Here's a handy one-page planning guide (PDF) you can print out and refer to for help answering the key questions for choosing the best size, scale, placement and design for your  concrete fireplace.

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Though the chill of fall is in the air, you can still enjoy evenings outdoors by installing a concrete fireplace. The dimensions and scale of an outdoor fireplace play a crucial role in its overall design. The ambiance of a warm fire can be lost if the fireplace is too small. Conversely, a concrete fireplace that's too large won't be as intimate and inviting, and the heat output could be like an inferno. Other factors to consider are the surroundings, your yard space, type of fireplace, and even local building codes. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect fireplace size and scale to warm up those cool fall nights.

"The size should be determined by the number of people expected to be able to use the fireplace at any given time," says Larry Gucciardo, owner of Dallas Outdoor Kitchens. The main criteria he uses to judge the size of outdoor fireplaces are space constraints, budget, and how it will be used socially.

Zoning guidelines vary from city to city, but most restrict how close you can construct a fireplace to an existing home, and have guidelines for the setback distance from side and rear property lines. These restrictions could significantly affect fireplace size, scale and placement.

A general rule-of-thumb: If you're looking for ambiance, go small. If you're looking for a focal point or to anchor an outdoor room, go large. Gucciardo also recommends a larger fireplace for a restaurant of other public facility. "The fireplace needs to be on a much larger scale than a typical residential one so that it can benefit a larger group of people at one time," he says.

The type of fireplace could also impact the size. A wood-burning fireplace requiring a chimney is typically taller, by as much as 2 feet or more. Gas-burning fireplaces, on the other hand, don't need a chimney at all, and may be more suitable for a smaller, more intimate space. Learn more about wood vs. gas fireplaces.

For a concrete fireplace to blend and become a natural-looking part of an outdoor area, its scale must balance with its surroundings. "A small fireplace would look out of place in a very large area," explains Gucciardo. "I personally like to build fireplaces and incorporate kitchens, BBQs, or pizza ovens into them. They make for a grand statement."