With lots of families practicing self quarantine, one can begin to feel a little stir crazy! In Italy, they are singing opera with their windows open so their neighbors can hear! I began to think about my own sanity with being restricted to my own residence. I thought wouldn’t it be a great idea to work on my own residence. Get it spruced up with some spring cleaning both inside and out. So I started to research some DIY projects that I would like to share with you.
Now that the snow is melting, I have my eye set on a corner of my yard that would be perfect for some Adirondack chairs and a fire pit! This is one of my favorite fire pit designs, mostly because it is super easy to build and I can do some grilling over the top! Anyone for hotdogs and beans?
Materials used:
- (68) 12-in L x 4-in H This will give you a 4 foot in diameter (from outer edge to outer edge) by 12 to 16 inches tall pit.
- Decomposed granite, sand or pea gravel. You could get away with a couple of bags, but we chose to make a 14 foot diameter circle around the fire pit. (For safety and aesthetic reasons.) We got 2 yards of crushed/decomposed granite for the circle and pathway and still had some left over. It was $40 per yard plus delivery.
- optional landscape retaining wall adhesive (we found this at Lowes too.)
- Shovels, rakes, wheelbarrow and other misc gardening supplies, plus a very strong back.
1. Check your city and local codes and restrictions to find out what is required for a fire pit.
2. Chose an open spot, 10 to 20 feet away from trees, bushes, grass and other flammable items.
3. Use rake and or shovel to clear out grass and debris and smooth out fire pit area.
4. If you are planning to create a circular sitting area similar to ours, you might want to mark out the area first using a measuring tape and marking the ground with spray paint. (Have someone stand in the center of the fire pit area with the end of a measuring tape and the 2nd person can walk around at the desired measurement and mark the ground in a circle.)
5. The retaining wall block I linked to above, will form a perfect 4 foot circle when stacked angled edge to angled edge. Lay out your first layer of retaining wall bock directly on the ground.
6. Dig out about 4 to 6 inches of dirt from inside the fire pit circle. (You may need to dig out more or less depending on your local code.)
7. Stack the second and third layer of retaining wall block. Fill the bottom of the fire pit with 4 to 6 inches of decomposed granite, sand or pea gravel.
8. Add the 4th row of retaining wall block. We chose to glue the 4th row to the third row with landscape retaining wall adhesive. If you do this, just follow the directions for the adhesive.
9. If creating a seating area, add the rest of your gravel, backfilling around the fire pit. Smooth out the gravel, add chairs, outdoor string lights and enjoy!
Don’t have the room for a large fire pit such as this? Need something a bit smaller or more modern? What about this DIY concrete molded fire pit! This one is super easy to make too! And concrete is becoming so popular!
Check it out here
If you simply don’t have these supplies on hand, and you can’t wait to get your fire pit together, why not use some of the rocks you can find in your yard. You can even use scrap metal to construction something really cool. Here’s an example of a rack made fire out!
Lastly, if you don’t have any supplies around your house, ask
Humphreys BBQ about the fire pit rings they make and ship right to your door. They make them in all sizes, and you can even personalize them! Here’s one they made that is 60” wide and can even fit a pallet!
