Technology and customers' desires to have less traditional, more individualized outdoor living areas have led to the appearance of some very distinctive looking fire pits recently.tag heuer monaco replica watches Some come ready to install and others are designed and built by creative landscape professionals working with industry suppliers for the various elements to produce one-of-a-kind fire features.

Although any style of fire pit has the potential to brighten someone's home, some contractors are bending the boundaries of traditional fire pits. Working with distributors, they are able to build artistic masterpieces that draw family and friends together"?uaway from the noise of life and into a quiet place of meditation and togetherness.

Following are four examples of this.

Aesthetics
Company: Paradise Restored Landscaping
When functionality and natural beauty meet, fireworks happen. When Micah Dennis, president of Paradise Restored Landscaping, received an invitation to blend usage and aesthetics, he was all in.

"The clients asked for a fire pit with a place to set their drinks down," Dennis said. "Their property is very naturalistic, and I wanted to create an organic shape to complement the landscape, but maximize its usability. We wanted it to look like the boulders were there and we built the fire pit around it."

The pit runs 8 feet long by 5.5 feet wide by 14 inches deep. All of the main components were purchased from Ewing Irrigation and Landscape. About halfway down what would normally be the outside wall of the fire pit sits an additional ledge to set drinks on. Constructing it took extra thought and patience.

"That ledge on the fire pit was not the natural size of a block," Dennis explained. "Every single block was hand cut to make the ledge fit together seamlessly."

When standing in the living room or kitchen, the fire pit outside is the focal point.

"When I build a fire pit, I want it to pull you outside. Once you are outside, I want you to live in an outdoor area as if you were inside," Dennis said. The naturalistic shape and features of the pit helped to enhance the surrounding nature.

"You just can't beat the shapes you find in nature," Dennis said.

Multiple Elements
Company: Paradise Restored Landscaping
There is something significant about taking things back to the basics. Dennis did just that when he created a piece that incorporated the elements of fire and water, based on a customer's request.

Custom Shapes
Company: Cutting Edge Landscape Inc.
Nick Williams of Cutting Edge Landscape Inc. was approached by a pair of customers who had a picture in hand and a dream in their heads. "They sent us a picture off of Pinterest and asked, "Can you build this?'" Williams said.

Excited by the design challenge, Williams embarked on creating the envisioned masterpiece for his customers. It was specifically built at seat height in order to be a gathering spot in the backyard.

"You can never have enough outdoor seating," Williams said.

He suggested factoring multi-use into the design if that's what's important to your customer.

"The shape was free formed out of concrete and built from scratch out of custom stone," Williams said.

A minor challenge Williams encountered due to its custom shape was finding the right size pan to sit inside the pit that could hold fire glass. "We had to design and fabricate a custom pan for the fire glass to be installed into. This took some time, but wasn't difficult," Williams explained. From the stainless steel burner, to the fire glass that sparkles underneath the pit's open flame, every aspect of the piece was carefully crafted to contribute to the finished product's overall ambiance.

"It's the little touches that make it different than something you would randomly buy somewhere else," Williams said.

Movement
Company: Cutting Edge Landscape Inc.
Space is precious. Many contractors realize that for some yards, space becomes the deciding factor as to whether a fire pit is installed or not. Williams took what could be considered a limitation and created a desirable, one-of-a-kind, modern-day hearth.

"The design was something I just thought up in my head. Sometimes a fire feature or structure can take up precious space. I wanted flexibility," Williams explained.

To solve the problem of space, Williams designed a fire pit with the capability of sinking into the ground when not in use. The pit is activated with a key fob and stops at any height of your choice. The flame ignites via a custom burner that keeps it consistent (inspired by William's knowledge of irrigation manifold construction). The sides are built out of a sturdy steel rust to achieve an industrial feel. From start to finish, the pit takes 21 seconds to fully extend and measures 4 feet long by 2 feet wide by 4 feet deep.

Although the initial design and build for the project took some time, the finished pit puts on a spectacular show. The industrialize steel rises out of the ground accompanied by a stunning, lineal, 8-foot flame, wowing guests and the homeowner alike.

"The first night I completed it, I probably watched it go up and down 50 times," Williams said. "I just love watching it."

A Worthy Investment
Contractors like Dennis and Williams have taken what was considered an age-old staple for campgrounds and created backyard works of art. Their art carves out a space where family and friends can trade the constant noise and demands of the 21st century for hearty laughter and meaningful conversation.

Their ability to build that kind of meaning into somebody's life is inspiring, and that inspiration is made possible by building fabulous fire pits.

Not all projects, or all contractors, are afforded the luxury of custom designed and constructed fire pits. But manufacturers are starting to provide a middle ground by producing models that can begin to compete with the built-from-scratch ones.

For the brother and sister team behind Bob????(R)???(C) Water and Fire, creating designs that will be appreciated by up and coming homebuyers comes naturally. Julie Crone and Kris Kesler conceive and manufacture the products they like and need because they are the next generation of homebuyers.

With features such as a gas burner that replicates the look of a wood-burning fire pit, and advancements such as a remote-control Fenix fire ignition system built with a custom engineered microprocessor utilizing 12-volt technology, this manufacturer based in Phoenix strives to fabricate products that are alternatives to what Kessler and Crone feel are the typical fixtures of the past. Their ever-expanding offerings now include a line of tiki torches, and a series of fire pits that are see-through.

Modern, minimal and elegant are words Solus D????(R)???(C)cor uses to describe their fire pits. Hand-cast, fiber reinforced concrete gives their designs, which are available in ten colors, a smooth, polished surface.

Manufacturers are incorporating other innovative touches into their fire pits to help set them apart. The Outdoor GreatRoom Company has two new models that illustrate this. Their Boreal Complete Heat has an internal fan that spreads the heat throughout the unit and out the bottom to help warm feet.

And in a case of technology lending itself to a look that is uncharacteristic with these fire features, the Alcott fire pit table has a supercast top that looks like antique timber, and a base that resembles whitewashed wood. Both models are in production and are scheduled to be ready for shipping this month.