How much does it cost to build a fire pit in Virginia?

What a fire pit costs in Virginia depends almost entirely on what you mean by a fire pit. It can be a block ring dry-stacked in an afternoon or a custom stone feature with a gas burner, a patio and a seating wall, and a single figure would fit neither. The useful approach is to understand what drives the price, decide which of those things you want, and get written bids that price them line by line.

What drives the cost

Wood or gas. This is the biggest fork. Unilock notes that wood-burning fire pits are generally significantly more affordable than gas fire pits.^[1] A gas pit adds a burner and controls, a gas line or propane tank, and a licensed tradesperson: Virginia's Board for Contractors certifies gas fitters as a regulated trade,^[11] and the Code of Virginia defines a liquefied petroleum gas fitter as someone paid to install, repair, alter or remove piping, liquefied petroleum gas tanks and appliances.^[10] Gas work can also bring a permit. Prince William County, for example, lists replacing gas logs or gas appliances among work that does need a permit.^[7]

Kit or custom. A manufactured kit is the most predictable price. Unilock says a metal insert comes pre-packaged with most of its fire pit kits,^[1] along with the wall blocks. A custom pit in natural stone or brick costs more in materials and much more in skilled labor.

Poured concrete. A cast-in-place pit takes more material and time than people expect. Quikrete's plan for one calls for 20 to 25 bags of Quikrete 5000 concrete, plus gravel, fire bricks, mortar, lava rock, rebar and lumber for the forms,^[2] and says to let the concrete cure for 30 days before the first fire.^[2]

The liner. Concrete block needs protection from direct flame, and Unilock recommends lining it with a metal liner or fire-rated brick.^[1] A steel insert is usually the cheaper and quicker choice. Firebrick usually lasts longer and comes in grades: Rutland's fire bricks, for example, are rated up to 2700°F for buff bricks, 2200°F for ivory and 1700°F for red.^[3]

The site. Digging, hauling and base stone are a large share of the labor. Unilock's installation guide gives 4 to 6 inches of base for pedestrian walkways and says clay bases generally need to be dug deeper.^[4] A sloped yard can mean a retaining wall or steps, and a backyard with no machine access means hand work. Prince William County requires a permit for all retaining walls supporting more than three feet of unbalanced fill.^[7]

The location rule. Your locality's distance rule decides where the pit can go, and a farther spot can mean a longer path or patio to reach it. In Fairfax County, for example, recreational fires may not be held within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material, but its definition of a recreational fire leaves out fuel contained in an outdoor fireplace or portable outdoor fireplace.^[5] Its rule for portable outdoor fireplaces, which it says includes fire pits, is 15 feet from a structure or combustible material, with an exception for one- and two-family dwellings.^[6] So for a built-in pit, ask the fire marshal which rule applies before you settle on a spot. Are backyard fire pits allowed in Virginia covers the rules.

The surround and seating. A gravel pad is the cheapest surround; a paver or flagstone patio and a built-in seating wall can cost more than the pit. What a paver patio costs in Virginia explains patio pricing.

Permits and approvals. Whether a wood-burning pit needs a building permit is a local question. Prince William County's lists of work that does and does not need a building permit do not name fire pits, and the county says exterior projects may require zoning approval whether or not a building permit is required.^[7] Ask your county's zoning and building offices before you build, and include any fees in the budget. Using Virginia 811 is free, and you must contact it before digging.^[8]

Hiring the job out

In Virginia, a job worth over $1,000 but less than $30,000 is in the Class C contractor range,^[9] so most fire pit builders you hire should hold a Virginia contractor licence. Look it up on DPOR's licence lookup before you sign.

DPOR's consumer guide gives a few rules that protect your money. Get at least three written bids.^[12] Virginia law requires licensed contractors to provide a written contract for residential work.^[12] Keep the down payment to a deposit of no more than 10 percent of the price or $1,000, whichever is less, or up to 30 percent for custom or special-order items.^[12]

What to ask for in a written quote

• The pit's inside diameter, height and wall material, and whether it is a kit or custom.
• The liner: steel insert gauge and size, or firebrick grade and the mortar used.
• Excavation depth, base stone type and compacted depth, and drainage for the pit floor.
• The surround: gravel, pavers or flagstone, with square footage and edging.
• Any seating wall, steps or retaining wall, priced separately.
• For gas: the burner, controls, gas line route and length, who is doing the gas work and their licence, and who pulls the permit.
• Who calls 811, cleanup and haul-away, the schedule and the payment plan.

Itemized bids let you compare like with like, and they make it easy to drop a seating wall or switch to a kit if the total is more than you hoped.

Stop and call a pro if

• You want gas. The gas line and burner hookup are licensed trade work in Virginia: state certification of the gas-fitting trade is mandatory, not optional, for anyone who does that work for the public for pay.^[11][10] Leave that part to a certified gas fitter even if you build the rest yourself.
• The pit needs a retaining wall or steps to sit level on a slope.
• You want a built-in outdoor fireplace or chimney rather than an open pit.
• The only space that fits is closer to the house, a deck or trees than your locality allows.

If you plan to build it yourself, how to build a fire pit with pavers covers the job step by step. Browse fire pit and fire feature businesses, concrete and hardscaping businesses in Blacksburg, or more concrete and hardscaping answers.

Describe your fire pit once and licensed local businesses send quotes you can compare.