Fire Pits Add Ambiance to Any Back Yard or Party

Whether you live in an area that gets really cold at night or even if you're able to enjoy some mild cool evenings, adding a fire pit to your garden or patio area is a great way to get even more enjoyment out of your backyard. There's nothing like the sound of a crackling fire and sitting around in the evening entertaining and enjoying your family and friends or just kicking back by yourself with a glass of wine and relaxing after a long day and enjoying the peace and quite by your fire pit.

With the economy these days many people are staying home more and investing in their homes, gardens and pools. What better way to save money and enjoy what you've put a lot of time and effort in, than by staying home and having a relaxing weekend with your family and friends. No matter what type of pit you decide to use, pits are a worthwhile investment to your home. Some fire pits are portable, so they're easy to store, while traveling, camping or just heading out to the beach for a nice evening watching the sunset.

Amazingly, pits range in price anywhere from under one hundred dollars to a thousand dollars, if you prefer the propane fueled fire pits that come with all the bells and whistles. Some pits come with table rings around them which are great to sit down a drink or plate. Most of them come with spark screens that are beautifully designed and also very valuable when it comes to holding embers and sparks that can fly out of the pit and create a safety hazard. The grill grates are what make pits a worthwhile investment with their various uses. This inexpensive upgrade adds the functionality of a cook top. Why bothering standing over a hot stove and heating up your home. Once the fiery wood pile has started to smolder, then you can simply install the grill grate with the lift tool and then you're ready to easily throw on some meat and veggies and you have dinner in a very short time. Don't forget the tasty S'mores or toasting marshmallows for desert.

As always, remember to use every safety precaution when dealing with fires or fire starting material. Your fire pit comes with instructions about safety and suggestions regarding the best location for your pit. Ideally, placing your pit on a concrete or stone base would be a safe place to put it. You may need to check with local authority regarding building any type of fire in your area. And as always, use every safety precaution when children or pets are around.

Install a Gas Fire Pit Ring Insert to Simplify Operation of Your Fire Pit

A gas fire pit ring insert can be used to create a wonderful, yet easy to use outdoor fire feature for your patio. Just arrange stones or patio blocks in a round pattern around a protruding gas line and keep adding more layers until it is 1-1/2 to 2 feet tall. Fill in the bottom of the pit with gravel and then connect the gas line to the fire pit ring insert. The insert can then be covered with pea-sized lava rock granules or small "fire glass" rocks specially designed for this purpose.

In addition to pits made of stone or concrete block, more complicated units can also be built using poured concrete for an elaborate appearance. Whatever shape or materials you use, just make sure you design your pit to allow for proper water drainage at the bottom.

A custom gas fire pit ring really can be any shape you like, from a traditional circle or square to even a triangle shape. Burners are available to suit most shapes and small, straight burners can be combined to fit even the strangest shapes.

A gas fire pit ring insert is not difficult to install. Due to the many variations of designs and shapes, however, every installation is different. Because of this, many of the stainless steel inserts are sold individually rather than as kits. Make sure you purchase a ring sized properly for your application.

Your gas line should also be the correct size. If it is too small, your fire pit will have small flames because of the lower gas pressure in the line. It may be a good idea to check with your local gas company and let them know how long your gas line will be. Ask them what size line you need to run 200,000 BTU's. The longer the length of gas line to be run, the larger diameter line you will need. If you are installing the gas line underground, use copper pipe in order to prevent corrosion.

Also, be sure to install a gas shut off valve no farther than 3 feet from your fire pit. This is to allow for the gas to be quickly and easily shut off in the event of a fire.

After the gas fire pit ring has been installed, cover the insert with no more than an inch of small lava rock pebbles or fire glass, just enough to visually cover the ring. If you add more than that, your flames will be restricted and the visual effect of the fire will be disappointing.

