Building a Fire Pit
There’s something about an open fire that just feels right. Whether it’s the sight of the flickering flames, the warmth of the fire or the scent of burning wood, almost everybody enjoys sitting around an open fire. Fortunately for some of us, we don’t have to be camping in the woods to enjoy a fire; we can build a fire pit in our yard and enjoy a fire whenever we want.
Building a fire pit isn’t expensive or overly hard, and it’s well within the skill set of virtually any DIY’er. Here’s how to go about building your own backyard fire pit.
Check local building codes and find a location.
- Before starting to build your fire pit, check with your city or town hall to find out if there are any restrictions on building a fire pit in your area. Some areas do restrict open fires, so it’s best to check before you build.
- Assuming you can legally have a fire pit, choose a good location for it. You want your pit to be on relatively level ground, well away from your house, trees, shrubs and any outbuildings. Also, have the local utilities come and mark the locations of their facilities on your property so you don’t damage them while building your fire pit.
Build your fire pit.
- After you’ve found the perfect location, mark the outline of the pit on the ground with spray paint or even flour. (A garden hose makes a great circle template.) A manageable size for your fire pit would be a circle about 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
- Now comes the hardest part;, you need to dig the pit area down about 12 inches. After digging the soil out, half fill the hole with about 6 inches of pea gravel to form a fireproof base that will drain well.
- For a natural look, line the sides of the pit with stones from your area or you can simply use concrete pavers from a home store to form the sides.
- Next, add another two to three inches of sand to hold the rocks or pavers in place, then dry stack on another course of stones or pavers to build up the sides. Dry stacking is the better way to build your walls since, over time, mortar or adhesives will crack and break down from the heat of the fire.
- That’s it. Now all you have to do is wait for a calm day and enjoy your first fire in your own backyard fire pit.
Stay safe around your fire pit.
- Make sure you have a ready source of water close to your fire pit whenever you’re enjoying a fire.
- Never leave the fire unattended, and be sure you put it completely out when it’s time to go in.
- Always keep a watchful eye on any children around the fire. Don’t let them run close to the fire, it’s too easy to slip and fall in.
8 Responses to “Building a Fire Pit”
Hello,
Under safety there are no warnings regarding the type of stones to use. Some stones pop under extreme heat and release a chunk of the stone turning piece into a hazardous projectile. I’m not certain what types of rocks can do this but I’m sure that information is available. An option may be to move the rocks further away from the pit.
Ray
By Ray on Nov 29, 2009
The type of stone NOT to use is definitely FLINT! It spalls when heated and sends razor sharp shards flying through the air. This is one of the stones indians made arrowheads from. I believe volcanic glass is used in some locales as well, and I think it does the same thing. In Florida we have flint everywhere. Do NOT use it in or near a firepit. It can be lethal!
By Ken on Dec 19, 2009
I used a half of a 55 gallon drum raised it about 3 inches from the ground, and lined the outside of the drum with pavers. I can easily relocate the fire without having a mess.
By Anthony Parrilla on Jan 16, 2010
the reason that some rocks explode is because they absorb water and when the water inside of them boils it expands rapidly (exactly like popcorn). to avoid this use igneous rocks instead of sedimentary or metamorphic. a rough test is to hit them with a hammer or piece of metal, if they make a ringing noise, as opposed to a thud, they probably wont explode.
By Jake on Jan 31, 2010
Thanks for the info on the Fire pit !! I’ll try it to see if it works !! The Shotgun
By EW Gibbs on Apr 7, 2010
Round river rock is bad as well as it will rupture during high heat situations.
it looks neat but not at the sacrifice of life or limb
By Enin on May 17, 2010
i made mine own and it has lasted for years i put large landscape bricks in a circle and that had an inside diameter of about 50 inches, then placed heavy pavers in the area underneath after i dug it out about six inches, on top of that i put a 30 tire metal rim Used and cheap in the middle the top of the rim should sit just below the top of your brick then fill in around the sides with some large river rock but not to the top..the rim works good because it has holes that breath and makes an excellent fire pit, and a bbq area. i welded a metal handle on a grill grid that sits across the top and is easily removed. it all can be moved to another area and every piece is removable. the brick in the bottom allows for drainage so your pit with drain as it rains.
By gale on Sep 17, 2010
We always enjoy a good bonfire when camping. These are really good tips. I wonder how the rocks that explode from heat look like so we could stay away from that.
By OneNote Review on Sep 23, 2010