Don’t Get Burned: 3 Crucial Steps to Take Before Building Your Outdoor Fire Pit

In recent years fire pits have become increasingly popular. Of course we enjoy the company of our guests partnered with a beautiful outdoor fire pit, but there’s just something comforting about sitting by the fire talking with friends and family.

While many homeowners get caught up in designing their new fire pit, they don’t always give a second thought as to how it might affect their homeowners insurance. It’s essential to take the appropriate precautions before and after it’s built.

3 Crucial Steps to Take Before Building an Outdoor Fire Pit

Step 1: Check with local officials. Before going all out on a new fire pit, make sure you have approval to have one on your property. To understand your local rules and regulations, call your local fire department. It’s also a good idea to check with your homeowners association to see if there are any rules against them. While allowed in many areas around Alabama, it never hurts to check before making the investment.

Step 2: Review your coverage limits. A fire pit is typically going to have coverage under your homeowners policy in your other structures coverage. However, you want to ensure you have adequate limits should something happen. With typical property coverage at 10% for other structures, you’ll want to calculate how much insurance would pay if it were to cause damage to your property and ensure that amount is what it needs to be.

At the same time, you’ll want to look at your liability coverage on your homeowners policy. When involving fire, there’s always the risk of injury or accident. Now is the time to ensure you have enough coverage for any medical bills that may result from injuries caused by the fire pit.

Step 3: Practice fire safety. There are many things to remember when it comes to a safe, contained fire, it begins with common sense. That includes checking the wind and weather conditions prior to starting a fire, closely supervising young children and pets, and always keeping a fire extinguisher nearby.

Whether you’re just starting to consider building a fire pit, or you did it years ago, it’s never too late to make sure you have the proper coverage with your homeowners policy. A fire pit can greatly increase your exposures and risks. Therefore, having the right coverage in place is definitely worth a second thought.