When you have your fire pit completed, you obviously want it to last for a very long time. This is why it is strongly recommended not to use it for cooking. This is because when the salt of the dripping meat juice or barbeque sauce touches the burners, it causes them to rust.

How to Build a Multi Purpose Fire Pit for Your Backyard

Today backyard family get togethers and parties have multitudes of choices for not only things to do, but also ways to get the fun times done. One of the things that families can do together is to build a fire and sit around playing music or chatting and even have grandpa tell a scary story or two for the kids around the fire.

Talking about building a fire is one thing, but it should be done safely. Having a fire pit is one safe way to have that fun we're talking about. Fire pits come in many different sizes and shapes. You can purchase them just about any where there's a discount store.

Customize It

Or, you can build your own and have it customized to your liking. In this guide, rather than calling it an article, I'm going to tell you how to build your own outdoor fire pit. There are 2 types of fire pits:

Wood, or Charcoal burning
And Gas fire pits

The type that you will learn how to build is wood. I'm partial to the wood or charco al pits cause they are just better in terms of the wood smells and it looks better. To me a gas fire outside is just fake. But, hey they serve the purpose so whatever your choice is you can't go wrong.

Choose Your Style and Shape

Anyways, lets get on with building our fire pit out in the backyard. Our fire pit will be built as an "in ground" one. You can of course have an above ground one also. The style of our pit could be endless. Specifically in terms of decoration, type of brick or stone to use with it. Even colors are endless. You decide on the look of your pit.

Some shapes of pits include but are not limited to:

Round and Bowl shaped
Rectangular
Square
Octagon
And Pentagon shaped

Your imagination here is unlimited. Choose your shape then determine what size you want it to be. For this How To I will use the standard square shape. When determining your size to build, your first idea would be to find a safe place away from your house or even your deck if it is made of wood. We don't want any wild fires going on so we choose a place out in the middle of the yard.

If You Build It, They will come

Away from any low hanging trees or wires, bushes, etc.. Now that we've found our place to build it let's measure out a 3 foot by 3 foot square. Here again it can be as large or small as you want. Just take safety into consideration. After our measurements for size we mark those corners of the square off. Now before we begin to dig out our fire pit, how far down should we dig it?

Dig your fire pits no deeper than 3/4 of your arms length. Why that deep? Because every so often you'll need to clean it out. Clean out the ashes, dirt and so on. This way you don't have to climb down in it to clean it out. You'll still be able to reach to the bottom of it with your arm or even a broom and pick up pan.

Using a standard garden shovel we dig our fire pit within the measurements we marked off. Taking care to only dig about 1 1/2' deep. Or 3/4 arms length. After digging out your pit make sure that the sides of the pit are level and smooth. Removing any rocks or stones that would keep the sides and bottom from being level.

The reason you do this is when you place your bricks or stone in there to make the sides and bottom, it will also be level and perpendicular. You can even use sand to help you level the bottom of it. Now that you have your pit dug out and a big pile of dirt laying up there, its time to install the interior of the fire pit. At this time you should already have your chosen bricks or rock or stone to use on the inside.

You can use cement to strengthen the sides and bottom of it but I don't see the need, since the fire will be in the ground anyway. For this case we just use regular landscaping rock or brick. Then just lay the first layer of brick in the bottom around the sides.

Now fill in the rest of the bottom or floor of the pit. To make it fit right you may have to cut some of the bricks. Use a masonry saw for this. Once you have your pit floor completed, begin laying and stacking the brick around the sides of the pit.

Depending on how you want to make it at the corners you can either join them together or overlap them. But to join them you'll have to make custom cuts to the bricks. Continue filling up the sides of the pit by stacking your bricks.

Once you've reached the top of the fire pit, you may notice that the actual fire place will be smaller. But that's OK, we have a nice small fire pit to enjoy. From here you can do things like creating a deck out around the fire pit. Again your imagination is the limit.

