By J. Herwick
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If you are interested in upping your fire pit game, or buying your first, and are willing to wait, you may want to put your purchase on the back burner (if you can) for just the right time of year to buy.
Finding fire pits on sale isn’t hard, it’s just a matter of timing. With a little patience, you can save a ton of money and get much more fire pit than you had originally planned for.
Let’s dive in and make sure you get the fire pit you want, at the price you want.
The best time of year to find fire pits on sale is in the Spring months of March through May, as stores add new items related to outdoor living in the warmer months of the year, and in the Fall in late September, October, and November, during the transition to cold winter weather.
Opportunities to save, not specifically tied to the seasons, are also common during the lead-up to major holidays, such as Christmas.
Plus, there is one new sale period in the Spring that’s become very popular in recent years and there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of it.
Some of this might sound like common sense, with fire pits often considered outdoor living products and seasonal – so it would make sense to buy them “off-season.” But what is that season?
If you are a hardcore fire pit user you already know this, but fire pits are a little different than your regular outdoor patio or home and garden item.
There really is no season – it’s always fire pit season!
Regardless of how and when you use your fire pit, there are basically two really good periods during the year to find fire pits on sale.
Let’s keep going to find out which time might be best for you.
The Best Time(s) of the Year to Find Fire Pits on Sale
Some people do put their fire pits away during the colder months (the best time to have them out in my opinion) and break them out in the summer, and on the other hand, some only use their fire pits during the winter months.
But, as we mentioned above, fire pits are generally seen as an item that can be used at any time of year.
But, fire pit retailers are on their own schedule and it’s tied to the times of the year they’ve figured they can move the most inventory and that’s in Spring and Fall.
Spring makes sense with Summer coming up, and as it gets colder in the Fall people are shopping around for fire pits to use right away and in anticipation of Winter.
Fire pits are one of the few outdoor living items that have two strong demand spikes during the year which means more opportunities to save.
Spread out through these seasonal windows are holidays that may result in additional savings depending on the holiday, the retailer, the current season, and other factors.
Buying Fire Pits On Sale in Spring
This is the time period when retailers are stocking up for the surge in demand for outdoor items like lawnmowers, barbecue grills, patio furniture, etc., and a great time to get a deal on a fire pit, another popular outdoor item.
Big-box hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.), local home and garden centers, and a number of online retailers active in the outdoor living (Amazon, Wayfair, Hayneedle, etc.) and/or fire pit space (Woodland Direct, S&S Fire Pits, BBQ Guys, etc.) are all vying for your hard-earned dollar during this period.
Spring is a good time to buy a fire pit as it is, but there are two specific sale periods you’ll want to pay attention to.
One of these is the one that you may not have heard of before that I mentioned in the intro. It’s during these sales below that you may find the best deal of the season. They are:
- Memorial Day (US): Sales connected to Memorial Day, which typically falls on the last Monday of May, usually begin the weekend leading up to the actual holiday.
As it’s one of the largest sale days of the year and is considered the “unofficial” start of Summer, this is a great opportunity to get a good deal on a fire pit.
- Spring “Black Friday”: A relatively new occasion to save on a fire pit that’s sprung up over the last few years and is still a thing (in the U.S.).
Most retailers that participate, again Lowes and Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply, Walmart, Sears, and many others, all sell fire pits and other outdoor living/home and garden products.
The sale period is usually around two weeks long and typically goes from the beginning of April until the middle of the month.
Buying Fire Pits On Sale in the Fall
As it starts to get cold in the Fall, many people want to enjoy their time outside as much as they can before winter sets in. This is when people start thinking about fire pits again.
Many ask if Fall is the best time to buy a fire pit and the answer is probably yes. From the time the kids go back to school (end of August/beginning of September in the U.S.) through September, retailers start clearing their Summer stock and are now under pressure to have strong sales going into the key holiday shopping period.
Pro Tip: Focus on the “pre-fall” timeframe for solid clearance deals related to the end of summer and one of the best holiday-related sale weekends of the year, Labor Day weekend.
