Outdoor Fire Pit

Building An Outdoor Fire Pit

An outdoor fire pit is a nice addition to your yard especially on those cool evenings when you want to relax and enjoy some downtime or entertain your friends.  It is not difficult to make but takes a bit of that proverbial elbow grease. In order to do a good job you will have to first get together your materials and supplies which will be needed to do the job. You will need about four feet of string with something sharp like a screwdriver tied to it at one end, a stake about four feet tall, some river rock or lava rock, brick, concrete pavers that are curved and a shovel. These materials and supplies can all be purchased at a home improvement store such as Home Depot. When you have all of these items in place you can start constructing your outdoor fire pit.

The first decision you will have to make is where you want the pit to be situated  Do not pick an area that is too close to anything that can catch fire such as your house, garage, other structure or a tree. Somehow I am sure you are not planning on making any of these things a part of the fire pit. Also, do not build your pit too close to your patio particularly if it has a wooden floor. After you have made your decision than begin to build.

Tie the string with the sharp object tied onto it to the stake and pound the stake into the center of the area you chose to build the pit. Be sure it is securely pounded into the ground. Take the string and pull it taut allowing the sharp object to reach the ground. Walk in a circle so that the sharp object can cut into the soil making a round mark that you will follow in which to dig. Begin digging within that circle to about three to four feet deep. This will be your pit. Before you begin to dig check with the gas company, electric company, Water Department and Phone Company to be sure there are no wires or pipes that could be harmed by your digging. When all is safe begin to dig.

When you have made the hole than pack the dirt tight and place whatever type of rock you chose to use into the bottom and pound it down to level it. Using the brick, place it at the bottom and around the sides of the hole you made. You now have your outdoor fire pit but wait, you want it to be more attractive.  This is where the pavers come in. Place several layers of the curved pavers on top of each other until they reach a height of about two to two and a half feet. If they do not hold than a little cement between them will do the trick and you now have an attractive outdoor fire pit. Wasn’t that easy?