A custom outdoor fireplace is published as wood-burning or gas, with gas fire pits as the smaller alternative. The published cost bands are clear about scale: the fireplace-specific band is 12,000 to 40,000 depending on size and stone, an installed outdoor fireplace as an add-on to an existing kitchen is 2,000 - 8,000, and the site-wide project band is 15,000 and 35,000, with 25,000 to 50,000 published for a custom build that includes a pergola, refrigeration, cabinetry, sink and an outdoor fireplace. The published payoff is social rather than financial: adding a fireplace is reported to increase outdoor-space use by roughly twice as much. Phoenix Outdoor Kitchens is a free matching service, not a provider - we route your request to licensed local builders and we do not employ contractors.
What it costs in Gilbert
| Job | Published 2026 range |
|---|---|
| Built-in gas grill, installed | 1,500 - 5,000 |
| Pizza oven, installed | 1,000 - 8,000 |
| Outdoor-rated refrigerator | 800 - 3,500 |
| Sink with plumbing | 300 - 2,000 |
| Gas line run from the meter | 400 - 2,000 |
| Low-voltage lighting package | 500 - 1,500 |
| Running gas, water and electric lines together | 2,000 - 5,000 |
| Underground line runs and trenching | 500 - 2,000 |
| Permit allowance | $75 - $400 |
| Removal or demolition, per unit | 25 - 60 |
What an outdoor fireplace build actually involves
The published specification is a built structure, not a fire pit with a chimney. A custom fireplace is wood-burning or gas, with a firebrick-lined firebox that withstands 1,800-degree temperatures, a steel reinforced concrete cap over the firebox, and a stone veneer or full-bed stone exterior that matches the outdoor kitchen it sits beside. A built-in seating wall typically completes the assembly.
Those three details - the firebrick lining, the reinforced cap and the mass of the surround - are what separate a fireplace that lasts from a decorative box that cracks. Masonry works by storing heat and releasing it slowly, which is why the structure is heavy and why the footing under it matters more than the finish on it.
| Component | Published specification | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Firebox | Firebrick-lined, withstands 1,800-degree temperatures | Contains the fire without spalling the masonry |
| Cap | Steel reinforced concrete cap | Closes the top of the surround against weather |
| Exterior | Stone veneer or full-bed stone | Matches the outdoor kitchen and protects the mass |
| Seating | Built-in seating wall | Turns the fireplace into a room, not an object |
| Base | A 4-inch reinforced concrete slab on compacted gravel | Carries the weight of masonry and the firebox |
Gas fire features are the lighter path. A gas fire pit or gas fireplace still needs a gas line run from the meter, a permitted connection and clearance to combustibles, but it does not need the mass of a wood-burning chimney and it starts with a switch rather than a fire.
Published cost bands and what size and stone change
The fireplace band is the one item that is published separately from the rest of the project, because size and stone drive it more than anything else does.
| Scope | Published band |
|---|---|
| Outdoor fireplace, depending on size and stone | 12,000 to 40,000 |
| Installed outdoor fireplace as an add-on | 2,000 - 8,000 |
| Typical project range | 15,000 and 35,000 |
| Custom build with pergola, refrigeration, cabinetry, sink and outdoor fireplace | 25,000 to 50,000 |
| Counter run, stone veneer masonry with granite counter | $400-670/lf |
| Counter run, masonry block island with stucco finish | $250-450/lf |
The spread inside the 12,000 to 40,000 band is explained by the same published cost drivers as the rest of the niche: appliances, countertop material, and utility runs are the big-ticket items, and prices vary by 30 to 40 percent for the same layout based on appliance brands and stone selection. A fireplace quoted as full-bed stone against the same footprint framed in veneer over block is a different structure with a different footing, which is why the two quotes should not be compared line by line.
Where the fireplace is fed by gas, add the published gas line run from the meter at 400 - 2,000, and allow for underground line runs and trenching at 500 to 2,000 that many quotes leave out. Running gas, water and electric lines to a new outdoor zone is published at 2,000 to 5,000.
Fire performance, clearances and the Valley of the Sun conditions
The published ventilation rule applies to every cooking and heat appliance in the zone: open-air builds need no mechanical ventilation, but covered or enclosed areas require a rated vent hood, because an under-counter appliance or an enclosed room without airflow traps smoke and heat, damaging finishes. A fireplace under a solid cover is exactly the case that rule is written for.
Gas appliances carry their own published requirement - proper ventilation for gas appliances and the code-required clearances - and the failure signals published for a gas line are specific: a gas smell, weak flame, or hissing at a fitting means the line needs attention immediately, and a licensed pro should pressure-test the line and confirm the system is safe before you cook. Stainless and weather-rated construction, sealed electrical connections, and covers rated for UV exposure are the published list for anything that lives outdoors.
