Jeff Doubét shows how a courtyard fireplace was designed + built in Santa Barbara, CA. Learn the design and build process through rare time-lapse photography.

Imagine the extra tall flames, random crackle + pops, and the smell of oaky smoke wafting through the air. The finished project became a favorite gathering place for a family living in the foothills of Santa Barbara, CA. 

You may recognize a few of these images of friends gathering around this oversized outdoor fireplace. In this Encore Edition of the blog I thought it would be helpful to share a sequence of construction photos of how the fireplace was designed and built.

This was my original design drawing for the Spanish-style accessory structure. The built project would compliment the main house.

Although a nice start, the homeowner wanted to simplify a few aspects of the design. Mainly, remove the roof stoop above the entry door and the iron window grille. Also, to switch out the large window with a pair of french doors.

All good design instincts and feedback. This is how the front door turned out.

The decomposed granite courtyard provides a look and feel of rural France or Spain. The olive tree on the right had lived there for many decades. The ancient olive tree on the left was imported to the site. Learn more about transplanting large olive trees here.

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Building A Courtyard Fireplace in Santa Barbara

Here are a couple of early construction photos showing the earliest stage of a courtyard fireplace being built. We didn’t want the large fireplace to encroach into the courtyard too much, so the building was notched.

The photo above shows the recessed mid-section of the building where it would be built. Also, how framing for the plaster coving was done. The framers are nailing hand cut, 1-1/8″ thick plywood to each rafter tail, and blocking in between.

Here’s a closeup of how the detail looked before block framing and plaster work. Alot of work for the skilled framers to hand cut hundreds of these plywood template forms. Then, install them around the entire perimeter of the building.

In this photo the stucco team is finishing up the waterproofing in prep for plaster. The Spanish-style accessory structure is 1.5 story in height. The operable clerestory windows deeply recessed in a double framed wall.

The first scratch coat of plaster is going on the building. In this photo you can see the pedestrian side entrance with roof stoop. A 12 foot tall pair of wood barn doors to the left.

On Site Masonry Fireplace Construction Photos

For the overly large size of this Spanish-style courtyard fireplace design, the fireplace engineer recommended the homeowner have it built in a traditional way.

Here, the extensive foundation for the all masonry outdoor fireplace has been poured (and backfilled with dirt). The construction of the firebox begins. Red fire brick is being laid in a herringbone pattern.

Note the blue tape in the background. It was a guide for the masonry contractor. The basic height desired for the interior of the firebox.

Here, heavy plywood templates are jigsaw cut and paired with 2 x 4’s. A temporary mold for a solid concrete pour that will create the fireplace header.

Here the temporary mold was removed. You can see the solid cast concrete beam now spans the full width of the firebox.

Spanish-style Exterior Fireplace Design

There are multiple aspects to designing a Spanish-style exterior fireplace shown in the various photos on this page.

1) Technical building code your architect will help you with. 2) Functionality (drafting properly, etc) your fireplace engineer will specify 3) Decorative details such as styling, trim choices, texture of plaster, etc. your designer can help with.

Once the bulk of the masonry fireplace was built, I was back on site to cut a paper template to confirm the final details of the design.

It truly is a massive fireplace. Not quite tall enough to walk into, but plenty big to have a nice gathering around it.

I made this template out of black roofing paper. You can see how the bulk of the concrete work is very close to the final design.

This black paper template will provide a visual guide for the exterior plasterers. They will arrive soon to add the final detailing of the fireplace. The “step or shelf” at the top of my template will enable room for the subtle “hood swoop” that will also be created in stucco.

Refinement of Other Spanish Architectural Details

Here you can see how the fireplace details and the roof coving turned out.

The painting crew now starting to stain the windows and doors.

The building has been painted, and now a local stone mason hand chisels sandstone boulders. He is making the stone landings at each door opening.

A precious scene captured on film. The young boy shows love and affection for his mom. Building these types of Spanish-style details into your own project will become special backdrops for you, your family and life.

When I first met with the homeowner many years ago… I thought he was crazy for wanting to build such a massive outdoor fireplace. Now, I think about how his early vision for the property was pure genius.

A friendly reminder about the importance of getting out of our comfort zones, and trusting the instincts of others we respect.

My client and I have become close friends, and have completed many other projects on his property, since.

Well friend, this wraps another Encore Edition in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. I hope you enjoyed learning how to infuse more Santa Barbara Style into your own Spanish home design project. Scroll to explore more helpful links and resources for designing and building your own Spanish-style home and landscape.