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Ochre Living outdoor fireplace lit in an Australian backyard entertaining area at dusk under a dramatic sunset sky
August 20, 2026

How to Build an Outdoor Fireplace: An Australian Buyer's Guide

Australian Buyer's Guide

Short answer: you can build an outdoor fireplace yourself, in a weekend, without a bricklayer. The rest of this guide covers which size suits your space, where it can go, what the build actually involves, checked against live stock and freight rather than a brochure.

Hayden Pearson, co-founder • Updated 20 August 2026 • 7 minute read

Ochre Living Hotham outdoor fireplace in a suburban backyard, render left natural, with a cooking grill in the firebox and firewood stacked in the log stores built out either side
A Hotham with log stores built out either side, render left natural. A real installation, not a render.

Almost nobody stalls on the price. They stall because they cannot picture how it goes together.

So here is that answer first. It arrives on a pallet as a kit of modular volcanic pumice blocks. The heaviest single piece is about 30 kg across all three models, so one person can lift and place every part of it, by hand, with no crane and no bricklayer. Some customers have had the pallet dropped in the driveway and carried the pieces through the house to the backyard.

You need a level concrete slab, the adhesive that comes in the box, a spare weekend. If you would rather not, we arrange installation and quote it separately.

Step one

Which of the three fits your space

Ochre Living makes three. They share the same pumice build, the same five year structural warranty and the same way of going together. What changes is width, firebox and heat.

Ochre Living Ossa outdoor fireplace, studio view with a lit fire, log storage in the base and one side log store fitted to the right
Ossa$3,200

Courtyards, deck corners and smaller yards. The only one with the cooking grill included.

685 mm wide · 510 mm firebox · 460 kg
Shown with one side log store, sold separately

View the Ossa
Ochre Living Hotham outdoor fireplace, front studio view showing the rendered body, chimney and open firebox
Hotham$4,490

Patios and decks that want a full fireplace presence without the width of the Perisher.

1,090 mm wide · 940 mm firebox · 960 kg

View the Hotham
Ochre Living Perisher outdoor fireplace in a white rendered finish, showing the full body, chimney and built-in wood storage
Perisher$6,490

Large entertaining areas and open yards. The widest firebox and the strongest heat.

1,330 mm wide · 1,180 mm firebox · 1,100 kg

View the Perisher
Verified against live product and freight data, 20 August 2026.
  Ossa Hotham Perisher
Price $3,200 $4,490 $6,490
Width 685 mm 1,090 mm 1,330 mm
Depth 440 mm 640 mm 640 mm
Height 2,155 mm 2,250 mm 2,250 mm
Firebox opening 510 x 340 x 540 mm 940 x 515 x 720 mm 1,180 x 515 x 720 mm
Built weight 460 kg 960 kg 1,100 kg
Cooking grill Included Accessory Accessory
Arrives on Palletised One pallet Two pallets
  • The firebox more than doubles across the range. 510 mm, 940 mm, 1,180 mm. That is what sets how much heat you feel and how big the flame looks, not the overall width.
  • Only the Ossa includes the cooking grill. On the Hotham and Perisher it is bought separately, so add it to the comparison if cooking is part of why you want one.
Step two

What it looks like in a real yard

The render is deliberately a neutral colour, which is why it sits happily in most Australian outdoor settings. You can leave it, paint it, or clad it in feature stone to match or disappear into what is already there. Every photograph below is a real installation. For more layouts, corner builds and double-sided options, see our outdoor fireplace ideas for Australian homes.

Ochre Living outdoor fireplace with render left natural, set against a brick wall in a walled courtyard with firewood stacked in the base and a chair alongside
Render left as it comes, in a walled brick courtyard.
Ochre Living outdoor fireplace in natural render in a planted courtyard, surrounded by white moulded tub chairs and climbing wisteria
The same natural render, softened by planting.
Ochre Living outdoor fireplace painted a dark charcoal, standing under a timber pergola beside an outdoor dining table
Painted dark, under a timber pergola.
Ochre Living outdoor fireplace clad in stacked feature stone with firewood stored beneath the firebox, set on a lawn
Clad in feature stone, with firewood stored beneath.
Ochre Living outdoor fireplace lit at dusk against a rendered house with lit windows, wicker armchairs and a tiled patio
Lit at dusk, sitting against the house.
Ochre Living outdoor fireplace lit on a timber deck at dusk with dark wicker lounge seating arranged around it
On a deck at dusk, with the seating turned to face it.
Step three

Hayden's recommendations

This is what I tell people on the phone. It is the part no specification sheet covers.

