Tips for Building a Backyard Fire Pit
Tips on How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit
My goal was to bring my family togther by creating a place that we can gather in the early evening that did’nt include the Television. A fire pit is a small dug out pit where you can build a camp fire and just gather around and talk. It is a cozy way of getting warm and at the same time bonding with the people around you.
A fire pit has been used for outdoor activities and camp outs for many years to help foster good relations among campers. Allowing people to gather around a fire and talk about anything under the night sky just builds a mood that is hard to describe. But how to build a fire pit has been a topic of many camp fires because it usually requires some planning and thought. You don’t want the fire pit too close to any structures that might catch fire easily or any dried up plants or wood that are highly flammable.
Keep Safety in mind when Building your Fire Pit
A fire pit shouldn’t be a huge hole in the ground; an ideal circumference can be about a foot and a half. Once you have chosen a safe location you should think through other aspects of your project.
Home Depot or Lowe’s can provide you with some great ideas for building your fire pit. It really can be quite easy once you gather all your materials. At a minimum you will want to have some digging tools and a supply of pea gravel and sand. You might want to pickup some concrete pavers or blocks to surround your fire pit.
Gather your fire pit supplies, then mark the circumference by drawing a circle on the ground. Make sure you dig your fire pit about one foot deep. In the center of your first hole, you want to dig another hole about six inche around and another eight to twelve inches deep.
You will want to fill both holes with pea gravel and then add about three inches of sand at the very top of the fire pit. Your sand should bring the level of the fire pit back to the level of the ground. Now surround your fire pit with your concreate pavers or blocks. You want to stack your pavers high enough that your logs won’t roll out of the pit.
Don’t forget to create a place to sit around the fire, you can build a simple bench using a couple of cinder blocks and a six (6) foot length of redwood 2×6 lumber. You can dress up the bench by using “Key Stone” landscaping blocks. These blocks are used to build retaining walls and come in a variety of colors and textures.
You Backyard Fire Pit doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Make it a weekend project that brings your family together.
Leave a Reply