Yup! If you don't, you'll wish you had...

We have a portable fireplace we use on the terrace, but we have a lot of wood to burn so it works for us.

A firepit would be perfect at the beachhouse because of the temps there.

But no to gas. Don't forget to stock up on Graham Crackers, Hershey Bars, and Marshmallows. ;)

Council ring! Fire in the middle!

Curious, Oakley,why do you think no gas? Its not like at the lake where we have woods to take from. And I am not sure I want a cord of wood next to my pool, with bugs, KWIM? Hmm, OTOH, I do want rustic and natural ...
hmm

LOL BP

Annie, You say yes so quickly and unequivocally! Done.

In Maine? Definitely! Gas? How about real wood? Crackles and smells so good.

Get a water and airtight container and keep throw blankets in it. Love, love, love the 60X70 Denali throws. And they come in all kinds of great patterns.

Are you in a region where there is any restriction on open fires? That might make a difference.

If I had any kind of view at all, I would want a firepit. But the only view here is of the neighbors, and they aren't that esthetically appealing, especially the ridiculous-looking fake deer they put in their back yard. The neighborhood is swarming with real deer already.

We have one at our beach house and use it all the time for s'mores!

Our grill is hooked into the gas line but we just burn wood in the fire pit. It's nothing fancy, just a little thing, I think from LL Bean or someplace like that.

We just buy small packages of firewood from our local market.

Firepits are all the rage these days. Two of my neighbors have them and burn wood. I have a bit of asthma and when the campfires are lit I have to shut the windows in the house quickly. And I can't sit out on my screened in porch.

I think a gas fire pit could be a wonderful way to enjoy a campfire without affecting air quality.

I think gas for a firepit is cheating.

Hmm, let me check, but I am not sure you cannot have an open fire.

I vote gas. Better for air quality. It sounds like a wonderful idea.

If I am reading it right, residential campfires are allowed ONLY with a permit, unless the ground is covered with snow or on frozen bodies of water.

It looks like you can get a permit for a campfire for a holiday or "festive occasion" ??? But not just when you feel like it?

Funny.

Maybe they want a heads up about who may be catching the grass or their houses on fire on a given date.

OOoooo - lovely!!! A fire and s'mores ..... !!!

And martinis .....

Heck Yeah!!! :)

Would a gas firepit fall under that same restriction? You're not lighting any consumable on fire. But it may not be much of a bother to get a permit regardless. We have to seek a permit to burn yard stuff October thru May and it is easily obtainable--as in instantaneous--- online at the county website. And our county is the most backwards county ever in the history of counties, so if we have that capability I am sure your town in Maine will have, too.

Eh, who knows. It says "open fire". I will call the town in the morning.

Yes, I would call and ask. Because a gas fire pit seems about the same as a gas grill and I wouldn't think they want to issue a permit every time some one decides to grill hot dogs. . . .

LOL, crl, that'd bring in the revenue, huh?

In my area, no open fires means nothing that burns wood or even charcoal. Gas is ok. A wood fire in your indoor fireplace is allowed, however. So we put a zero clearance Swedish fireplace outside, complete with stove pipe and chimney cap. The fire dept is just across the way, but they have never complained :)

C'mon mtn'dux, if you're gonna have a real beach fire, that certainly doesn't include a 'gas hookup'. You need to learn to rough it a bit girl, it ain't like going camping where you need to set up tents etc., it's building a little fire. How about one of those little Chimineas, but not the standard type.

Here is a link that might be useful: chiminea

Mtn, we don't pay for our permits. They are merely a way for the county to keep track of how many open fires there are on any single day.

Just don't ever burn leaves or the like in it. The lift off and fly away when burning. Get some cedar â¦crackles and pops and smells great.

I'm with Patty & ineffablespace. It's not like the fire will burn constantly, or be big. You won't need many logs at all.

Besides, part of the fun is getting the little fire going and keeping it going.

Can you cook s'mores over a gas fire, or hot dogs, marshmallows, etc.?

Get your hands dirty. :)

I suspect a gas fire can be used whenever as there is nothing burning that escapes from the fire, vs. a wood fire where embers and ash and all kinds of stuff can be blown away, esp with coastal breezes. Also, campfires will continue to burn unattended unless you take time to really put them out vs. gas fires which go out as soon as the fuel stops. Wood fires also mean you have to deal with ashes so they need cleaning. It also means you have to buy and store wood....have it split and stacked or do it yourself. Too green, it won't burn well....too old and it won't last, but it will rot and attract bugs. Then there's paper and kindling...

Frankly, if you have to go through the effort to make a real fire, you probably won't...after all, you're on vacation...so it will sit there unused. Moreover, a wood fire casts a lot of smoke. We have had unpleasant evenings moving chairs constantly to stay out of the smoke.

Further, if you are with a wood fire for any length of time, they do need tending...stirring, adding wood...to me, wood fires are a lot like infants...they need regular feeding and attention to keep them going. This from someone who burns about 2 cord of wood a year to keep her house warm, so I have some familiarity with the process....

Mind you, I'm not against a good fire...friend has an annual bonfire...but she's got the 4 strapping adult sons plus several nephews in construction with access to scrap lumber to keep it going all night long....

I vote yes and I vote gas.....easy peasy! Who wants to be bothered with hauling, storing wood.....you are there to relax....who needs the extra work?!

the work makes the relaxing that much more rewarding AND relaxing!