Build An Indoor Fire Pit

If you appreciate the use of a fire pit and you can see its potential as a good home decoration, you can certainly build your own. building your own will certainly bring a different environment in your house. In this case, if you are wondering how to build one, here are some guidelines that you can consider:

Look for the expert. For sure there are people that offer building premade pits. If you know someone, you should ask them for their services if you are that serious in building an indoor pit. The sooner you get one, the sooner you can get your own indoor pit.

You should think of your own design. It is important that you completely convey all the things you like to the expert you hired so that they can base the structure of the pit according to the characteristics you want.

Ask the expert the materials needed to start the project. Make sure to point out that you want the best or quality material.

After you procured the list of materials, the next thing that you should do is to purchase it. If you are working on a budget, just look for stores that offer quality materials but not as expensive.

Wait for it and be prepared to be amazed.

If you have no idea about pit types, the following are useful information that can help you decide and determine the appropriate type for you:

Portable Pits
Gas
Propane
Copper
Stone or Brick
Others

There you go. Whatever you have in mind, whether you want to combine types or you settle for a single type and make it your own, you should learn safety precautions. You want to be safe especially when you use it right? So in this regard, safety precautions include:

If you are using propane or natural gas, before starting the fire, you should check hoses and valves for leaks. Prevention is better than cure right? This won't take time anyway so before starting fire, always keep in mind to check.

After you made fire, the next concern is to control the fire. In order to do this, you should start a slow fire and keep away from dry leaves, woods and other flammable debris around. Create a fire that is stable.

If you are having a party or an event in your house, you should keep an eye to the people around especially children to avoid any burning situation.

If you want to use it continuously, you should stock supplies especially if there is an event. If you are using woods, pile them and if you are using gas or propane, just stock considerable amount for continuous use.

Building an indoor fire pit is possible if you are really serious. You should not worry because you can for sure find experts that can make you an amazing pit. The good news is that indoor fire pits are not that expensive so you can enjoy its use and the beauty it brings.

A Fire Pit Ring In Your Backyard

Fire pit rings can make a very nice winter setting in your backyard or garden, not very complicated to set up and maintain, the fire pit ring is just like a regular fire ring only that you can build a fire pit around it and make it nicer to sit by and, naturally a nice feature in your property.

Fire pit rings can be bough at most do it yourself shops and connected to gas or by using a natural burning wood you can build yourself a nice and easy outdoor fire place that will make you and your guests very warm and happy during the cooler months of the year. What can be nicer than a warm burning fire and some friends to pass a night of companionship, in this simple camp like environment we easily go back to our childhood and spend some quality time with the family and your friends.

As in all things the fire rings cost money, and need some maintenance, but the great thing is that in this particular case they are easy to build, cheap to buy, have almost no maintenance costs and last for a very long time. Some of the nicest fire rings on the market cost no more than a few dozens of dollars and are portable, meaning you can move them around, from you backyard to another location or from place to place in your property.

This portable quality of the fire pit rings makes it a sweet feature in every house, especially if you got kids that would be happy to have a family fire once in a while and roast some delicious marshmallows, or taken to the woods or beach for a nocturnal adventure. Many of the fire pit rings have an extra feature, a metal bar that can be used for cooking, making the fire pit an complete solution for the family cookout.

The fire pit ring was originally a simple stone structure that encompassed a burning fire so the flames would not go uncontrolled and cause damage to the surroundings or people that used to sleep around it, even today you can find a lot of people who have different methods of constructing special stone fire pit rings, maximizing the potential of the fire and its burning time.

With the development and art of metal welding fire pit rings have become more durable and much more technical, this provided most people with a nicer solution to digging holes and building fire rings with heavy stones, this developed even more into a cooking stove in time of need by using the metal surface as a cooking platform.

There are many advantages to having a fire pit right outside your door, you should always keep an eye on the fire and remember that this is not something that you can leave unattended, you should also advise a certified plumber before installing any gas pipes and connections to other pipes.

