The outdoor fireplace trend is really catching on these days with everyone getting one for the backyard or lawn or some other outdoor place. And it makes a lot of sense too, because unless it is storming, raining or snowing outside, why should we just sit inside our homes instead of enjoying some time outside in the fresh air. Outdoor fireplaces give you that freedom to gather outdoors with your friends and family and make it a fun day or night out.

Building or purchasing an outdoor fireplace is not very complicated, all you need is a bit of planning and some basic understanding of fireplaces are meant to work. There are popular designs all around for you to choose from and depending on what you decide to get, it can serve you for a lifetime and more.

When you are building fireplaces, you will need to follow the local established rules. These are mainly rules regarding smoke dissemination and the usage of the right kind of firebricks. You can go for the ever-popular Mexican styled chimney fireplaces called Chimineas. These are marked by their typical shape - the ire chamber at the bottom and a chimney attached at the top of the chamber. They come in all different shapes and materials.

To make something like this out of firebricks, you have to first make a bowl like burning chamber that will let up at the top. At the top you can build a stack and make it the chimney. This sort of a design really helps with the airflow in the chamber and helps the fuel, which is usually wood, burn faster. With the chimney at the top, you do not have to worry about redirecting the smoke or any such hassles when you are just starting the fire.

Chimineas are also available ready-to-use at a lot of places. They are made out of terracotta, cast-iron, cast-aluminum and even copper. Although copper is a much better conductor heat, cast-iron Chimineas can actually last you a very long time, an entire lifetime in fact. This actually goes for all types of heavy outdoor fireplaces that are made out of cast-iron.

Other than the built and readymade Chiminea styled fireplaces, there are also other options available. These are mainly the fire-pit and fire-bowl styled fireplaces. Whilst the last two types were not portable, these usually very portable. Some of them that are meant to stay off the ground and stand on legs have a wheelbarrow type design to move them around.

Others are usually meant to be kept directly on the ground and can be easily moves around. Both these types have a bowl inside which the fire can be lit and they have lids that can cover the fire so that so embers or sparks fly out. The downside is that they are not too efficient in burning the fuel and dissipating the smoke. The upside is that they look pretty good, some of them can be used for cooking on open fire and they are also very cheap to get.