Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for fire pit and outdoor fireplace builders.
Deposits, small weekend fire pit jobs alongside full masonry fireplaces, gas line subs, and the veneer stone that costs more than the burner. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
September came in at $9,500. The gas burner kit and veneer stone for the Ellis fireplace both went in as materials for that job.
- Deposit, Ellis outdoor fireplaceJob deposits
- Final payment, Nash fire pitFinal payments
- HPC gas burner kitGas burner kits
- Cultured stone veneer orderMasonry and veneer
- Riverside Plumbing gas line subGas line subs
Why your books are different
Fire pit and fireplace books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business runs a two-day prefab fire pit install one week and a full masonry fireplace with a gas line sub the next, and those two jobs cost almost nothing alike. When the books blend them, you cannot tell which kind of job is actually worth booking more of.
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1
Small fire pits and full fireplaces get costed the same way
A prefab gas fire pit kit installed in a day and a full masonry fireplace with a chimney and gas line built over a week use completely different materials and labor, but when both get logged under one construction category, the owner cannot see which one actually pays better per hour.
What we doTags material and labor costs to the job and the build type, so fire pit margin and full fireplace margin show up separately. -
2
Gas line subcontractor cost hides inside masonry labor
A licensed plumber running a gas line to a fireplace or pit gets paid out of the same account as the masonry crew, hiding how much of the job's real cost is licensed trade work instead of stone and block labor.
What we doKeeps gas line subcontractor costs in their own category, tagged to the job, separate from masonry crew wages. -
3
Veneer stone and the burner kit blur into one materials line
A gas burner kit from a brand like HPC and the cultured stone or brick veneer around it get bought from different suppliers but often land in one general materials bucket, hiding which part of the job the customer is really paying a premium for.
What we doKeeps burner kits and veneer stone on separate lines against the job, so both costs are visible on their own. -
4
A deposit looks like profit before the stone is even ordered
A deposit on a full masonry fireplace that will not start for two weeks shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single block is laid.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a big deposit month does not hide a thin one underneath it.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a fire pit and fireplace builder.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing for larger fireplace jobs, tracked against the job.
- Same-day fire pit installsSmaller prefab jobs paid in full at completion.
- Final paymentsWalkthrough payment once a full fireplace build is complete.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
Money out
- Gas burner kitsHPC or similar burner and ignition systems, kept apart from veneer stone.
- Masonry and veneerBlock, brick, and cultured stone for the fireplace surround.
- Gas line subsLicensed plumbers running gas lines to fire pits and fireplaces.
- Crew wagesMasonry and install crew pay, kept apart from subcontractor costs.
- Equipment rentalMixers and saws for masonry and stone cutting.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz, Angi, and Google local services ads.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or Square kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Fire pit versus fireplace margin
How quick fire pit installs compare to full masonry fireplaces, so you know which to sell more of.
- Gas sub cost share
Gas line sub pay against money in, tracked apart from masonry labor.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for fireplaces not yet built, so a big deposit month does not look like profit that is not there yet.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things fire pit and fireplace builders ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I booked it as a change order on the same job, so the added scope and what it cost are both visible.
The Ellis fireplace closed out this month. Full fireplace jobs bring in more than a fire pit install, so a month with one carries harder.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a fire pit and fireplace business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A gas sub cost buried in masonry labor, a burner kit filed like veneer stone, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsA mixer, saw, or trailer bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a gas line plumber, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions fire pit and outdoor fireplace builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Mixer and stone saw rental
- Burner kit spare parts
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Houzz and Angi lead fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Stone and veneer samples
- Truck wraps and yard signs
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A fire pit and fireplace year, kept every month.
Fire pit demand climbs as evenings cool, and full fireplace builds keep running into fall. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before spring demand for outdoor living projects picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether fire pits or fireplaces carried the summer.
- October
Before the fall rush
A look at any equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December, timed to when fireplace demand climbs.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for fire pit and outdoor fireplace builders. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions fire pit and fireplace builders ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run estimates in Jobber. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a mixer or saw all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are behind from last season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
How does Gus tell fire pit jobs apart from full fireplace builds?
He tags material and labor costs by job and build type, so a quick fire pit install and a full masonry fireplace show up as two different margins, not one blended average.
Do you handle sales tax on the stone and burner kits I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in outdoor living & structures
We keep books for the business next door too.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever