Avis Builders and Design · Fire Pits & Fireplaces
Fire Pits & Fireplaces in San Jose, CA
Gas or wood-burning fire pits and outdoor fireplaces, built in masonry on footings sized for the load.
- Licensed & Bonded, CSLB #1142220
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Why Avis Builders and Design for Fire Pits & Fireplaces
Licensed & Bonded
CSLB #1142220 · B, General Building
One team, start to finish
Design, permitting and build run by the same general contractor.
Written scope before work starts
You approve the itemised scope, so the job is described before it is priced.
Fire Pits & Fireplaces across Santa Clara County and the greater Bay Area
An outdoor fire pit or fireplace is a permanent fire feature built into a backyard, either a low fire pit set on a non-combustible base or a taller masonry fireplace on its own footing. Avis Builders and Design builds both across San Jose and Santa Clara County as a licensed California general contractor, CSLB #1142220, classification B general building. The masonry, the framing and the site work are our own scope. Any gas line is run by a licensed plumbing contractor and any electrical is done by a licensed electrical contractor, both under the general contract.
There are really two products here and they are not the same build. A fire pit is the smaller one: gas or wood-burning, set as a masonry or stone structure or as a prefabricated insert dropped into a surround, sitting on a proper non-combustible base with real clearance from the house, the deck and anything else that burns. An outdoor fireplace is the larger one: a masonry structure, or a steel firebox with a masonry veneer over it, tall enough and heavy enough that it needs a real footing and a flue and chimney built to height and clearance.
Both can run on gas or burn wood, and which of those is even allowed depends on where the property sits and what the local rules say. Bonded and carrying workers' compensation coverage through the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Rated 5.0 on Google. A consultation starts with a walk of the actual yard, where the feature would sit, what is behind the wall it backs up to, how far it stands from the deck and the eaves, and what the soil looks like where the footing would land. The consultation is free and there is no estimate until someone has stood in the space. Third-party financing is available, and we offer senior and veteran discounts.
Call (408) 208-0551 free estimate.
What fire pits & fireplaces actually involves
Start with which of the two things you are actually building, because a fire pit and an outdoor fireplace are different projects that happen to share a name. A fire pit is the low one. It can be built as masonry or stone laid up in a ring or a square, or it can be a prefabricated steel or concrete insert set into a surround that gets finished to match the yard. It can burn wood or run on gas.
Whatever it is, it sits on a non-combustible base, and it holds real clearance from the house, from a wood deck, from a fence and from the eaves and anything overhead. A gas fire pit is a small assembly. It needs a gas line run by a licensed plumbing contractor, an approved burner and pan sized for the pit, and very often an electronic ignition, which is where a licensed electrical contractor comes in. An outdoor fireplace is the larger and heavier one.
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It is a masonry structure, or a steel firebox wrapped in a masonry veneer, with a firebox, a throat, a flue and a chimney carried up to the height and clearance the code wants. Because it weighs what it weighs, it does not go on the surface. It gets a real footing or foundation, and that is the first place a fireplace project is won or lost. Much of the Santa Clara Valley is expansive clay, the soil that takes on water in January, swells, then shrinks back through a dry September.
A heavy masonry stack set on a shallow pad or straight on pavers rides that movement and eventually cracks or leans. The footing gets sized for the load and set so water drains away from it, and it gets planned on paper before any surface goes down rather than cut in after the patio is finished. Then the question of gas versus wood, which around here is not only a preference. Wood-burning outdoor fire features can be restricted by air-quality rules under the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and by HOA and local ordinances on top of that, so a wood-burning pit or fireplace may simply not be allowed at a given address, or may be allowed only under conditions.
Gas appliances are generally permitted and inspected. Which one is legal for your property is something a plan checker and the local rules govern, and it gets confirmed before anyone commits to a design, not discovered after the masonry is up. If the property sits in a designated fire hazard severity zone, which happens in the hills above Los Gatos and Saratoga, an open-flame feature gets extra scrutiny and that is confirmed with the building and fire department first.
On the build itself, materials are chosen for weather as much as for looks. Stone veneer, block and brick all work outdoors, and they get sealed against a climate that runs dry heat into steady winter wet. On a gas fire pit the media on top, glass or lava rock, is a finish choice made near the end rather than a structural one. A firebox that will see real wood fires is detailed differently from one that only ever holds a gas burner, so that decision belongs at the start.
Permitting is part of the work. A gas line pulls a permit, and a permanent fireplace pulls one too. An address inside San Jose city limits is permitted through the city building department, while an unincorporated address goes through Santa Clara County, and the two do not run the same counter or the same submittal requirements. Inspections follow in stages, and building past a stage the inspector has not seen is how a project stalls and how finished work gets torn back open.
