(919) 634-2359 Free Consult
ENC Designs outdoor living project in coastal North Carolina
Design-Build Service

Custom Fire Pits & Outdoor Fireplaces in Wilmington, NC

ENC Designs curates designer fire pits, full stone fireplaces, and gathering spaces for luxury homes across coastal North Carolina. Gas, wood-burning, or hybrid — every fire feature is rendered in 3D before we break ground and built to anchor your outdoor room for decades.

Book Your Visionary Consult (919) 634-2359
Why Fire Features Matter

The Warmth and Gathering Point of Every Great Outdoor Room

A fire feature is the emotional anchor of a luxury outdoor space. It's the reason everyone ends up gathered in the same spot at the end of a dinner party. It's the thing that stretches your outdoor entertaining into October and November in coastal NC, long after the grill has cooled. Eastern North Carolina Designs builds custom fire pits, full stone fireplaces, and integrated gathering spaces across Wilmington, Smithfield, Carolina Beach, Surf City, Hampstead, Wallace, and Leland — every one of them designed to belong to your home.

No prefab bowl from a big-box store. No afterthought fire ring plopped on an existing patio. Every ENC Designs fire feature is intentional — stone selection, surround seating, gas routing, and integration with the rest of the outdoor room all rendered together in 3D before any construction begins. Pairing fire with the right landscape lighting creates depth and atmosphere that makes the fire feel like a true centerpiece.

Custom stone fire pit with paver patio and Adirondack seating in coastal NC
Three Types of Fire Features

Fire Pits, Fireplaces, and Hybrid Gathering Spaces

Custom stone fire pits are the most popular entry point. Round or square, wood-burning or gas, sized for anywhere from a couple of Adirondack chairs to a full seating circle of eight or ten. The difference between a great fire pit and a mediocre one comes down to stone selection, coping detail, and how cleanly it integrates with the surrounding paver patio.

Full outdoor fireplaces are a completely different experience — a vertical stone or stacked-veneer structure with a real firebox, chimney, and mantle. They create a sheltered, architectural focal point that defines an outdoor living room. We build wood-burning and gas fireplaces, including code-compliant chimneys and clearances, and integrate them with pergolas or pavilions where shade and rain protection matter.

Hybrid gathering spaces combine a fire feature with integrated seating walls — built-in stone benches curved around the fire, often with custom cushions — plus landscape lighting, surrounding plantings, and sometimes a small water element nearby. This is the "Adirondack-style seating area" ENC Designs is known for, and it's the highest-returning investment you can make in an outdoor room because people actually use it every week.

Our Process

The ENC Designs Fire Feature Process

Fire Placement and Seating Review

We walk your property, discuss gas vs. wood, wind and smoke direction, proximity to structures and dining zones, and how you want to use the space.

3D Design Render

We build the fire feature into a digital twin of your property so you see the proportions, stone, and surround seating before anything is built.

Approval & Permits

We handle permits where required, schedule licensed trades for gas lines, and lock in a clear construction timeline.

Stonework, Gas Line, and Seating Build

Footing, firebox, stone veneer, coping, and surround hardscape — all built to spec with clean jobsites and respect for your property.

Lighting & Walk-Through

Final inspection, first fire with you on the property, and a care guide for long-term maintenance.

Frequently Asked

Fire Feature Questions

Both work well — the choice comes down to how you want to use it. Gas fire features light instantly, turn off instantly, and require no ash management, making them ideal for frequent weeknight use and for properties with HOA restrictions on wood smoke. Wood-burning features create more heat and atmosphere and are still widely permitted across Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Surf City, and Smithfield. We design both and help you pick the right fit for your property.

A custom stone fire pit with surround seating typically starts in the mid-four to low-five figures depending on stone selection and size. A full stone outdoor fireplace with firebox and chimney is a larger investment — upper five figures is common. The Visionary Consultation includes a transparent budget conversation before any design work.

Yes, and it's one of our most common projects. We assess the existing hardscape, render the new fire feature in place so you see how it will look, and carefully integrate it without disturbing the existing surround. If the existing patio wasn't built on a proper base, we'll flag it during the consultation.

Most full outdoor fireplaces and gas fire features require permits in coastal NC municipalities. Wood-burning stand-alone fire pits often do not, depending on size and setbacks. We handle all permits as part of every design-build project — you don't chase inspectors, we do.

A stand-alone custom fire pit typically takes 1-2 weeks of active construction after design approval. A full stone outdoor fireplace is 3-5 weeks. Combined with a new patio or outdoor kitchen, timelines run 4-8 weeks. You'll receive a day-by-day schedule the day you approve the 3D render.