The Decision Most Homeowners Get Backwards
Homeowners in South Carolina and Georgia typically budget $800–$1,200 for a fire pit and assume they’re done. Then they watch their neighbors entertain around a built-in outdoor fireplace from October through February — and start wondering if they made the wrong call. Both are great options, but they serve different purposes, carry different price tags, and fit different backyard layouts. Picking the wrong one means living with a compromise you didn’t plan for.
After 27 years of installing pools, outdoor kitchens, and fireplaces across upstate South Carolina, the team at Kirks Pools and Hearth has watched this choice play out hundreds of times. The right answer usually becomes obvious once you ask the right questions — but most people never get there before they buy.
Outdoor Fireplace vs. Fire Pit: A Real Cost Breakdown
A standalone fire pit — wood-burning, propane, or natural gas — typically runs $300–$1,500 for a quality portable or semi-permanent model. A custom in-ground fire pit with a gas line runs $2,500–$5,000 installed, depending on materials and whether you’re trenching a new gas line.
A built-in outdoor fireplace is a different conversation entirely. Masonry or prefabricated outdoor fireplaces range from $3,500 on the low end to $15,000+ for a fully custom stone structure with a chimney, hearth, and integrated seating walls. The median project we see for outdoor fireplace installation in South Carolina lands in the $6,000–$10,000 range — and that’s before you factor in surrounding patio work, which most clients add once they see the transformation.
Neither number is wrong. But they’re funding fundamentally different experiences.
What Each One Actually Delivers After Dark
Fire pits win on flexibility and social energy. Flames radiate outward in every direction, so a group of eight can gather in a circle and everyone gets heat. They’re lower to the ground, which creates a more casual, campfire-style atmosphere. You can move a portable propane fire pit if your layout changes, position it closer to the pool on cool evenings, or store it when summer heat makes it irrelevant.
Outdoor fireplaces do something entirely different. They create a focal point — a room-defining anchor that makes a patio feel like an actual outdoor living space rather than a paved backyard. The firebox draws the eye from across the yard. Heat projects forward rather than in all directions, which works better for a small group of four facing the fire. And visually, nothing else delivers that level of architectural presence.
One thing most installers won’t tell you upfront: the direction your fireplace faces matters enormously in the South Carolina climate. A fireplace positioned to face southeast will fight prevailing fall winds and push smoke into your seating area most of November and December. We orient every fireplace installation based on site-specific wind patterns — a detail that sounds small but determines whether you actually use the thing.
Safety Near a Pool — This Part Gets Overlooked
If your backyard includes a pool, the placement of either fire feature demands serious thought. Open wood-burning fire pits near a pool create two problems: ash and embers traveling into the water, and the very real risk of sparks landing on vinyl pool covers or nearby landscaping during dry fall weather.
Gas fire pits and gas outdoor fireplaces are significantly safer in pool environments because they produce no flying embers. If you’re considering a wood-burning option within 15 feet of a pool, a fireplace with a proper chimney structure is the safer choice — it directs combustion byproducts upward rather than scattering them across the deck.
South Carolina and Georgia pools also deal with a specific seasonal issue: freeze-thaw cycles during December and January can crack masonry that wasn’t properly installed. Any outdoor fireplace installation in upstate South Carolina should use materials rated for temperature fluctuations — not just the aesthetic stone a homeowner fell in love with on Pinterest. We’ve repaired fireplaces installed by contractors who didn’t account for our freeze cycles, and those repairs aren’t cheap.
Installation Complexity: What the Project Actually Involves
A gas fire pit installation requires a licensed plumber or gas fitter to run a line, proper permits from your local building authority, and a final inspection. Budget 2–4 days for the full project if trenching is involved. The permit process in Greenwood, for example, typically adds 1–2 weeks to the timeline — plan accordingly if you want the fire feature ready before the holidays.
An outdoor fireplace is a larger construction project. Expect 1–3 weeks for a prefabricated unit on a prepared pad, or 3–6 weeks for custom masonry. The foundation has to be engineered to handle weight — a full stone fireplace can exceed 2,000 pounds — and the chimney must meet local code for height and clearance. Skipping the structural piece is where DIY projects go wrong fast.
Permits are not optional for either. Any permanent installation involving gas or a chimney structure requires them, and unpermitted work can create serious problems when you sell the home. A qualified contractor pulls permits automatically — if yours doesn’t mention them, that’s a red flag worth addressing before the concrete gets poured.
How Each Option Integrates With a Pool or Patio Setup
Fire pits pair naturally with pool decks because they’re low-profile, flexible, and easy to incorporate at any stage of a project. If you’re adding a fire feature after the pool is already in, a gas fire pit with a simple paver surround is the least disruptive approach. The project doesn’t require tying into existing hardscape or building upward.
An outdoor fireplace integrates best when it’s planned as part of a broader outdoor living design — alongside an outdoor kitchen, a covered pergola, or a pool renovation. Trying to retrofit a fireplace into a finished patio often means breaking existing hardscape, rerouting drainage, or compromising on placement to avoid underground utilities. The projects that turn out best are the ones where the fireplace, pool deck, and any kitchen elements are designed together from the start.
Kirks Pools and Hearth has been building those integrated outdoor spaces across upstate South Carolina since 1999, which is why clients who come in asking about a fire pit often leave with a phased plan that includes a fireplace, outdoor kitchen, and pool renovation — not because we upsell, but because seeing the finished picture changes what people think is possible in their own backyard.
Which One Is Right for the SC and Georgia Climate?
This is where local knowledge actually earns its keep. In upstate South Carolina, your usable outdoor season runs roughly late September through early April — longer than most of the country, but not without cold snaps. A fire feature extends that season meaningfully: a well-placed outdoor fireplace can make a 42°F November evening feel genuinely comfortable for two to three hours of outdoor entertaining.
The humidity factor matters too. Wood-burning fire pits in high-humidity conditions — which describes most of coastal Georgia and the Lowcountry — produce more smoke and require drier stored wood to burn cleanly. Gas is simpler to manage and more consistent in humid climates. For homeowners in Bluffton or similar coastal areas, gas almost always wins on practicality.
In upstate SC, where humidity drops more significantly in fall and winter, wood-burning options are more viable — but you still need covered wood storage and proper chimney draw to avoid smoke problems on calm evenings.
- Gas fire pit or fireplace: lower maintenance, consistent performance, best for coastal climates or homeowners who want simplicity.
- Wood-burning fireplace: higher ambiance ceiling, traditional experience, but requires more planning and better site placement to perform well.
The Honest Verdict
A fire pit is the right choice if your budget is under $5,000, you want flexibility, or you’re adding a fire feature to a backyard that’s already finished and you don’t want to disrupt it. An outdoor fireplace is the right choice if you’re building or renovating your outdoor space, you want a permanent architectural centerpiece, and you plan to entertain regularly through South Carolina’s fall and winter months.
Neither option is a compromise — they just serve different visions. Know which vision you’re building toward before the first shovel hits the ground, and the decision will make itself.
Written by the Kirks Pools and Hearth team — voted the #1 Pool Builder in South Carolina, with 27 years of outdoor living installations across upstate South Carolina and Georgia.
To talk through your backyard project with someone who knows the local climate, permitting process, and what actually works long-term, reach out to the team at kirkspool.com to schedule your free consultation.