Custom Fire Pits & Outdoor Fireplaces Built for Utah Backyards
Gas Fire Pits · Outdoor Fireplaces · Linear Fire Walls · Sunken Pit Designs · Seating Walls CMHA Certified · UNLA Best Residential Project 2026 · Serving Salt Lake City & Utah County Since 2018
Since 20188 Years Building Utah Backyards
UNLA Best Residential Project 2026Utah's Highest Residential Landscape Honor
CMHA CertifiedMasonry & Paver Standard
QWEL CertifiedEPA WaterSense Endorsed
4.9 ★ GoogleReal Utah Families
Chopper Landscaping designs and builds custom fire features across Utah — gas fire pits, wood-burning fireplaces, linear fire walls, and sunken pit designs — each integrated with Belgard paver surrounds, built-in seating walls, and FX Luminaire lighting. CMHA certified. UNLA Best Residential Project 2026. Craftsmen averaging 15+ years of experience. Craftsmanship warranty. Free 3D design consultation.
Every Fire Feature Utah Backyards Need — Designed and Built Right
Fire is the feature that transforms a patio from a surface into a destination. It is the reason people stay outside when the temperature drops, the reason conversations last longer, and the reason a backyard becomes a space your family actually lives in.
Chopper Landscaping builds every type of outdoor fire feature — and designs each one as part of the complete patio zone, not as a standalone element dropped into an existing space. The fire feature, the seating wall around it, the paver surround, and the integrated lighting are all planned together. That’s how you get a fire zone that works.
Built-In Gas Fire Pits
The most popular fire feature choice for Utah homeowners. A built-in gas fire pit — set into a masonry or paver surround, connected to a permanent gas supply line — delivers instant fire at the turn of a valve, with consistent heat output (40,000–100,000 BTU), no wood management, no ash cleanup, and no restriction on Utah air quality action days.
Round and square formats — round gas fire pits create a campfire gathering aesthetic where guests can orient toward the fire from any direction. Square and rectangular formats align cleanly with modern patio geometry and linear seating walls.
Gas media options — black lava rock, natural fire glass, river pebbles, and concrete fire logs are all available. Fire glass re-radiates heat across a wider surface area and creates a distinctive visual effect. Lava rock provides a natural, low-profile look.
Standard BTU output: 50,000–80,000 BTU for a 24–36 inch round burner. Adequate for 6–10 people seated at 5–7 feet through Utah’s shoulder seasons.
Linear Gas Fire Features
A linear fire feature — a rectangular burner set into a low seating wall — is the design choice that has defined premium Utah backyards over the last five years. Rather than a central round pit, a linear fire wall creates a focal element that runs along one edge of the patio, visible from a wider seating area and integrated directly into the paver and wall system.
Linear fire features work particularly well in:
- Modern and contemporary backyard designs with clean geometric lines
- L-shaped or U-shaped patio layouts where a centered round pit would interrupt circulation
- Spaces where the fire feature also serves as a visual backdrop for the dining or lounging zone
Chopper Landscaping’s UNLA award-winning 2026 project featured a custom linear fire pit with seating wall as the anchor of the backyard entertaining zone — integrated with Belgard pavers and FX Luminaire lighting throughout.
Outdoor Fireplaces
An outdoor fireplace creates the most architectural, room-defining fire feature available. Where a fire pit is a gathering focal point, an outdoor fireplace is a wall — a full vertical element that creates an outdoor room with a defined back wall, enclosure, and overhead mantel.
Gas outdoor fireplaces — clean, convenient, gas-line connected. Can be designed into any architectural style from modern linear to traditional stone.
Wood-burning outdoor fireplaces — maximum ambiance, crackling fire, maximum heat. Require a proper chimney height for Utah’s altitude and elevation. Not available on UCAIR air quality action days.
When to choose a fireplace over a fire pit: when you want a formal outdoor room aesthetic, when privacy screening on one side of the patio is also needed, or when the design calls for a dominant architectural focal element rather than a central gathering pit.
Outdoor fireplaces range from $8,000–$25,000+ depending on size, fuel type, and design complexity.
Sunken Fire Pit Designs
A sunken fire pit lowers the fire feature and its surrounding seating below grade — creating an intimate, enclosed gathering area that feels separate from the main patio level. The walls of the sunken area function as built-in seating, and the lower elevation creates a sense of enclosure and privacy that an above-grade pit cannot replicate.
Chopper Landscaping’s UNLA Best Residential Project 2026 winner featured a sunken patio zone designed around the outdoor spa — demonstrating the design language of lowering a key zone for privacy, intimacy, and spatial distinction.
Utah drainage requirement: Sunken fire pit zones must be designed with proper subsurface drainage — a drain at the low point connected to a subsurface pipe system — to prevent water pooling from rain and snowmelt. This is a design element that must be resolved before excavation begins. Chopper Landscaping’s design-first process addresses drainage as part of the initial design document.
Fire Feature + Seating Wall Zones
The fire pit or fireplace alone is not the complete design. The most functional and visually compelling fire zones combine the fire feature with:
Built-in seating walls — masonry or paver cap seating walls at 17–19 inches high (comfortable seat height), positioned at 5–7 feet from the fire center. Built-in seating eliminates the need for movable chairs around the fire, creates a permanent gathering ring, and adds significant visual weight and design sophistication to the patio.
Belgard paver surround — the fire zone is typically built within a dedicated paver zone, set with the same Belgard paver material as the surrounding patio. CMHA-certified paver installation under the fire zone ensures the base system handles Utah’s freeze-thaw cycles without settling or cracking near the fire feature’s gas rough-in or footing.
