Building A Backyard Fire Pit

As with anything you want to make as a do-it-yourselfer, decisions have to be made before you can start. In order to build a backyard fire pit the primary decision will have to be its location. Because it is a fire pit you want to be sure that it is not too close to your house, garage, and maybe another structure such as a storage shed, a tree or the wooden floor of your patio. After you have found the ideal location the perimeter of the pit will have to be marked off. To do this you will need a string about three to four feet long, a wooden stake and something sharp that will cut into the ground or a piece of soft chalk. Attach the sharp object or chalk to one end of the string and tie it to the stake. Pound the stake into the center of the area you chose in which to build the pit. Then holding the string taut allowing the sharp object or chalk to reach the ground walk in a circle to mark off the perimeter of the backyard fire pit. 

Some of the materials and supplies you will need are: top caps, bricks, porous gravel, premixed mortar and a shovel. These materials and supplies can be purchased in any full service home improvement store such as Home Depot. Now that you have all of the materials and supplies in place and the circle is made, you can start digging. One thing before you dig,  in order to dig safely be sure to call the electric company, gas company, your Water Department and phone company to be sure that you  will not be cutting into any wires or pipes belonging to these utilities. When the coast is clear start digging begin at the outer edge of the circle toward the center. Measure the height of the bricks to determine the depth to which you should dig in order to place the bricks in such a way as to construct a strong wall. 

When you have made the hole arrange the bricks so that they provide a sturdy wall around the pit. Than, line the pit with a nice thick layer of non porous gravel and press it down hard to make it level. By doing this you will make a nonflammable floor and provide drainage for your backyard fire pit in the case of rain. Now that you have come to this point it is now time to install the top caps. Since they have some color you may want to install them in an attractive design. Using the premixed mortar place the top caps on the bricks around the perimeter of the pit and you have your attractive and comfortable backyard fire pit. You have to admit that this was not difficult to do albeit a little hard on the muscles. All that is now left to do is to invite your friends and have a backyard party.