Want an Outdoor Fireplace for Summer? Here's What You Need to Know

An outdoor fireplace is the difference between a backyard you look at and one you live in through the warmer months. It's also a considered purchase, closer to a small building project than an off-the-shelf appliance, which means the timing matters more than you might expect.

Summer is when most people want their outdoor fireplace finished and lit, and that makes late winter and early spring the window to get organised. Leave it until the weather turns and you're competing for the same trades and delivery slots as everyone else racing to be ready in time.

The process itself is straightforward once you know the order things happen in. Plan around it, and you go from thinking about a fireplace to sitting in front of one well before the first long evening of the season.

Spencer Outdoor Kitset Fireplace

From Enquiry to First Fire

Getting to your first fire runs across three stages: choosing your fireplace, preparing the foundation, and installation. Manufacturing of the fireplace and foundation prep happen at the same time, which is where the time savings come from if you plan it right.

The first step is choosing your fireplace. We talk through your space, your budget, and the finish you're after, then help you land on a design that fits. Once your order is placed, your fireplace goes into production at our Taranaki factory.

While it's being made, your concrete foundation needs to be poured and left to cure. That happens alongside manufacturing rather than after it, so the two stages aren't stacked end to end, but the pad does need to be ready before your fireplace arrives. This article on things to know before you install an outdoor fireplace covers the groundwork.

When your fireplace is finished, it's delivered to your nearest Booths depot, then craned onto the pad by a local hiab service, usually within a day or two of arriving. A fireplace ordered pre-plastered and painted from the Trendz workshop arrives ready to use, so first light follows almost immediately.

As a guide, allow 1-2 weeks to select a design that best suits you, then allow 3-4 weeks to prepare the foundation and for the fireplace to be manufactured and then 1 week for the fire to arrive at your local depot and for your chosen local carrier to collect and bring it to site. If you prefer to select a bare concrete fireplace so you can custom finish it on site, you will need to allow time for the custom finish, as this will generally require a skilled tradesperson. Talk to us early, and we will help create a firm timeline to plan around.

Burton outdoor fireplace on polished concrete plinth

What Goes Into the Cost

The price of the fireplace itself is only part of the picture. A few other costs sit alongside it, and factoring them in from the start is what keeps the budget honest.

The fireplace is the largest line item, and it moves with size, design, and materials. Our range runs from compact models suited to courtyards and smaller decks up to large statement pieces built for entertaining a crowd, so there's a spread to match most budgets. You'll find current pricing on each product page, and our full cost breakdown walks through the other details.

Then there's the groundwork. You'll need a concrete pad sized to your fireplace, which you can prepare yourself or have completed by a builder. Either way, it's worth getting organised early to ensure the pad is ready and cured before your fireplace arrives. Delivery to your local depot is included in the purchase price, though the hiab lift onto your pad is charged separately and varies with your location and how close the truck can get to the foundations.

Last is the finish. You can take delivery of a bare concrete fireplace and clad it yourself in stone, schist, brick, or steel, or have it sent pre-plastered and painted in the colour of your choice, which is the faster and simpler route. A stone-based finish looks the part but adds both cost and a specialist to the job. Our guide to finishes and cladding costs can help you compare.

Twin Peak Outdoor fireplace

5 Things That Can Push Your Timeline Out

Most installs run to plan. When they don't, it's usually down to one of these, and all but the last are far easier to manage when you've started early.

1. Delivery delays: Rare, but weather events and transport issues can hold things up. A little buffer in your schedule covers it.
2. Builder availability for the pad: Your foundation has to be poured and cured before delivery, and good builders book out weeks ahead.
3. Plasterer or stonemason availability: A custom stone-based finish needs a stonemason, and plaster needs an exterior plasterer. Both trades are in demand as summer approaches, so line them up ahead of time. Selecting to have the fireplace pre-plastered saves time and cost over runs.
4. Hiab availability: The crane lift is a quick job, but operators get booked up in peak season. Reserving a slot early keeps delivery day on track.
5. Delaying the decision: The one factor entirely in your control. Every week spent deciding is a week less of summer with a finished fireplace in the yard.

Ready Before the Rush

The fireplaces lit in December are ordered well before it. Starting now means your pad is poured, your finish is chosen, and your delivery is booked while the trades and depots still have room to move.

Tell us about your space, and we'll help you map out a realistic timeline and the right fireplace to fit it. Get in touch with our team to get your summer project underway.