Most of the people here at the beach have gas for a couple of reasons. The first one is we have to have burning permits (PITA). Second is you have to either sit and watch the fire burn out or put it out with water which results in a nasty smelly mess which usually doesn't drain properly. Last, as mentioned, you won't have to haul wood in. So my vote is for gas and as long as you are doing gas, go ahead and put in some pretty gas lanterns!

I love that we can point a remote at the fireplace and have instant fire. Laying wood, lighting tinder, smoke and campfire smelling clothing... No thanks. We had an outdoor fire pit that we specifically put in for mil's 75th birthday as she talked endlessly of memories of singing around a campfire. That was a huge success, but afterwards only my visiting nephews used it a couple of times and our son who was still at school used it on his weekends home. We had the fire pit dismantled last year and frankly have not missed it. Our children all went to summer camp and lit fires and made s'mores to their hearts' content, so I guess we outsourced those memories for them lol!

Ooh lanterns!

As I said, I need to check with the town. In the back of my mind I am pretty sure we cannot just light a traditional campfire.

At our lakehouse, we had one pretty much every weekend. I don't do any of the work, DH likes to. Of course it is a lot easier in the woods, too!

Ok, well, I got my answer. The guy couldn't have been nicer. It was like Mayberry.

The deal is, if you want a campfire, you just call the Fire Dept, any time day or night, and let them know approximately when you plan to do it and for about how long. They mark it down. That way, if they get a call about anything, they already know the deal. Also, in the event conditions are inappropriate, they will ask you not to have a fire.

Simple. Done. I may ask them to plumb something in case we change our mind in the future, but for now, it looks like we can go low-tech.

That sounds like a very smart decision, Mtn. The sound of crackling wood with the sound of the ocean, a glass of wine, kids making s'moresâ¦.Ahhhhhhâ¦that's the payoff for the work!

One thing you might want to do is have a heavy iron cover made for the pit. When you're ready to head in for the night, just cover it. That'll put the fire out quickly AND it'll keep rain from making a mess of the ashes. You want a good pile of ashes, btw: it helps the wood burn more slowly. I clean my fireplace out only at the end of the winter. Get some kind of fire starter, like fat wood, so you don't have to use newspaper. Again, you don't want anything that will fly away when lit. That's the danger. When you clean up in the spring, sage twigs and branches for kindling.

I wouldn't do gas either. We have a firepit in our backyard - not far from our patio and we use it spring/summer/fall.

If you don't have wood on hand, you could buy those small bundles. We use those sometimes for camping trips.

tina

Hahaha! How did I know that the stronger I made the case for the one, the further you'd go to the other! Form and function!
:)

I guess for me, making wood fires loses its "romance" when you do it daily for months at a time, and when you have to chop trees, split, stack and tote the wood, and clean up the mess afterwards.

It's easy as pie to get firewood in Maine!

I had to have a HUGE tree cut down when I first bought my house, back in 2011. I had them cut the trunk and limbs into blocks so that I could split it. I split about 1/2 the tree last fall using a manual hydraulic splitter. Got about half the tree done. What is left are the pieces I need to rent a gas serious log splitter because they're too dense for the manual. But it's going to take me forever to go through the wood that one tree has provided. I've got at least three more winters of the stuff I've already split.

and then I've got a huge box of kindling, which is just twinge and branches I cut and pick up during spring cleanup. Voila!

Annie, My DH loves to do that kind of stuff. He is Mr. Chivalry. So the work part doesn't weigh on my decision.

It was funny, even the fire dept guy said ... yeah, gas is safer, but if it were me I'd want some wood!

We start a wood campfire nearly every time we go to the coast. It is not a chore in any way; it's a pleasure. From my perspective, it's a tradition of most coastal vacationers in OR/WA. Perhaps, that is due to the cold nights and/or camping culture. :) Whatever the reason, most people around me seem to be excited to build the fire and gather around it.

I also have a wood fire pit in my backyard. It has pavers installed around it and a rock sitting wall. We use it when we have guests and want to be outside in the evenings. Also, it gives DH and me an extra reason to disconnect and relax together. With all that said, it serves a functional purpose as well; we have to burn tumbleweeds that blow (often) into our yard. They can potentially be 4' across, don't fit in our garbage, would ruin compost with their seeds, etc. I have a feeling that wouldn't be necessary in your case, Mtn. :)

Lots of information out there on the health effects of wood smoke--both on the people enjoying the fire and on the general population as it contributes to overall air pollution (ten percent of air pollution in one state).

Here is a link that might be useful: WA government publication

A really great selection of inspiration photos ....

And yes -- if you build a simple round stacking stone firepit (over a good base of gravel and sand) -- look for a spare grill from a barbecue that could sit on top of the new pit -- and add a barbecue lid ... .....

Here is a link that might be useful: PInterest -- DIY firepit photos

We have a small inexpensive wood-burning firepit on our back patio. I think it came from Lowe's or Home Depot. It also has a wire mesh cover to keep the hot ash down a bit but the grandkids love it for s'mores and we do light it up occasionally when we want a little warmth in the fall for sitting outside with friends with drinks. Never had a problem except for the usual smoke getting in your eyes, but hey, that is part of a campfire, right? Hose isn't too far away.