The last piece is coordination, and it is the reason a fire feature is easier as part of a bigger outdoor job than as a standalone add-on. The gas line and any electrical conduit want to be in the ground before the deck boards or the patio surface go over them. The fireplace footing wants to be poured while the ground is still open and the other footings on the job are going in. Gas and electrical work is performed by the appropriately licensed trade under the general contract, a licensed plumbing contractor for the gas and a licensed electrical contractor for the wiring, with our general building license carrying the masonry, the framing, the footing and the site work as its own scope and carrying the project as a whole.
How to decide what you need
Decide first whether you actually want a fire pit or an outdoor fireplace, because they solve different problems and cost very different amounts. A fire pit is lower, lighter, cheaper and more social, people sit around it on all sides, and it is the right call for most backyards that just want somewhere to gather in the evening. An outdoor fireplace is a heavy masonry structure with a chimney, it anchors one edge of a space and throws heat and light in one direction, and it carries the footing, the flue and the permit weight that come with that.
If you are not sure, that is a good thing to sort out at the consultation before any drawing gets made, because the footing and the site plan are completely different for the two. Settle gas versus wood early, and settle it against the rules rather than against taste alone. Gas is clean, it lights at a switch, it holds a steady flame and it is generally permitted and inspected without much fuss. Wood gives you the real fire and the smell, but wood-burning outdoor features can be limited by Bay Area air-quality rules and by HOA or local ordinances, and at some addresses a wood-burning feature is simply not going to be approved.
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Find out what your address and your HOA allow before you fall in love with a design, because the answer can take one of the two options off the table. If you want the flexibility, a gas feature is the safer bet on approval. Think hard about where it sits relative to everything that can burn. A fire feature needs clearance from the house wall, from a wood deck, from fences and from anything overhead like eaves, a pergola or a low tree.
A pit tucked too close to a wood deck or under a low cover is a clearance problem an inspector will catch and a safety problem even if nobody catches it. Walk the yard and be honest about how much open, non-combustible room the feature really has, because that constraint often decides the size and the spot more than the budget does. Be realistic about the footing on clay. If you want a full masonry fireplace, it is going on a reinforced footing sized for its weight, and on the expansive clay under most of this valley that footing is not optional and not cheap.
A contractor who quotes a heavy masonry stack without a word about the footing under it is quoting the part you can see and skipping the part that keeps it standing. Ask what the feature sits on and how it ties into drainage. And plan it alongside the rest of the work if there is any. If a deck, a pergola, an outdoor kitchen or a new patio surface is coming, even a year out, say so, because the gas line, the electrical conduit and the fireplace footing are all far cheaper to put in once, before the surface goes over them, than to cut back in later.
Finally, ask the license and trade questions. Ask for the CSLB number and run it on the state's license lookup, checking that the status is active and the bond and workers' compensation are current. Ask who runs the gas line, and the right answer is a licensed plumbing contractor, not the general contractor personally. Ask who does any wiring, and the right answer is a licensed electrical contractor. Ours is CSLB #1142220, and the gas and electrical go to the licensed trades under the contract. A contractor who says he will handle the gas himself on a general license is offering you a shortcut you do not want.
Our Process: Fire Pits & Fireplaces
The Avis Builders and Design Fire Pits & Fireplaces Process
Every fire pits & fireplaces job runs the same four stages.
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Step : 01
Free in-home consultation
We come to the property, walk the yard, and talk through what you want, a gathering fire pit or a full outdoor fireplace, gas or wood. We look at where it could sit, the clearance to the house, the deck and the eaves, what is behind the wall it would back up to, and what the soil looks like where a footing would land. No estimate is issued from a satellite photo.
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Step : 02
Design, siting and allowed-fuel check
The feature gets laid out: type, size, materials and exactly where it sits relative to combustibles. This is also where the fuel question gets answered against the rules, whether wood-burning is allowed at your address under air-quality and any HOA or local restrictions, or whether gas is the way to go. Getting this right here is why it comes before drawings rather than after.
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Step : 03
Footing, gas and electrical planned together
For a masonry fireplace the footing is sized for the load and the clay and tied into drainage. The gas line route and any electrical for ignition or lighting are planned now, so a licensed plumbing contractor and, where needed, a licensed electrical contractor can be scheduled and so the rough-in lands before any surface goes over it.
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Step : 04
Permit submittal
Drawings go to the City of San Jose building department, or to Santa Clara County for unincorporated addresses, or to the relevant city for other jurisdictions we serve. The gas line and a permanent fireplace both permit here. Clearance, flue height, fire hazard severity zone status and any drainage conditions get confirmed with the plan checker at this stage.