Phoenix is a 110 F-plus summer metro with an extreme-UV load and a storm-peaked monsoon. The NWS Phoenix forecast office publishes daily probability tiers for the metro at 100, 105, 110 and 120 F and keeps a running yearly count of Phoenix days at or above 110 F (https://www.weather.gov/psr/heat, HTTP 200), and the monsoon season runs through September 30, bringing the dust storms (wind gusts 40-60 mph) and thunderstorms NWS calls the most dangerous weather period of the Southwest year (https://www.weather.gov/psr/MonsoonSafety, HTTP 200). Sun load is the second half of the exposure: on EPA's UV Index scale everything at 8 and above is 'very high to extreme', where EPA advises extra protection even outside of peak hours (https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/uv-index-scale-0, HTTP 200). The practical consequences for an outdoor kitchen are that shade and heat/UV tolerance drive material selection rather than looks, and that the usable season inverts: roughly October through May is the comfortable cooking season, while June through September is the survival season for both people and finishes. shapes the rest of the specification. Materials published as holding up best in heat and humidity are powder-coated aluminum and stainless steel, along with stone or brick veneer for the structure, with pressure-treated or cedar frames working well when sealed properly. Around the footings, The Salt River Valley floor is mapped almost entirely in hyperthermic, calcareous USDA-NRCS soils, and the local 'caliche' is a real mapped layer rather than a construction myth: the Pinal series (loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Haplodurids) has a silica-lime indurated duripan - cemented hardpan - at roughly 12 to 18 inches in Maricopa County (https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/P/PINAL.html, HTTP 200), while Laveen Haplocalcids carry a calcic horizon from as shallow as 3 inches (https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/L/LAVEEN.html, HTTP 200) and Mohall Calciargids from 20 to 40 inches (https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/M/MOHALL.html, HTTP 200). For an outdoor kitchen that means three things: post footings and island anchor bolts can stop on cemented hardpan well short of the intended depth; trenching a gas or electrical line through a duripan or petrocalcic layer can require a breaker rather than a shovel; and because those layers slow water movement, grading, drainage and runoff detail matter more than the soil name on the map (check the specific lot with USDA-NRCS Web Soil Survey, https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/). and site drainage decide how the base is built: the slab should slope away from the structure, poor drainage leads to standing water, moss, and rusted appliance bases, and site drainage is one of the three things - weather patterns, soil characteristics, and building code requirements - that published guidance says to check before a design is finalized.
Local note for Gilbert
Gilbert sampling (USDA-NRCS Soil Data Access) returns Contine clay loam and Mohall loam; Contine is a fine, Vertic Calciargids with a calcic horizon at 20 to 40 inches (https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CONTINE.html, HTTP 200) and Mohall is a Typic Calciargids with the same 20-to-40-inch calcic layer (https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/M/MOHALL.html, HTTP 200). Fine-textured, shrink-swell clay is the one to plan around - it moves with irrigation and monsoon moisture, so footings, slab edges and hardscape joints need real detail, not a standard detail.
Gilbert's water is a blend of canal-delivered surface water from SRP (Salt and Verde rivers) and CAP (Colorado River) feeding the town's two surface-water treatment plants, plus reclaimed water and groundwater, and the town holds a State-issued 100-year Assured Water Supply designation (https://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/public-works/water/water-quality-91 and https://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/public-works/water/water-resources/water-supply - both HTTP 403 to our datacentre IP, which is bot protection on the correct town source rather than a dead link). Hardness is the number to know before plumbing an outdoor sink or ice maker: the town publishes an average of 8-10 grains per gallon for Gilbert's water (https://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/public-works/water/faq, HTTP 403 to our IP) - softer than most of the Valley, but still high enough to leave mineral film on stone and stainless.
Utility accounts: Town of Gilbert Utilities Division (Water) · 480-503-6800
Checking a quote in Gilbert
- Is the quote itemised for the island, the countertop, the appliances and the connections, or is it one lump sum?
- Who pulls the gas and electrical permits, and is that cost in the quote?
- Is the countertop templated after the island is built, and what happens if the measurement is wrong?
- Are the appliances supplied by the contractor or by me, and who handles their warranty?
- What is the workmanship warranty on the masonry and the countertop, separately from the appliance warranties?
Frequently asked questions
How much does an outdoor fireplace cost in Phoenix?
The fireplace-specific published band is 12,000 to 40,000 depending on size and stone. Added to an existing outdoor kitchen, an installed outdoor fireplace is published at 2,000 - 8,000. For context, the typical project range is 15,000 and 35,000, and a custom build with a pergola, refrigeration, cabinetry, sink and outdoor fireplace is published at 25,000 to 50,000. A gas feed adds a published line run from the meter at 400 - 2,000.
Should I choose wood-burning or gas?
Both are published options, and the trade-off is in the specification. Wood-burning requires a spark screen and a code-compliant chimney height, and the local position on wood-burning with a proper spark arrestor should be confirmed with Inside Phoenix, residential outdoor-kitchen work is permitted by the City of Phoenix Planning & Development Department (PDD), which issues residential building, gas, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits, runs plan review and inspects, from the permit centre at 200 W. Washington St. (https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/pdd/residential-building.html, HTTP 200). PDD's own guide puts detached structures without utilities of 200 sq ft or less and uncovered patio slabs or decks less than 30 inches above grade outside permit scope, while attached patio covers or ramadas, gas lines and gas-fired equipment, electrical circuits, sinks/sewer/water lines and change-of-drainage conditions all require one (How to Obtain a Residential Permit, https://www.phoenix.gov/pddsite/Documents/TRT/dsd_trt_pdf_00823.pdf, HTTP 200). Properties in unincorporated Maricopa County are permitted by the county rather than the city (https://www.maricopa.gov/1385/Permit-Application, HTTP 200).. Gas needs a permitted line run from the meter by a licensed plumber, sized to the total BTU of every appliance, with the code-required clearances. Either way the firebox stays firebrick-lined and rated for 1,800-degree temperatures.
Does an outdoor fireplace need a permit?
A covered structure or any gas, electrical or plumbing work usually requires one - a gas line is published as requiring a permit and a licensed plumber, and anything over 12 ft tall usually triggers a permit as well. Published permit costs run 100-500 through the building department, with a calculator allowance of 75 - 400; the two published figures disagree, so confirm which applies to your scope.
