Backyard Fire Pit with Curved Stone Seating Wall

We want a permanent wood-burning fire pit built into the back corner of our yard, paired with a curved stone seating wall that can comfortably seat six to eight people without needing extra chairs. The pit itself should be roughly 40 inches across, built from a fire-rated block core faced with dry-stacked fieldstone or a similar natural-look veneer, with a steel fire ring insert and a gravel or crushed-granite base for drainage. We are open to either a straightforward wood-burning design or a natural-gas version fed from an existing line near the patio — whichever the contractor recommends after seeing the site, though wood-burning is our preference if local rules allow it.

The seating wall should curve in a broad arc around roughly two-thirds of the pit, sitting about 16 inches high so it doubles as bench seating, capped with a flat bluestone or similar slab wide enough to set a drink on. We need the whole installation set back at least the clearance our county requires from the house, fence line, and any overhanging trees, and the excavation has to go below frost depth with a compacted gravel base under both the pit and the wall footing so nothing heaves or cracks over winter.

Scope should include marking utility lines before digging, excavation, base compaction, block and stone work for both structures, the fire ring or gas burner installation, spark screen if wood-burning, and a final cleanup of the work area. We would like this finished before the weather turns, so a realistic timeline and a materials list up front would help us plan. Photos of comparable finished fire pit and seating wall combinations you have built are appreciated when you submit a proposal.