Hayden PearsonCo-founder, My Acre. Answers every enquiry himself.
Ochre Living log store filled with split firewood, sitting under a covered outdoor entertaining area

Get the height right; the log store is how you do it

The Hotham is my personal favourite. I would not order one without the under log store. It does two things. It finishes the fireplace visually. It also lifts the fire off the ground to a height you can actually sit around and look into. A firebox at ground level means everyone is staring at their knees.

That single decision changes the piece more than the model you pick.

Ochre Living collapsible cooking grid, a rectangular steel grill with folding legs, shown on a plain background

If you want to cook on it, think about your back

People often tell me they want to cook over the fire. If that is you, the under log store is the easy answer, because it raises the firebox to a workable height. The alternative is pouring your slab higher so the firebox lands where you want it.

Be careful with that second option. Go too high and you lose the fireplace feel entirely. It stops being something you sit around and becomes a wood fired oven you stand at. Both are fine. They are different pieces of furniture though, so decide which one you actually want before the concrete goes down.

Ochre Living Ossa outdoor fireplace shown built out with three log store boxes to one side and one to the other

Buying the Ossa? Build it out sideways

The Ossa's log storage sits in the base of the fireplace, which is what you can see in its photographs. People choose it because it is the small one. A small fireplace is the right answer for a smaller backyard. The catch is that on its own it can read as slightly lost in the space.

Add one or two side log stores and it changes completely. The fireplace stops looking like an object dropped in the yard and starts looking like it was always meant to be there.

Ochre Living side log store, a tall rendered box stacked full of split firewood, standing on a paved outdoor area

The Perisher is a statement piece, so let it be one

Most Perishers go out with two side log stores. That combination turns the whole area around to face the fire, which is exactly what you want in a bigger entertaining space. Plenty of those owners then paint the render or clad it in feature stone, either to match the house or to let the fireplace settle quietly into the landscaping.

What I would actually order

Ossa $3,200plus one or two Side Log Stores, $550 each, to build it out sideways
Hotham $4,490plus the Under Log Store, $550, to lift the firebox to sitting height
Perisher $6,490plus two Side Log Stores, $550 each, to turn the space around to face it

Ring me on 1300 515 620 if you are unsure. Under stores sit beneath the firebox; side stores build out either side.

The material

What outdoor fireplaces are made of

Ochre Living builds in volcanic pumice from Iceland's Hekla volcano, firebrick lined. Pumice is the reason one person can carry the parts: it insulates well, holds heat in the firebox, stays cooler on the outside than dense concrete. It is also light for its bulk. The common alternatives are poured concrete, which needs formwork and a truck, or laid brick and stone, which needs a bricklayer. Neither arrives on a pallet.

Step four

How it actually goes together

These are photographs of a real Ossa build, in order. Guide times below are for the Hotham.

Ochre Living fireplace kit unpacked, with pumice blocks and bags of mortar laid out on gravel beside the house before assemblyOne

It arrives as parts

Pumice blocks, pre-cut firebricks, mortar, adhesive, render, log retainer and chimney. Everything you need comes off the pallet.

Part-built Ochre Living fireplace in bare pumice block standing in a garden, with a ladder alongside and remaining blocks on the groundTwo

The body stacks up

Blocks join with the supplied adhesive. About an hour and a half, then one to two hours lining the firebox.

One person kneeling with a bucket, working on a part-built Ochre Living fireplace in bare block beside a houseThree

One person, no trade

Two bags of render come with the kit, about two hours of work. This is also where you decide on paint or stone instead.

Finished rendered Ochre Living fireplace standing on a lawn beside a house, with an outdoor dining setting nearbyFour

Then you wait

72 hours for the joints and render to cure before the first fire. This is the step people skip. It is also the one that cracks a fireplace.

What comes in the kit

  • Pumice blocks for the body and the chimney
  • Pre-cut firebrick set for the firebox
  • Calderys firebrick mortar
  • Jointing adhesive for the pumice
  • Two bags of external render
  • Log retainer kit, two bars and two brackets
  • Chimney blocks and capping
  • Printed installation instructions

What you still need

  • A level reinforced concrete slab, existing or poured
  • A way to receive a pallet; two of them on the Perisher
  • Firewood, dry and well seasoned
  • The cooking grill, on the Hotham and Perisher only
  • Breathable masonry paint or cladding, if you want a finish other than render
One person in gloves lifting a single pumice block into place by hand during an Ochre Living fireplace build
One person, one block, two hands. From Ochre Living's own Hotham installation guide.

This is the whole answer to "can I build it?"

There is no lifting gear in any of these photographs. The blocks are shaped so they can be gripped, carried, then pressed down onto a bead of adhesive. The tools list runs to a bucket, a sponge, a level, a trowel, gloves, a tape measure, plus an electric drill with a mixing paddle.

