There are few things as relaxing as a warm fire on a cool evening. A fantastic "do it yourself" project, the folks at The Progressive Farmer magazine show you how to build a fire pit in just one day. Clear step-by-step instructions and material lists help make this project both fun and easy.
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STONES. We built this fire pit from landscaping blocks. You can use field stone or other materials too. Do not use stones that have been submerged in water; they can explode with the heat of the fire. Concrete blocks may deteriorate from the heat, but they are cheap to replace.
DRAINAGE. In the bottom center of the pit, we dug a fencepost-sized hole 2 feet deep and filled it with gravel. The hole works like a sump, helping to drain rainwater.
ADHESIVES. We dry-stacked the stone. It's a quicker way to build the fire pit. If you have to replace cracked or broken stones, dry-stacking makes that job easier as well. If you want to cement the courses, lay cement down only on the outside half of the stones to protect the cement from the heat. Adhesives may melt and give off fumes; we advise against using them.
SAFETY. This fire pit is built in a wooded area. Before we started the fire, we soaked the area around the pit with water. We also had 5-gallon buckets of water and a shovel handy to put out any stray fires.
What You'll Need
98 retaining wall blocks
steel pit ring with tabs
metal grate
sand
gravel
We bought the ring and grate as specialty items from a garden store. We can't find a place to order these pieces from the Internet, so we'd suggest welding your own or having one produced at a welding shop.
The retaining wall blocks used in this project were 12 inches wide, 4 inches high and 8 inches deep.
We purchased about one-half ton each of sand and gravel.
Total Cost: about $500
DRAINAGE. In the bottom center of the pit, we dug a fencepost-sized hole 2 feet deep and filled it with gravel. The hole works like a sump, helping to drain rainwater.
ADHESIVES. We dry-stacked the stone. It's a quicker way to build the fire pit. If you have to replace cracked or broken stones, dry-stacking makes that job easier as well. If you want to cement the courses, lay cement down only on the outside half of the stones to protect the cement from the heat. Adhesives may melt and give off fumes; we advise against using them.
SAFETY. This fire pit is built in a wooded area. Before we started the fire, we soaked the area around the pit with water. We also had 5-gallon buckets of water and a shovel handy to put out any stray fires.
What You'll Need
98 retaining wall blocks
steel pit ring with tabs
metal grate
sand
gravel
We bought the ring and grate as specialty items from a garden store. We can't find a place to order these pieces from the Internet, so we'd suggest welding your own or having one produced at a welding shop.
The retaining wall blocks used in this project were 12 inches wide, 4 inches high and 8 inches deep.
We purchased about one-half ton each of sand and gravel.
Total Cost: about $500
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Fire is fun :D
Seriously it's a nice project and I'm planning on building one when I move which isn't too far away.
Can you use charcoal instead of wood? That way it would make an awesome charcoal grill and if I could find a cover, a smoker as well
Thanks