FX Luminaire integrated lighting — step lights in seating wall cap faces, uplights on surrounding trees, and path lights defining the fire zone perimeter create an evening environment that works as well as the daytime design.
What Utah Homeowners Need to Know About Outdoor Fire Features
Air Quality Action Days
Utah’s Wasatch Front experiences periodic UCAIR air quality action days — particularly in winter inversions and summer wildfire smoke events — when wood burning is restricted or prohibited. Gas fire features are not subject to the same restrictions, which is the primary reason most Utah homeowners choose gas for their primary built-in fire feature.
Check ucair.org for current air quality and restriction status.
Altitude and Gas Appliances
Utah’s elevation affects gas appliance performance. At Salt Lake City’s elevation (~4,300 ft) and higher (Utah County communities reach 5,000–5,500 ft), gas appliances may require altitude adjustment to the orifice size for optimal combustion and flame height. Chopper Landscaping’s team is experienced with Utah’s altitude-specific installation requirements.
Extending Your Outdoor Season
A properly designed fire feature in a well-protected patio zone extends comfortable outdoor entertaining from approximately 4 months to 8–9 months in Utah. Key design factors that maximize warmth: seating wall enclosure on 2–3 sides, a pergola overhead (captures rising heat), and a fire feature sized for the space (60,000–80,000 BTU minimum for a gathering of 8–10).
Freeze-Thaw and Gas Line Protection
Utah’s freeze-thaw cycles affect all underground systems including gas supply lines. Gas lines for outdoor fire features should be installed at proper depth with appropriate materials and fittings for outdoor burial. Chopper Landscaping’s gas rough-ins are designed and installed to Utah’s requirements for outdoor gas systems.
Designed Before a Single Shovel Moves
A fire feature installation that goes wrong is expensive to fix. The gas rough-in is in the wrong location. The seating wall is too close to the fire and too hot to sit near. The paver base settles because the drainage under the sunken pit wasn’t designed. These are real problems that happen when a contractor skips the design phase.
Chopper Landscaping’s process:
Free On-Site Consultation.
MD visits your property, assesses the space, and learns how you want to use the fire zone — how many people you typically entertain, where guests naturally gather, what fuel type you prefer, and what aesthetic you’re after.
3D Design Presentation.
A complete design showing fire feature type, placement, seating wall dimensions and height, paver surround layout, gas rough-in location, lighting plan, and integration with the rest of the patio. You see exactly what you’re getting.
Detailed Written Scope & Pricing.
Every line item documented — no lump-sum estimates.
Professional Installation.
Craftsmen averaging 15+ years of experience build to the approved design. Gas rough-in is done by licensed professionals. Paver base is built to CMHA-certified depth and compaction standards.
Craftsmanship Warranty.
All construction is covered. We don’t disappear. We confirm. We deliver.
The Standard Behind Every Fire Feature We Build
Utah Nursery and Landscape Association — Utah’s most prestigious residential landscape award. The winning project featured a custom linear fire pit with seating wall, Belgard paver surround, and FX Luminaire lighting integration.
Recognized as the Best Residential Landscaper in Utah for 2026 — an honor earned by designing complete backyards where fire features, hardscape, planting, and lighting are planned together and built to last through Utah’s freeze-thaw seasons.
Every paver surround, seating wall, and masonry element around our fire features is built to Certified Masonry and Hardscape Association standards — base depth, drainage, compaction, and edge restraints.
EPA WaterSense endorsed. Even fire feature zones include proper drainage and water-efficient planting integration.
Sustainable practices deliver beautiful outcomes.
Fire Feature Installation Across the Wasatch Front
Based in Salt Lake City, Chopper Landscaping serves Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch and Summit Counties.
Fire Feature Questions — Answered
What types of fire features does Chopper Landscaping build?
Gas fire pits (round, square, linear), wood-burning fire pits and fireplaces, outdoor fireplaces (gas and wood), sunken fire pit designs, and complete fire zones with Belgard paver surrounds and built-in seating walls.
How much does a built-in fire pit cost in Utah?
$4,000–$8,000 for a simple gas fire pit with basic surround. $10,000–$20,000 for a complete fire zone with seating wall, paver surround, and FX Luminaire lighting. Outdoor fireplaces: $8,000–$25,000+.
Gas or wood-burning for Utah?
Gas for convenience — no restriction on air quality days, instant start, no ash. Wood-burning for maximum heat and campfire experience. Many Utah homeowners install both.
Will a fire pit heat my patio?
Yes. A properly sized gas fire pit (60,000–80,000 BTU) comfortably warms 6–10 people seated at 5–7 feet. Effective heating radius: 6–10 feet from the fire face.
Can I use a wood-burning fire pit on air quality action days?
No — wood burning is restricted on Utah UCAIR air quality action days. Gas fire features are not subject to the same restrictions.
Do you design the fire feature before building?
Always. Full 3D design with every dimension, gas rough-in location, seating wall placement, and lighting plan — all documented and approved before any installation begins.
Is there a warranty?
Yes — craftsmanship warranty on all masonry, paver, and structural work. Founded 2018. Still here. We don’t disappear.
Chopper Landscaping
Ready to Add the Feature That Transforms Your Backyard?
Free on-site consultation. Full 3D design with exact dimensions and gas rough-in plan. Detailed written pricing. CMHA certified masonry installation. Craftsmanship warranty on all construction.
8 years building Utah fire features. Sustainable practices. Beautiful outcomes.
