How to Instrutions on Building your 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.

For so many years, a fire pit has been used for outdoor activities and camp outs to foster good relations among campers. Getting people around a fire and talking about anything under the night sky just create 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.

Build your Fire Pit and Keep Safety in Mind

Starting with the basics is alway a solid decision. You want to think about the size of your fire pit. You don’t need to build a huge hole nor do you need a lot of open space. Initially plan for your fire pit to be about a foot and a half in circumference.

Building a fire pit can be easy once you gather all your materials. Make sure you have some digging tools and a supply of pea gravel and sand. You might want to purchase some concrete pavers or blocks to surround your fire pit. Check with your local home supply company like Lowe’s or Home Depot for some great ideas.

With your fire pit supplies in hand, start by drawing a circle on the ground that equals the inital size of your fire pit. Dig down about one foot. Within this new hole you want to dig a smaller hole with the circumference of about six inches and about 8-12 inches deep.

Next fill both holes with pea gravel leaving room to add about three inches of sand at the very top of the fire pit. Once complete the sand base should be about even with the surround ground surface. You can begin to build a ring around the fire pit using the concrete paver you purchased. Make sure you stack the pavers high enough to prevent your logs or sticks from rolling 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.

Make building a backyard fire pit a family project. It can be a fun and as you can see doesn’t have to be expensive.