Enhance Your Backyard With An Outdoor Fire Pit

Outdoor fire pits are quickly becoming the gathering spot for family and friends on patios, decks and other backyard areas. They are a popular feature for many homes, apartments, camps, and a variety of other social gathering places. In addition to being a great way to stay warm and have fun, outdoor fire pits are perfect when you're looking for that feel of being around a campfire, but in the comfort of your own backyard or city deck.

Outdoor fire pits have many more uses and benefits than what you may think. When sitting around an outdoor fire pit, the quality of the interaction among friends definitely is improved. There is something about the warm glow of a fire that attracts and relaxes people. Outdoor fire pits bring a whole different atmosphere to your favorite outdoor space.

Tired of saying good-bye to your backyard in the wintertime? A well-made outdoor fire pit can turn that loss to gain. In fact, there's something special about coming together around a warm fire in the fresh air of winter.

Outdoor fire pits are not without practical uses. Cooking is one that comes readily to mind, especially as it relates to wood burning fire pits. Beyond just roasting marshmallows, some outdoor fire pits may prove very useful when the electricity is down and you can't use the range or microwave.

Portable outdoor fire pits are versatile and specifically designed for small, easily controllable campfires that you can enjoy wherever you want. At the same time, they add a luxurious element to your outdoor style.

Sitting next to my outdoor fire pit works best for me under a crisp, starry night after a hectic and stressful day. Losing myself in the mystery of the dancing flames, the crackling and popping sounds of ashes launched into the night, and the unaffected smell of burning firewood drenched in fresh, cool air, is transporting and never gets old.

Of course, this kind of experience requires the right kind of outdoor fire pit, one that enhances its setting and meets your needs and preferences.

To that end, make sure you look around, because there are many options for outdoor fire pits. They vary a lot in size, style, and function, so do your homework before buying and remember that quality matters.

What material is used to make your outdoor fire pit can influence how it works, how long it lasts, and what it will add visually to the space where it will be located. Wrought iron, aluminum, ceramic, stainless steel, copper, and cast iron are good examples of the kinds of materials used to make outdoor fire pits. Concrete, slate, and marble are used to make some beautiful custom-made portable outdoor fire pits.

Even though there is a lot of variety when it comes to the names and styles of outdoor fire pits, most fall into one of three categories in terms of the type of fuel they burn. Which one you choose, wood, propane, or natural gas, really should depend on two considerations. What are your preferences, and what is the availability of each type of fuel?

For example, natural gas and propane fire pits are an excellent choice in places where wood burning is restricted, or where wood is not easily available. Natural gas may be more convenient, unless you don't already have natural gas lines installed.

On the other hand, wood burning fire pits are very popular for a number of reasons, including fragrance, cooking, and (for many) the joy of chopping and stacking firewood and building a campfire. In other words, there are a few things you need to think through before buying your outdoor fire pit.

In terms of price, you probably can find an outdoor fire pit under $100 that looks okay. However, you may wish you hadn't jumped at the deal when you see it rusting out after a few months in the weather. Quality does matter.

Those who have the money and appreciation for hand-crafted construction and the highest quality materials can easily find custom made portable fire pits. Some marble and slate pits may cost well over $1,000.

Generally speaking, you can find quality made portable outdoor fire pits in a large variety of shapes and styles for $200 to $600. They truly are the perfect investment for people who want an affordable outdoor, low maintenance fire without the expense, space requirement, and restrictions of a solid stone outdoor fireplace structure.

In summary, portable outdoor fire pits are the perfect addition to any backyard, patio, deck or other place where people gather outdoors. They are a very effective way to bring people together in a relaxed, natural setting. With the variety of styles and prices available, there should be no problem finding just the right outdoor fire pit to enhance your favorite outdoor area.