Note: End-of-summer deals can be found as early as the 4th of July, so keep your eyes open for fire pits on sale around this time!
To get you ready to buy during this time of year, let’s go over the key sale periods for pre-Fall, Fall, and early Winter:
- Labor Day Weekend: Like Memorial Day Weekend and Summer, Labor Day Weekend is traditionally seen as a holiday marking the end of one season and the start of another, in this case, Fall.
Retailers in the outdoor market will be going all-in to clear their summer inventory to make way for Fall and Winter items.
This is a great opportunity to save on one of the biggest holiday shopping periods of the year.
- Columbus Day Weekend: Although Columbus Day has fallen out of favor in many circles in recent years, retailers still mark the holiday with significant sale opportunities.
Again, brick-and-mortar stores like Home Depot and Lowes, offer deep discounts during Columbus Day, as do online retailers like Wayfair, Hayneedle, and Joss & Main.
- Thanksgiving to New Years: It should be no surprise that the 10 busiest shopping days of the year fall between Thanksgiving, the 3rd Thursday of November, and New Year.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was typically seen as the start of the holiday shopping period but it rolled back a few hours in recent years to Thanksgiving evening.
If you plan to take advantage of sales during this period, know what you are looking for and be prepared to act quickly – stocks will go fast and retailers may not be able to let you know when new items will be back in.
Knowing What You Want in a Fire Pit
Before you start chopping wood and breaking out the matches, get a feel for what you want in a fire pit, what’s out there in the fire pit market, when you might be ready to buy, and what you’d like to spend.
Then get ready to pull the trigger when prices drop.
Besides your budget, there are a couple of things you’ll want to consider first prior to buying:
- State & Local Laws: Before you put in the time and effort to research and buy a fire pit, check out your state and local laws to avoid any frustration, disappointment, or fines down the line.
Your local fire department is a good place to start. If your community has a homeowner’s association (HOA) you may want to check with them as well about fire pit use in your development.
Check out my article Can I Legally Have a Fire Pit in My Backyard? for more on the subject.
- Wood-burning or gas fire pit?: Once you know what the laws and regulations are in your area choosing the fuel source for your fire pit is a solid next step.
Some things to consider – if you live in close proximity to others, smoke might be an issue, making gas a good alternative to wood-burning.
Do you have space to store firewood? Are there restrictions on outdoor wood burning in your area? What do your HOA covenants say about specific kinds of fire pits in your neighborhood?
- Portable or Fixed Fire Pit?: If you’d like to use your fire pit in more than one spot on your property or take it on the road with you from time to time, you’ll likely want to consider a portable fire pit.
If you are looking for something more permanent, and portability is not a concern, you may want to consider a fixed masonry-type fire pit.
These considerations are just a start, but they should set you up to make an informed decision, keep you out of trouble, and make the right choice for your particular situation.
How Much Do Fire Pits Cost?
Owning a fire pit shouldn’t have to break to the bank and fortunately, there is a wide range of wood-burning and gas options with a relatively low barrier to entry price-wise.
Check out the fire pit categories below for price ranges. For each category, I’ve included a price range and some brands in that range as examples:
- Portable Wood-Burning Fire Pits: I define portable as a fire pit that can be safely lifted and carried a relatively short distance by one healthy adult without assistance.
Using this standard, fire pits are available starting at about $35, and going all the way up to around $500.
Examples: These types of fire pits include less expensive options (Amazon Basics, Sunnydaze, Landmann) you can find online at Amazon, Wayfair, etc., or at your local big-box hardware or retail store, up to the more expensive but solid Breeo Double Flame fire pits, the Solo Stove fire pit line, and a few others that round out the high-end of this price range.
- Portable Gas-Burning Fire Pits: These types of fire pits are generally much lighter weight than their wood-burning brethren and can usually be moved easily by one adult. The price range for these types of fire pits typically falls between $75 and $200.
