Plans for outdoor fireplaces are available from various publishing
houses; several magazines feature illustrations that can be adapted to
the material at hand. If a structure is to be built with local labor and
material, simple designs are advisable. The size of stones, joints, and
proportions have a direct influence upon appearance, and good personal
taste frequently results in more pleasing structures than blind adherence
to conventional designs. The various combinations of ovens, cranes,
grilles, storage compartments, benches, lights, sinks, etc., to be used
as built-in features affect the design. Before planning a structure with
these features, catalogs of dealers in outdoor fireplace equipment should
be consulted for sizes of the available accessories so that ample space
and proper details can be provided in the masonry for building them in.
Skilled labor should be employed for elaborate designs (fig. 42) when
much equipment is built in or when the fireplace, as in figure 41, is an
integral part of a permanent building.
[Illustration: Figure 42.--This fireplace, set at a focal point in the
garden, enhances the landscape. It was built by a skilled mason.]