A Backyard Fire Pit - Do It Yourself Today

If you've been looking at buying a fire pit, then you're probably already aware that you can buy ready-made models that only require some simple assembly. But wouldn't it be nice to create your own fire pit? One that's uniquely yours? You don't need a complicated set of blueprints to build your own fire pit - you just need to have an idea in your head of what you're trying to create. It doesn't take a lot to build a fire pit for barbequing or an outdoor campfire. A DIY fire pit can cost next to nothing to construct, apart from some time and hard work, and is even cheaper if you already have some materials such as bricks or rocks on hand.

The first step is to choose a safe location for your fire pit. Make sure it's nowhere near any structures that could catch fire, and locate it away from any backyard traffic zones. It's also worth talking to your local fire department in case you need to know any particular rules or information before starting. Organize to have some stones or bricks ready for lining the inside of your fire pit. Then all you need to do is dig the hole. This might take a few hours of hard work with a shovel, but that's all.

Once your hole is deep enough, use the stones or bricks to line the perimeter of the hole, and continue these materials above the ground. You need the stones around the top to form a windbreak and to stop soil falling into the fire. If you want something a little fancier, you can build a stucco pit above the ground. Use magazines and the Internet to help give you lots of great ideas for your fire pit design. Think about your existing home and outdoor furniture, and design your fire pit to complement these existing elements in your backyard. If you're really stuck for ideas or want to create something a little more complicated, it's possible to order plans online that include a list of materials, and it's generally not very expensive.

Now you have a fire pit, safety is always important. Remember, this is a big hole in the ground, and you don't want any accidents. So it might be a good idea to cover the pit when it's not being used. You can just use a piece of scrap metal or wooden board and cut it to fit. You can also choose to buy a basic fire pit, which will generally include the basics such as a cover, log grill and spark screen, and then build a brick or stone wall around that. This will help stop pets or children from running into the fire pit by accident.

For a gas fire pit, you will need to buy either gas fire logs or a simple metal fire ring. Then you simply need to design and build the housing.

Whatever you decided, it's great to do it yourself and have a fire pit that will be the envy of all your neighbors.

How to Build an Outdoor Fire Pit

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.

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.

 

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!

4 Reasons to Have a Backyard Fire Pit

There are many different items you can use for outdoor cooking. There are propane or charcoal grills, custom brick grills, there are smokers, small electric grills used for camping, or simply a campfire, and there are also backyard fire pits. Grills can be expensive and require regular cleanup. Smokers are great for barbeque but cook very slowly. Smaller camping grills just don't have the capacity to cook enough food for entertaining. A campfire without a pit can be dangerous and is not allowed in many cities.

One advantage of fire pits is you can set one up very easily. In fact, many people can do it themselves with basic materials like brick or stone and a cast iron frame. You could also put one together with an affordable kit. Simply follow the instructions from your kit or search for do it yourself plans online.

These pits can be a great place to entertain friends and family. On a cool evening you can simply sit around the fire and talk, you can roast marshmallows and make s'mores, or use it for cooking. A properly made pit offers all of the entertainment value of a campfire while still being safe in residential areas.

There are attachments available for pits that allow you to cook, rotisserie, and grill over a pit. With these attachments you can cook meat, kabobs, and anything else that a grill can do. Changing the wood or charcoal you use can also easily change the flavor of the meat that you are cooking in a pit.

Backyard fire pits offer a chance for friends and family to spend time together watching a fire without having to camp. Camping is an easy and fun way to get away for a weekend but there are advantages to staying home. You can get together for a couple of hours in the middle of the weak, you do not have to buy camping supplies when staying home, you do not have to drive several hours to find a decent campsite, and you do not have to pay for any passes or other fees.

Camping is a great way to get together and enjoy a warm fire. Unfortunately it is not always possible to get away. Grilling is a great way to cook certain meats and vegetables but is not the same as an open fire. These fire pits offer the best of both worlds for people looking to entertain in their backyards.

Garden DIY - Building a Fire Pit

A fire pit is the most basic, but also the most attractive, type of garden heater and it can be built very simply with a limited amount of DIY skill.

