The tendency is to build too large an outdoor fireplace. Where only a little cooking is to be done occasionally in a small yard or at a picnic, several concrete blocks or stones set on the ground about 12 to 16 inches apart will serve. The shelf of an old refrigerator may be used for a grille. If permanence is desired, the walls should be laid in cement mortar and the fireplace should have a suitable foundation and a permanent grille. An end wall is recommended to prevent embers from being scattered by drafts blowing between the side walls. Smoke annoyance while cooking is lessened by making the fireplace long enough to permit a short chimney ([fig. 40]).
Figure 41.—An outdoor fireplace built back of an inside fireplace and opening onto a paved terrace provides comfort in early fall.
A circle of stones laid loosely on the surface, larger stones set partly into the ground, or carefully laid masonry walls on a stable foundation may be used for campfires and small barbecue parties. A cast-iron pot with a lid can be buried in the ashes for baking. Pipe supports for pots and pans built into the masonry are a convenience; they can be homemade or purchased. Spits for roasting can be improvised or bought.
Fireplaces opening onto an enclosed porch or paved terrace, are often built as an integral part of the house chimney ([fig. 41]). The corner of boundary walls permits effective treatment. Such fireplaces should meet the regulations of local fire authorities and be built with the same care and be subject to the same rules as inside fireplaces.
Plans for outdoor fireplaces are available from various publishing houses; several magazines feature illustrations that can be adapted to the material at hand. If a structure is to be built with local labor and material, simple designs are advisable. The size of stones, joints, and proportions have a direct influence upon appearance, and good personal taste frequently results in more pleasing structures than blind adherence to conventional designs. The various combinations of ovens, cranes, grilles, storage compartments, benches, lights, sinks, etc., to be used as built-in features affect the design. Before planning a structure with these features, catalogs of dealers in outdoor fireplace equipment should be consulted for sizes of the available accessories so that ample space and proper details can be provided in the masonry for building them in. Skilled labor should be employed for elaborate designs ([fig. 42]) when much equipment is built in or when the fireplace, as in [figure 41], is an integral part of a permanent building.