Outdoor Fireplace Installation — Block Kit on a Paver Pad
A real chimney fireplace in the backyard — block kit on a footing, stone veneer, a hearth of pavers in front — built to stay plumb through frost.
Outdoor fireplace installation is a block fireplace kit, wood-burning or gas, built on a poured footing at the edge of a paver pad and finished in stone veneer with a cap and chimney. JMB Builders builds them across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud, on a new pad or off a patio you already have. Priced per project, quoted from your photos, with a reply within one business day, or a free in-home estimate.
- Priced per project, kit plus pad
- Fireplace on its own poured footing
- Wood-burning or gas, veneered and capped
- Quote from photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
An outdoor fireplace is a chimney and a firebox stacked out of block, and it is heavy. The kits from Belgard, Stone Age, FireRock and the block yards go together in a day or two, but what they sit on decides whether the veneer is still tight in five years. A fireplace on a paver pad with no footing settles on one side, the joints open, and the chimney leans. We pour a footing first.
The build: a footing below the frost line sized to the kit, the firebox and chimney stacked and glued or mortared to the kit's drawing, a steel lintel over the opening, firebrick in the box on wood-burning units, then veneer, a hearth and a cap. The paver pad is built around it on a compacted class 5 base, and a hearth course of pavers runs in front to catch sparks. Gas units get a burner and a line run by a licensed plumber.
Where it goes matters as much as how it is built. Most cities set distances from the house, the lot line, fences and anything that burns, and some want a permit. We check your city before we order the kit and lay it out so the smoke goes where the chairs are not.
What you supply
- The kit you like (kits such as Belgard Bordeaux or Brighton, Stone Age, FireRock) or a photo of the look
- Veneer and cap stone picked from samples; we order it with the kit
- Wood-burning or gas; a gas line is run and tested by a licensed plumber
- Where it goes on the patio and which way you want the opening to face
What JMB supplies
- Layout, utility locate and a check of your city's setback and permit rules
- A poured footing below the frost line sized to the kit
- The kit stacked plumb and level with a steel lintel and firebrick where the kit calls for it
- Stone or brick veneer, hearth, mantel ledge and cap
- A paver pad or a hearth course tied into your existing patio on a compacted base
- Spark arrestor and chimney cap on wood-burning units
- Photos of the finished fireplace in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Kit size: a compact single-chimney unit vs. a wide firebox with wood boxes each side
- Veneer: thin stone, full stone, or brick, and how much of the back is finished
- Wood-burning vs. gas, with the gas line by a licensed plumber as its own line
- New pad under it vs. tying into an existing patio
- Access for a skid loader to carry block and the footing concrete
- Permit and setback checks for your city
Send a photo of the patio or the spot, the kit you have in mind, and say wood or gas. We can set up a free in-home estimate from that.
How long it takes
Footing: one day, then it cures. Kit, veneer and cap: two to four days. A new pad around it adds two to three days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Wood-burning kit with chimney
A firebox lined with firebrick, a smoke shelf and a chimney tall enough to draw, with a spark arrestor and cap on top. A hearth course of pavers in front catches what pops out.
Gas fireplace with a burner
The same block kit with a gas burner and log set in the box instead of firebrick. The line is run and tested by a licensed plumber; the chimney still goes up for the look and the heat.
Fireplace added to an existing patio
Pavers lifted where the fireplace goes, a footing dug and poured, the kit built on it, and the pavers relaid to the base. A settled patio section is fixed while it is open.
Double-sided wood boxes
A wider kit with wood storage boxes stacked either side of the firebox, capped to match. More block, more footing, and a wider hearth in front.
Outdoor Fireplace Installation — Block Kit on a Paver Pad: questions, answered
Can you build an outdoor fireplace on an existing paver patio?
Yes, but not on the pavers. We lift the pavers where the fireplace goes, dig and pour a footing, build the fireplace on it, and relay the pavers up to the base. If the patio has settled we fix that section while it is open. The pattern is matched back and the joints re-sanded.
Does an outdoor fireplace need a footing?
Yes. A block fireplace kit with veneer is a lot of weight on a footprint the size of a doormat. On compacted base alone it can still settle on one side through a Minnesota winter, and the chimney shows it first. A footing poured below the frost line keeps it plumb.
How far does an outdoor fireplace have to be from the house?
It depends on your city and on whether it burns wood or gas. Most cities set a distance from the house, the lot line and anything that burns, and some treat a chimney fireplace differently from a fire pit. We check your city's rules before the kit is ordered and lay it out to meet them.
Wood or gas for an outdoor fireplace?
Wood is the real fire: crackle, smoke, a wood pile. Gas is a switch and no ash, and it can sit closer to the seating because it does not spark. Gas needs a line run by a licensed plumber and a burner matched to the kit. Many people pick gas when the fireplace is near the house and wood when it is out in the yard.
What is the difference between a fireplace kit and a custom-built outdoor fireplace?
A kit is pre-cut block with a drawing, built in a couple of days and veneered any way you like. A custom fireplace is laid up from block to the size and shape you want, with a steel lintel and a flue sized to the opening, and takes longer. Both get a footing and both get veneer, so from the chairs they look the same.
Will the chimney smoke back into the patio?
A chimney draws when it is tall enough for the opening, and the kits are sized so that works. We set the fireplace so the prevailing wind does not blow across the opening toward the seating, and a wood-burning unit gets a cap on top. Wet wood smokes in any fireplace.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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