What is a fire pit?

In its simplest form, a fire pit is nothing more than a hole in the ground into which wood or coal can be placed and ignited. Most fire pits are however more involved than this and their design takes account of aesthetics and a more permanent structure.

Generally some form of seating or benching, along with a hard landscaped area, are also part of most fire pit projects.

The basic design

The main functional feature of a fire pit is an excavated hole in the ground. This hole is usually circular and has a diameter of not less than 18 inches. Most fire pits will be between 2 and 3 feet in diameter and the base of the pit will be between 6 inches and one foot below the surrounding finished ground level.

In order to make the fire pit more functional, more attractive and more versatile, a small wall is built around the perimeter of the pit. This enclosing wall will usually be between 12 to 18 inches high. It acts to contain the fire, tidy up the appearance and radiate and convect heat outwards from the fire pit.

A more complete design also supplements the fire pit with some surrounding hard landscaping and masonry bench seating.

The build

1. The first task is to find a suitable location. This should be away from buildings and other flammable materials and vegetation. The area should be generally flat and well drained.

2. Next, sand or chalk should be used to make a visible impression of the pits shape on the ground enabling the pit to be excavated. The base of the pit should be made of at least 6 inches of concrete, or better still 6 inches of compacted hardcore with a further 6 inches of concrete on top. This would require a dig of about 18 inches. This should require nothing more than a spade.

Important: If you intend to build the " fire pit wall" on a concrete base, then the pit diameter should be adjusted to allow for the additional width of the fire pit wall. This will save the need for a separate footing.

3. Once the fire pit base is complete and the concrete has set, it will be possible to build the fire pit wall. The wall will run around the perimeter of the fire pit and enclose it.

This wall may be made of loose-laid stone or brick, or of mortar bonded masonry. If the latter is the case, then an additional mortar layer can be used to line the internal surface of the wall. In either case the stones or bricks should be staggered for stability and appearance.

4. Whilst this completes the main fire pit project, pavers, paving slabs, cobbles or brick sets can be used to create a clean and hard wearing surface around the fire pit.

Stone Fire Pit

There is one thing that can make a very big difference between having something that you use and that can help you from time to time and thee is a completely other thing which can be used from time to time but just having it will make your guests and yourself gaze and admire it, one such thing is a stone fire pit.

A stone fire pit is one of the most impressive things you can have in your garden, or in your outdoor kitchen, this unique idea has not been around for many years, but in the last few years people are more and more interested in having a stone fire pit in their garden or backyard. The stone fire pit looks like it is connected to the past, maybe a few hundreds of years ago almost every family in town had one but today it is truly a unique thing to have.

One of the great things in having a stone fire pit outside is that you will get a lot of freedom in deciding how it is going to look, and its looks is all what it's about, the stone fire pit will be impressive no matter what why you make it when it is lit and the fire is on, the question is how would you like it to look when its off, and how would you like the stone of the fire pit to relate to your garden and garden features.

The important things to remember when looking for a stone fire pit are that you will need someone who knows how to design those, so that the fire is solid and that there is enough air flow to feed the fire so it is balanced on all sides of the stone structure, that it is safe and that you can approach the fire if you wish, some people like to get close to the fire pit in order to get warm or to fry marshmallows, either way you will need to make sure that the person in charge of building it knows what he is doing.

The basic design of a stone fire pit is almost always the same, and it is a very good opportunity for you to go wild and get whatever you had in mind, the only things you will need to consider are safety and usability of the stone structure, but other than that the stone fire pit is really about having something very impressive in your garden and that it will generate enough heat in the winter to keep you warm while you sit outside.

For those of you who are interested in something even more unique is the option to experiment with different stones and try and get all kinds of stones for the fire pit construction, this may cost a little more but it will guarantee that this will be one stone fire pit people will not forget, nevertheless, even a regular stone fire pit is something to be proud of.