
Long-form guides on fire pits & outdoor living from the crew that does the work, with Northern Virginia costs, timing and permit detail.
Wood or gas, built in or portable, 25 feet or 15: the rules for backyard fire in Northern Virginia come from four places. This guide sorts them out, then covers firebrick, chimney draft, seating layout and 2026 costs.
An outdoor room is a patio with jobs: a place to cook, eat and sit by a fire. Here is how we lay out and size those zones, run utilities under them, shade them in July and build them to last.
How many tons does a 16 by 20 foot patio move, what base does clay demand, which steps suit a capable homeowner, and when does hiring cost less than redoing it? The numbers, step by step.
All guides in this category · Planning guides · Glossary · FAQ
A paver patio is an outdoor floor of concrete, porcelain or natural-stone units laid over a compacted stone base instead of a poured slab.
A retaining wall holds back soil so a slope becomes level, usable ground.
Covered porches, pergolas and pavilions are overhead structures that add shade or rain cover to a deck, patio or entry.
Landscape lighting is a low-voltage LED system of path lights, uplights and step, wall and patio fixtures, powered by a transformer and run by a timer or smart control.
Tell us about your property and what you want to fix or build. We will visit, measure and send a clear written estimate. We serve Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington counties.
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