When I was a kid, outdoor fire pits were all the rage. Practically everyone I knew had one in their backyard. That is because I lived way out in the country. There was not much to do out there, but it was sure beautiful to be there. Our main activity was basically hanging out, drinking, and sitting around the fire. A backyard fireplace, needless to say, was an essential.
When I grew up, I decided to build an outdoor fireplace. I moved to the city, and fired pits seemed a little bit primitive and backwards to me. An outdoor fireplace seemed like a logical extension of the principal. I started off with an outdoor brick fireplace. I didn't really know how to build it, and at first it was little more than a fire pit with a grill over it. I tried again, but I couldn't get quite the right design. I was sort of sick of having everything take on a rustic look, and I wanted something that looked more sculpted and professional. Although my outdoor fireplace was quite functional – it worked for barbecues and provided warmth while holding back embers – it was still a little bit quaint and backwards. All of my friends were pretty classy people, and I didn't really want to look like a backwoods bumpkin anymore.
That is why I finally went out and bought an outdoor fireplace kit from a Home Depot store. I like to make things myself, but the kit allowed me to put in some work while still coming out with a good finished product. It seemed like a great compromise. It turned out really good too. A lot of the time, kits don't really come together quite right. Either something will be missing, something will be defective, or the instructions will be so vague that it is almost impossible to get things right the first time. None of these were the case, however. It took me most of the day to put together, but that was okay. By the end, I had something I could really be proud of.
As soon as they saw it, most my friends wanted to get outdoor fireplaces as well. A lot of them have been using outdoor gas grills, but this seemed even cooler. Don't get me wrong – an outdoor grill is cool. Still, there is nothing quite like having a nice, fireplace that you can sit around with people you love.
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