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Step : 05
Build and staged inspections
Footing, masonry or firebox, flue and chimney, the licensed-plumber gas line and any licensed-electrician wiring go in, with the inspector seeing the work at the stages the jurisdiction requires. The site is kept contained rather than left open across the yard, and no stage gets covered before it has been seen.
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Step : 06
Final walkthrough and handoff
We walk the finished feature with you, confirm the gas appliance and any ignition work as they should, cover how to run and care for it, and hand over the permit final along with the labor warranty on the workmanship.
Real Reviews
What our customers say
Wonderful company that helped build a railing on our deck. Shay, from Avis Builders and Design, was prompt, answered all my many, many questions, and helped to create a wonderful final product. Everything was explained well and the price was very reasonable. I cannot recommend them enough!
We recently hired Avis Builders and Design to make long needed repairs and restore the finish on our redwood deck. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. Project manager Shay assessed the job and made sure all our questions were answered and needs met for a fair price. Oscar and crew mate were on time, courteous, and efficient and completed the work as outlined in our contract. Very happy we chose Avis to do the job. Definitely recommend Avis Builders.
We contacted Avis Builders and Design because we wanted to remodel several areas of our home, including the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, painting, and a few other updates throughout the house.
Shay was great to work with from the beginning. He explained everything clearly, helped us understand our options, and made the whole process feel much more organized. There were a lot of details to figure out, but Shay helped coordinate everything, including the design side and communication with the engineer when needed.
The team did a great job, paid attention to the details, and we're very happy with how everything turned out. We would definitely recommend Avis Builders and Design to anyone looking for a reliable remodeling contractor.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions: Fire Pits & Fireplaces
Do I need a permit for an outdoor fireplace or fire pit in San Jose?
A permanent outdoor fireplace pulls a permit, and running a gas line to any fire feature pulls one too. A simple portable wood or propane bowl you can pick up and move is a different thing, but anything built in and anything with a gas line is permitted work. An address inside city limits goes through the San Jose building department, while an unincorporated address goes through Santa Clara County, and the two do not run the same counter. We handle the submittal and meet the inspector at the required stages, so the permit is not something you are left managing.
Gas or wood-burning, which one is allowed in the Bay Area?
It depends on your address, and it is worth checking before you settle on a design. Wood-burning outdoor fire features can be restricted by Bay Area Air Quality Management District rules and by HOA or local ordinances, so at some properties a wood-burning pit or fireplace is limited or not approved at all. Gas appliances are generally permitted and inspected. A plan checker and the local rules govern which is allowed for your specific property, so we confirm that before committing to a build. If you want the surest path to approval, gas is usually the safer bet.
Can you run a gas line to a fire pit?
Yes, and the gas line is installed by a licensed plumbing contractor, not by the general contractor under a general building license. Our classification B license carries the project, the masonry, the base or footing and the site work, and the gas line goes to a licensed plumbing contractor under the same contract, with any electronic ignition wired by a licensed electrical contractor. The gas line and burner are permitted and inspected. The clean way to do it is to run the line before the surface around the pit is finished, because reaching it afterward means opening that surface back up.
How close can a fire pit be to my deck or house?
A fire feature has to hold clearance from combustibles, the house wall, a wood deck, fences and anything overhead such as eaves or a low cover, and the exact distances are confirmed with the building department for your address and the specific appliance rather than guessed on site. In practice, clearance is one of the first things we look at on the walk-through, because a spot that is too tight to a wood deck or tucked under a low overhang can rule itself out before anything else about the design matters. Manufacturer instructions for a prefabricated pit or insert also set minimum clearances that have to be met.
Do outdoor fireplaces need a foundation?
A full masonry outdoor fireplace does. It is a heavy structure, and on the expansive clay under most of Santa Clara County it goes on a reinforced footing or slab sized for the load and tied into the site drainage, not set on pavers or a thin pad that will move with the soil. Skipping or undersizing that footing is how a masonry stack cracks or leans a few seasons in. A lighter fire pit does not need a full foundation, but it still gets a proper non-combustible base rather than being laid straight on ground that shifts.
Who builds outdoor fireplaces and fire pits in the Bay Area?
Avis Builders and Design, working from San Jose across Santa Clara County and the wider Bay Area, under CSLB #1142220, classification B general building, current and active, bonded, with workers' compensation coverage through the State Compensation Insurance Fund. The masonry, the framing, the footing and the site work are our own scope. The gas line is run by a licensed plumbing contractor and any electrical is done by a licensed electrical contractor, both under the general contract, which is the correct and legal way for a general building contractor to deliver a gas fire feature.
Ask any contractor you are considering for a license number and run it on the state's license lookup, and ask specifically who runs the gas, because the right answer is a licensed plumbing contractor. Ours is CSLB #1142220.
Where We Work
Serving Santa Clara County and the greater Bay Area
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