What better way to light the night and ward off the chill of winter than sitting in front of an outdoor firepit with a steaming cup of cocoa? Building a fire pit is labor intensive but a great way to add beauty to the backyard. Here are a few tips for how to build an outdoor fire pit using natural stone.
Before starting the build there are a few safety items to keep in mind. Digging up the backyard can be hazardous without some precautions. Be sure to call your utility companies to come out and check for any buried lines, or pipes. You don't want to end up rupturing a gas line or hitting a sewer pipe! The other concern is building the fire pit away from any overhead obstructions. Catching a tree or roof on fire is a really fast way to spoil an evening in front of the fire pit.
If you're looking to put in a large fire pit then you might want to consider renting a small backhoe. They aren't cheap but it certainly makes life easier. You won't break your back shoveling and you'll have the hole finished in only a couple bucket loads.
Now that you've got a huge hole in the backyard it's time to pretty it up.
Before starting the build there are a few safety items to keep in mind. Digging up the backyard can be hazardous without some precautions. Be sure to call your utility companies to come out and check for any buried lines, or pipes. You don't want to end up rupturing a gas line or hitting a sewer pipe! The other concern is building the fire pit away from any overhead obstructions. Catching a tree or roof on fire is a really fast way to spoil an evening in front of the fire pit.
If you're looking to put in a large fire pit then you might want to consider renting a small backhoe. They aren't cheap but it certainly makes life easier. You won't break your back shoveling and you'll have the hole finished in only a couple bucket loads.
Now that you've got a huge hole in the backyard it's time to pretty it up.
The first step is to line the sides and bottom of your new fire pit. Landscape shops will have a great variety of natural stone available. For the sides of the fire pit use some flat stone such as slate. This will help shed water and funnel any runoff to the deepest part of the pit. You can cement the stones into place for added strength.
For the bottom of the pit just pour in a couple inches of gravel. The gravel will help with drainage and you won't have to worry about having a muddy mess at the bottom.
Once you've finished up with the walls and bottom of the fire pit it's time to tie the whole thing together with a decorative border. Pour another layer of gravel a few inches deep around the entire edge of the fire pit. An attractive option is to use really large smooth rounded rocks, almost boulders for the edge. Be careful they're heavy. Place the rocks all along the outside edge of the hole. You'll want to wiggle them back and forth to make sure they nestle into the gravel.
For the bottom of the pit just pour in a couple inches of gravel. The gravel will help with drainage and you won't have to worry about having a muddy mess at the bottom.
Once you've finished up with the walls and bottom of the fire pit it's time to tie the whole thing together with a decorative border. Pour another layer of gravel a few inches deep around the entire edge of the fire pit. An attractive option is to use really large smooth rounded rocks, almost boulders for the edge. Be careful they're heavy. Place the rocks all along the outside edge of the hole. You'll want to wiggle them back and forth to make sure they nestle into the gravel.
The next step is to fill in any gaps between the stones with smaller sized rocks. Keep working your way down in size until you have a uniform rock wall edging completely encircling the fire pit.
The only thing left to do is clean up! All the dirt you dug out of the fire pit can be used to start a garden, build a raised flower bed, or fill in any depressed spots in the yard.
There you have it, how to build an outdoor fire pit using natural stone. It's an exhausting task but one you'll be able to enjoy all year long. Just add wood and cocoa!
The only thing left to do is clean up! All the dirt you dug out of the fire pit can be used to start a garden, build a raised flower bed, or fill in any depressed spots in the yard.
There you have it, how to build an outdoor fire pit using natural stone. It's an exhausting task but one you'll be able to enjoy all year long. Just add wood and cocoa!
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