My favorite Swiped Product 2017
Propane Fire Pit from A Wine of a Kind!
It’s hard to believe that we have been in our house for 2 years. When you build, it takes time to fully furnish and decorate each area to make it feel like home. Now we can take our decorating beyond the main living spaces. This spring I focused on creating a backyard oasis.
We had a gas line installed from the house to the back patio. Advised by a family member who had recently gone through the building process. He told us the line would allow us the flexibility to later add a built-in fire pit or even connect a gas grill to natural gas.
The journey to finding the perfect fire pit was a bit bumpy. We had ordered a hot tub and the hot tub dealer Jeff, also was a vendor of several fire pits and outdoor design fixtures. I browsed his catalogs and could not find a style that I liked.
Natural Gas vs Propane
He explained that while we had the gas line that just a start. The BTUs required to support the fire pit would depend on several factors; like the distance of the fire pit from the gas line, number of elbows, size of the fire pit, gas pressure etc. In other words, it was not a simple matter of connecting the unit to the line.
Since our patio was poured and stamped, there was no easy way to bury the gas line and place the fire pit centrally. Not without drilling into the existing concrete. Since we had the concrete patio colored and stamped, it would difficult to match it. Not the news I was hoping for.
These details should be considered in the planning stages of building a home. The next best option that would be reasonable on the wallet, would be to go with a propane fire pit.
This option gave us some additional benefits;
- the ability to move the unit if needed
- lower cost by avoiding the process of conversion
- we live on a sloped lot with a limited amount of level space to entertain this fire pit takes up a lot less space.
Find out more about what to consider if you are deciding between a natural gas and propane fire pit from HGTV.
Wine is my drink of choice. Research is my thing. Thus I started to branch out into my own late night online searches for the perfect fire pit. I found this one on Hayneedle from Vin de flame. It was gorgeous. Loved the concept of incorporating a wine barrel into the area we gather to chat with family and friends.
After I ordered it, I told my hot tub dealer I no longer needed his help with the fire pit, I had found the perfect one on my own. He asked if I could provide him with the link and picture of what I had found and when I shared it with him, he said he had never seen anything like it.
Using a Vendor
As a vendor, he could become a dealer of that brand and could get me a better price. I scrambled to cancel my order and luckily caught the transaction before it was processed.
Nevertheless, I was not out of the weeds. As I went through the ordering process with Jeff, several specification questions needed to be decided. When his staff referenced to the order, the link they sent me from the website depicted a very different image from the one I fell in love with. I brought this to their attention. They reassured me, the model would look like the image I sent them from Hayneedle.
Unfortunately, after two months of waiting for the fire pit was delivered and set up while we were on Spring Break. My excitement for this new center of entertainment quickly waned. It definitely did not match the picture of what I ordered! Is it just me or does everything awesome have to come with a side of problems? Once again my laufty plans had gone astray.
My saving grace was that I had used a dealer for the order instead of the big box online store which would have surely held me responsible to ship it back.
Vin de flame had changed the design and replaced the flat strap that wrapped the unit with a cooper heavy chain. What they failed to do was update all their images online. This is the unit that was delivered.
Rustic and country chic but totally not my style or what I envisioned when I ordered. Jeff agreed to refund my order. He still felt it was a good find, and would be an easy piece to sell on his showroom floor. So sadly I sent it back with him.
A Wine of a Kind
Have no fear the search for the best complimentary fire pit was back on. That’s when I found David from a Wine of a Kind on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/listing/522474032/round-coffee-table-fire-pit?ref=shop_home_active_2.
I began corresponding with him on a custom designed fire pit. Even though we began communicating on Easter Morning, David’s response time was quick and concise. With A wine of a kind, we had a lot more control over how the table would look. We could choose the height and circumference of the table; the stain of the wood and the type of stones at the base of the flame can also be specified.
He even offered to stamp the barrel’s top with our wedding anniversary date. We added a glass circle shield to block the wind. The unit included a weather cover to protect it from the rain/snow. It took David 4 weeks to make the unit and an additional week to ship it from Melbourne, FL. You know what they say, good things come to those who wait. This unit was much less at $1800 in comparison to the original fire pit that was $3,275.00 after the discount from the dealer.
We have used the fire pit throughout the summer and have gotten so many compliments.
With this unit, you can enjoy the warmth of gathering around the fire without the lingering smell of smoke. I can ignite the unit without my husband home to haul and set up logs. The fire can be turned on and off in a matter of secs with the turnkey. We love it and that is why it is my favorite swiped product of the year!
My suggestion is to have the table to sealed. This will prevent the area that people sit their drinks from welting. Our friends are having cabinetry made by an Amish family for their bathroom remodel. They took our table top, which can easily be unscrewed from the barrel with them and had it sealed for us. This cost $40.
You will want to keep several tanks on hand.
We had two separate occasions when we ran out of gas in the middle of mingling with neighbors. If you sit out there for a couple hours each time you can get 2-3 fireside chats from a 20 pound tank.
These are standard size tanks so in both cases when we ran out we swapped out our tank from a neighbor’s grill and partied on.
Now we keep 2-3 back up tanks at all times. Make sure when you slide the tank into the compartment that you stand the tank upright or it will not function properly.
If you would like to add this classy unit or design your own, we have a special discount code for our readers. www.etsy.com/shop/AWineofaKind?coupon=LAUFTYLIFE2017
Valid 9/1/2017-12/31/2017 just enter Lauftylife2017 at checkout for a 10% discount.
Happy Swiping
