Outdoor fireplaces are great if you like spending your time relaxing in you patio, away from the confines of your living room ceiling and walls. If you like watching the moon and the stars even on cold December nights, then an outdoor fireplace is for you.

These warmers have plenty of variations. They can be portable or fixed. The fixed kind can stand as a separate unit or can be built into a wall. They can be plain and simple or ornate and elaborate. Materials used to make them can be etched cast iron, clay, aluminum, or stone. They can be fuelled either by wood or gas. They can even be electric-powered.

These variations often translate to widely divergent dollar costs of outdoor fireplaces. Portable types generally cost lower than those built into your patio or yard. These are generally made of steel or cast iron and smaller than the built-in type. You can buy one for as low as $100, although if you want quality, this will have to go a little higher. A portable wood-fuelled cast iron outdoor fireplace with copper accents, for instance, can be purchased for about $180.

Stand-alone fixed units usually have bigger dimensions than the portable kind and thus are more expensive. These can be pre-manufactured or custom-designed. Price range can vary from about $500 to as much as $4,000 depending on the size, materials used, and design.

The most expensive outdoor fireplaces are custom designed units built into your patio walls. This is because you will need professionals to create a design specific to your requirements. These are most visually appealing as they blend into the structure and design of your house. The cost, however, can go as high as, or even higher than, $10,000.

With all these fireplaces, you have a choice of a wood-burning, gas-supplied, or electric-powered fireplace. As a rule, wood burners are least expensive while electric fireplaces are the most costly. However, a huge elaborately designed wood burner can easily be more expensive than an electric-powered of smaller dimensions and simpler design.