Examples: Well-made gas fire pits in this category include portable options by Outland and Heinenger among others. Note: You’ll most likely need to purchase a 20 lb. propane tank (~$60) or rent one from a propane tank exchange provider like Blue Rhino, so remember to factor that into your costs.
- Non-Portable Wood-Burning Fire Pits: The fire pits I’m talking about here are technically portable but cannot be moved easily or even safely by one adult or even two for that matter.
Examples: High-quality, but heavy, wood-burning fire pits like those made by Ohio Flame and Stahl, with some Breeo models, in a price range of between $400 and $1,000.
- Non-Portable Gas-Burning Fire Pits: These gas-burning fire pits can be moved as well but not easily by one adult. Again, the gas type is much lighter than the wood-burning type but these are mostly table fire pits and can be bulky and difficult to handle for one person.
Examples: Fire pit tables from Outland, Napoleon, some Outdoor Greatroom models, and others, falling in the $500 to $1,000 price range.
High-End Fire Pits
Beyond the range of fire pits I’ve mentioned above, prices can go far beyond the $1,000 price point, with some fire pits going well into the $5,000 to $7,500 range.
I usually don’t write about the very high end of the fire pit market because I have little experience with it and frankly it’s just not my audience.
Consult your local fire pit specialty dealer for more details if this end of the market is in your price point.
Masonry Fire Pits
If you are looking to have a masonry fire pit built for you, it will likely exceed the $1,000 range as well, especially if you are using a licensed and bonded contractor, which you should be.
Like most fire pit purchases, the time of year will have an impact on cost. You want to look to have your fire pit built at a time when work is getting slow for masonry contractors, but also at a time when it’s not too cold outside.
Masonry contractors will usually make you a deal when business is slow, so they can keep their people busy. While this is usually during the cooler months, having the work done when it’s very cold outside is not a good idea.
The problem is, that concrete strength is compromised if the concrete freezes before it can cure properly. A good contractor should let you know this when talking to you about your plans and schedule.
Look to have your masonry fire pit project done before contractors in your area get busy in the early Spring or when business starts to slow down in the early fall when the temperatures and the price are right.
Fire Pits on Sale for the DIYer: Getting a Deal on Masonry Fire Pit Kit
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can buy your own materials and build your fire pit very cheaply – under $100 depending on the size and complexity you choose.
FYI – Lowe’s has a great video here on how to build a DIY masonry fire pit, along with a list of materials.
Also, you may also be able to get a good deal on a fire pit kit (link to Home Depot fire pit kit selection) if you buy during one of the holiday sale periods or seasons, and you still want to do it yourself but with a prefab kit and a solid set of plans.
If you do go the fire pit kit route, check to see that it comes with a metal fire pit ring insert (they come in square too).
Most fire pit kits come with them but just double-check. Using one will make your fire pit last much longer and look better doing it.
Check out my article Do You Need a Fire Ring for a Fire Pit? for more on why fire pit inserts can make a big difference in extending the life of your fire pit’s structure.
In Closing: The best time of year for fire pits on sale
Wrapping up, Fall (and early Winter) is most likely going to be the best time to get the best deal on a fire pit.
With the holidays coming and companies straining to make their 4th Quarter/year-end sales numbers, the stars are aligned for good deals just a little better than they are in the Spring.
Stay on your toes from Labor day through September and if you don’t buy then, be ready pre-Black Friday for the best prices through the holidays to the end of the year.
Don’t wait too long – stocks will clear fast during these surge periods.
That said, if it’s Springtime or a little before that, there will be plenty of good deals to be had before Summer.
If you are not willing to wait until Fall, the difference in money saved may not be worth the wait, so look to buy then if you are ready.
Finally, mark your calendars for the standard 2-3 day weekend holiday sales that occur throughout the year (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, etc.) and be prepared to buy then if the timing is right for you.
Also, check out the rest of my Buyer’s Guide page for a selection of articles covering a number of fire pit types and accessories if you are doing research ahead of a buy.
Thanks for reading, good luck with your shopping, and take care!
John
