A fire pit transforms an outdoor space. Whether it is a simple steel bowl on the patio or a carefully designed sunken fire area surrounded by landscaping and seating, it creates a focal point and extends the time you can spend in the garden into autumn and beyond. Costs in the UK range from under £50 for an entry-level portable pit to £5,000 or more for a bespoke built-in installation — and the right choice depends on how you intend to use it and how permanent you want it to be.
Fire Pit Cost Summary
| Type | Typical cost | Durability |
|---|---|---|
| Portable steel bowl (basic) | £40–£100 | 3–7 years |
| Portable cast iron / corten steel | £100–£300 | 10–20 years |
| Raised fire pit on legs (large) | £200–£600 | 10–15 years |
| Built-in brick or stone fire pit | £800–£2,500 | 25+ years |
| Sunken fire pit (landscaped) | £2,000–£5,000+ | Permanent |
| Gas fire pit table or feature | £600–£3,000 | 10–20 years |
Costs for built-in and sunken pits include labour, materials, and a hardstanding base where needed. Portable pits are as priced at retail; installation is not required.
Portable Fire Pits
The most popular option in the UK is still a portable fire pit — typically a steel or cast iron bowl on three or four legs, priced between £40 and £300 depending on size and quality.
What to look for:
- Corten (weathering) steel — develops an attractive rust patina, genuinely durable; a good 60 cm corten bowl costs £150–£300
- Powder-coated mild steel — cheaper but the coating will burn off around the firebox over time; budget option only
- Cast iron — very heavy, excellent heat retention, long life; classic choice at £80–£250
Look for pit diameter of at least 50 cm for a useful fire size, and always use a spark guard if the pit will be on a timber deck or near planting.
Built-In Fire Pits
A built-in fire pit is a permanent landscaping feature, typically constructed from engineering brick, natural stone, concrete block, or a combination. These are almost always bespoke to the garden layout and require professional construction or skilled DIY.
Standard construction sequence:
- Excavate and compact the base; lay a concrete foundation (150 mm minimum)
- Build the outer wall structure in brick, stone, or block
- Line the interior with refractory brick or concrete (ordinary brick will crack under sustained heat)
- Lay a steel or refractory concrete base inside the pit
- Finish the capping with sandstone, granite, or brushed concrete
A built-in pit constructed by a landscaper using engineering brick and sandstone capping — roughly 1.0 m × 1.0 m — will cost £1,200–£2,500 installed, including groundworks and base. Adding a built-in seating wall or raised planters around it can push the total to £3,000–£6,000.
Sunken Fire Pit Ideas
A sunken fire pit — where the fire area is set below ground level, often surrounded by a raised seating area — is one of the most popular upscale garden ideas currently. The sunken element creates a natural windbreak and an amphitheatre effect for seating.
Construction is more involved than a surface-level pit:
- Deeper excavation (typically 400–600 mm below finished garden level)
- Retaining walls to hold back the surrounding ground
- Drainage provision to stop the pit filling with water
- Steps or access path into the seating area
Expect to pay £3,000–£7,000 for a well-designed sunken fire pit with integrated seating and proper drainage, designed and built by a landscaper. Budget designs without built-in seating can be delivered for £1,500–£3,000 by a confident landscaping team.
Gas Fire Pits
Gas fire pits — running on natural gas (if a mains supply is available) or LPG from a cylinder — are increasingly popular for gardens where clean, controllable flames are more appealing than wood smoke. They light instantly, produce no ash or embers, and can be turned off cleanly.
A gas fire pit table (a garden table with a gas burner in the centre) costs £600–£2,000 from garden retailers. A bespoke built-in gas feature designed by a landscaper, using a linear burner in a stone-clad trough, costs £1,500–£4,000 installed.
Gas connections to outdoor features must be installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer. An LPG cylinder hose connection (concealed in the base of the feature) is simpler and does not require a registered engineer for the connection if the hose is a standard bayonet fitting — but gas safety checks by a registered engineer are still advisable.
Fire Pit Seating Ideas
The fire pit is only as good as the seating around it. Popular approaches:
- Timber benches — simple hardwood or treated softwood bench; from £200 per 1.8 m length supplied and fixed
- Built-in block and timber benches — a concrete block or brick base with a hardwood seat on top; durable and weather-resistant; around £300–£700 per 2 m run
- Curved stone seating wall — for a premium look; £400–£900 per metre run in sandstone or granite
- Moveable rattan or steel garden chairs — flexible but require storage in winter
If you are commissioning a landscaper for the whole feature, ask them to price seating as part of the same package — it is usually more efficient than two separate quotes.
Planning Permission and Legal Considerations
A garden fire pit does not normally require planning permission in England, Wales, or Scotland. It is considered a permitted development (or simply a garden accessory) and is not a structure requiring consent.
However:
- Smoke nuisance — burning certain materials (painted wood, plastics, rubber) is illegal under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Only burn dry, untreated natural wood in an open fire pit
- Smoke Control Areas — if your property is in a smoke control area (most urban areas in England), you are only permitted to burn authorised fuels or use an exempt appliance. A standard wood-burning fire pit is not exempt. Check with your local council before using one regularly. Gas fire pits are not affected by Smoke Control Area restrictions
- Proximity to boundaries and structures — no legal setback distance exists for a fire pit in a garden, but the fire service recommends keeping open fires at least 3 m from fences, structures, and overhanging vegetation
For built-in features, check with your local authority if your property is listed or in a conservation area before starting construction — permanent landscape structures may require consent.
What to Buy vs What to Build
Most homeowners are best served by buying a quality portable corten steel or cast iron fire pit (£150–£300) initially and deciding later whether a built-in feature is worth investing in after using the space for a season or two. Garden use patterns are hard to predict, and a permanent fire pit in the wrong location is a significant landscaping correction.
If you are certain of the location and frequency of use, a built-in or sunken pit adds both enjoyment and lasting value to the garden — particularly when integrated with a seating area, lighting, and planting.
