RALEIGH, NC -- Fire Pits are perhaps the hottest trend in outdoor living. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, even in cold climates, homeowners are clamoring for outdoor kitchens and living spaces to enhance the beauty, comfort and resale value of their homes.
Fire pit designs now available are Crater and Ridge. Plans for both designs include detailed cut sheets and assembly instructions for the forms, at a level of detail that stretches to 30 pages. The plans are meant to be used with glass fiber reinforced concrete, but they could be adapted for other casting techniques.
The designs take into account important safety considerations such as venting. "A student told me about a fire pit he designed that blew 50 feet into the air because he hadn't vented it properly. This demonstrates how important it is to incorporate safety features into fire pits when using natural gas and propane," says Jeff Girard, president of The Concrete Countertop Institute.
Girard will teach a one-day fire pit class on June 29, 2011 at Concrete Countertop Supply by Fishstone near Chicago. Future classes starting in September 2011 will occur at CCI's training locations nationwide. The cost for the class is $290.
Fishstone sells all of the necessary hardware such as burners, starters, fire glass and lava rock, in convenient kits that fit each of the Crater and Ridge designs. They have sourced the best equipment from the most knowledgeable vendors to supply the fire pit hardware. Girard explains, "Tom [at Fishstone] and I did quite a bit of research on vendor offerings, taking into account the best pricing and the important safety documentation supplied by the vendors."
Kits are available for $550 to $615. As an introductory special, Fishstone is offering the June 29 class for free with the purchase of a kit.
To register for the class or purchase a kit, contact Fishstone at [email protected] or 877-434-7451. To purchase only the plans, contact The Concrete Countertop Institute at [email protected] or 888-386-7711.