One caution worth reading before you commit. Ochre Living say the render should be applied by a competent person, because it is heat resistant, so it needs more care and pressure to spread than ordinary render. The kit supplies enough for one coat. If you want more than one, buy another bag.

Hotham Installation Time Lapse

A full build, start to finish, filmed by Ochre Living.

Hotham Build Animation

Every block, in order, so you can see how the pieces stack.

Step five

Where it can go, what it sits on

  • It sits on a reinforced concrete slab. At least 100 mm thick, extending 150 mm past the fireplace on every side. An existing patio slab often works. If you need one poured, that is a separate local cost and is not in the kit price.
  • Freestanding, raised, or hard against a wall. All three allow any of those, so it can sit in the open, on a plinth, or tight to a boundary wall.
  • Keep at least 100 mm clear of anything combustible. Timber screens, decking, fencing and eaves all count.
  • Sheltered spots may want a taller chimney. It extends in 300 mm blocks, which improves draw under a roof or in a tight courtyard. Blocks are $395 or $495. They can be added later.
  • You cannot light it on a total fire ban day. Wood burning fireplaces are not permitted on total fire ban days in most Australian states and territories. Check your local council or fire authority. If you want a fire that works regardless of bans, bioethanol is exempt in most areas.
  • Smoke drifts, so think about the neighbours. Dry, well seasoned hardwood produces relatively little smoke, but every wood fire produces some. On a tight suburban block it is worth a thought before you light up on a still evening.
Step six

Freight, warranty and changing your mind

Fireplaces are heavy freight, so delivery is charged by state and calculated at checkout once you enter your address.

Live checkout rates, verified 20 August 2026.
Delivered to Ossa Hotham Perisher
NSW & ACT $400 $500 $600
VIC & QLD $600 $800 $900
SA & TAS $700 $950 $1,200
WA & NT $1,200 $1,500 $1,800

Warranty. Five years, structural, covering major structural cracks caused by a manufacturing defect. It does not cover normal hairline cracking, cosmetic weathering, consumable parts such as firebricks and the grill, or damage from burning green or treated timber. If you claim, you send us your order number and photographs and we lodge and chase it with Ochre Living. You never deal with the maker. Full terms on the warranties page.

Changing your mind. Before dispatch, cancel for a full refund. After dispatch a change of mind is by arrangement and the return freight is yours, quoted honestly before you commit. Faults and damage are covered separately. Australian Consumer Law sits under all of it as a floor. Detail on the returns page.

Installation. Our installer is Kit Set Assembly. They position it on your prepared slab, finish the render and walk you through using it, typically in one to two days. Quoted separately, paid to My Acre, coordinated by us. See the installation page.

Price. Find the same fireplace cheaper elsewhere and tell us before you order. We will beat it.

Real customers

What buyers said afterwards

Verified Google reviews from My Acre customers. We publish real reviews only.

Sam M
Verified Google review
★★★★★

on Ochre Living Hotham Complete Fireplace Kit

Recently purchased a Hotham fireplace through My Acre & thought it might be a bit too hard to put together but it was surprising easy & so happy with how it turned out!

Reply from My Acre

Thanks for purchasing with us Sam & glad you're happy with your handy work!

Heidi Lewis
Verified Google review
★★★★★

on Ochre Living Hotham Complete Fireplace Kit

Excellent communication and service from Hayden at My Acre. Personalised customer care and efficiency were on point and Hayden ensured a smooth experience from start to finish with our outdoor fireplace, even when customs delayed our shipment! Highly recommend.

Reply from My Acre

Thank you so much for the kind words Heidi & we appreciate you purchasing with us!

Keep reading

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IdeasOutdoor fireplace ideas for Australian homesTen layouts, from a corner build to a double-sided fireplace between two zones, with a budget table.CompareHow to build a DIY fire pit in AustraliaThe cheaper build, what it really costs in time, plus when buying one instead makes more sense.No fire bansAre bioethanol fireplaces safe?The alternative if total fire bans, smoke or a covered space rule wood out for your block.Buyer's guideBest fire pit in AustraliaIf a full fireplace is more than the space needs, this is the smaller commitment.

Send me a photo of your space

Rough measurements and a photograph are enough. I will tell you which of the three fits, whether your slab is up to it, which log stores I would add, then the delivered price to your postcode. If wood is the wrong answer for your block, I will say that too.

Call 1300 515 620Email your space

Hayden Pearson, co-founder, answers these himself. Miss him and you get a call back the same day.

Hayden Pearson profile picture

Hayden Pearson

Learn More

About the author:
“I have a real passion for helping transform outdoor spaces so people can relax, connect and entertain with confidence and pride. With My Acre, I love guiding homeowners to create beautiful and functional outdoor living areas."

Filed in: Buying Guide, Fire & Warmth, Outdoor Fireplaces
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