Backyard fireplaces for outdoor living

David Cash lights the fire pit in the backyard as Elizabeth Low and Violet, 2, enjoy the warmth of the fire. The fire pit is a pre-formed unit from Bourget Bros. After her plumber ran the gas line, Low filled the pit with lava rock and colored rock.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Jim Rash, an Oscar-winning writer (“The Descendants”), relaxes in his Mar Vista backyard.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Chad Rothman and Michael Moore enjoy movie night in the backyard of their home in the Brookside neighborhood, just south of Hancock Park.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Moore and Chad Rothman gave their existing fire pit a new look by using a surface bonding cement that they saw on TV and applied themselves for a more streamlined, modern effect. Total cost: $200.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The fireplace seating area of Jack Latner’s midcentury Hollywood Hills home is the perfect place to appreciate the 70-year-old sycamore tree that grows through two floors of the house.   (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

In Lincoln Heights, Ilse Ackerman, husband Meeno Peluce and their two girls, Mette, left, and India enjoy the curved seating area and fire pit that Ackerman built using earth bags - dirt-filled polypropylene tubes - from the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture in Hesperia.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

An outdoor living room in the Santa Monica former home of cowboy star Leo Carrillo. “High School Musical” creator Bill Borden and architect Melinda Gray enjoy the surroundings.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Architect John Frane relaxes in his Venice backyard.   (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A fireplace sitting area is one of the outdoor rooms that are part of a Mediterranean-style home in Altadena.  (Nancy Pastor / For the Times)

HGTV star Jamie Durie installed a fireplace in the wall of an outdoor living area at his Laurel Canyon home.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A flowing garden fireplace and outdoor dining table sets the scene for entertaining at this pueblo-style residence north of Joshua Tree National Park.   (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

At the home outside Joshua Tree National Park, the outdoor fireplace and long dining table are the heart of gatherings with friends.   (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

A midcentury fireplace warms up chilly desert nights in Joshua Tree.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

In this Mediterranean-style garden, the outdoor fireplace features hexagonal terra cotta tiles and glazed ceramic tiles.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

This outdoor fireplace is outfitted with storage for firewood.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

An outdoor fireplace, inspired by Camp Curry at Yosemite, at the Venice office of landscape designer Jay Griffith.   (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)