Build a Fire pit

Home made Fire Pits - Basics & More

There is nothing better than or more comfortable than to sit around a fire pit during a winter night and feel the warmth. Sitting around a fire pit with guests or family members and enjoying a sumptuous dinner along with a cup of coffee can make that night something special. The concept of having a fire place inside the home had existed since many years. Nowadays, these fire places are being replaced by outdoor fire pits. Setting up a fire pit in the patio or backyard is now considered an important part of home decoration and can also improve the overall value of the home.

There are various advantages of having an outdoor fire pit. Some of these advantages include:
• An outdoor fire pit is a great addition or an asset that can upgrade the existing appearance of patio or backyard into something more beautiful and more relaxing.
• Sitting around an outdoor fire pits and enjoying an evening with friends, neighbors or family members is a great way of improving communication and relationship with them.
• Enjoying nights during a winter is now possible with an outdoor fire pit.
• Outdoor pits can also make your summers more enjoyable. Sitting around the fire pit on a breezy night with a glass of wine in hand and enjoying the steaks that are being grilled on the fire is a completely an ecstatic experience.
• With an outdoor fire pit, one can transform his/her backyard or patio into a picnic or holiday spot. Moreover, fire pit can also be used for cooking purpose.

Considering the growing demand for outdoor fire pits, several manufacturers are now offering a wide variety of fire pits in various shapes, sizes, styles, designs and made of different materials such as iron, copper, stone and concrete. However, getting a custom-built fire pit can be a bit expensive. An economical and cheap alternative is to build the fire pit all by you. Building a fire pit is quite an easy and simple task. All is needed is a bit of planning, some materials and implementation. Loads of information is available on the internet regarding how to set up a fire pit without any help. Most of these sites provide tips and suggestions regarding preparation, planning, construction and safety measures that must be followed. Below described is one such example. Sequences of steps that are involved in the building and construction of a fire pit are explained below.

• Preparation: This involves choosing a right location for setting up a fire pit, getting necessary permissions from the regulatory authorities and preparing the list of materials required. One should choose a location that is away from any hanging branches and doesn’t have any cables or pipes running underneath. The location must be spacious and away from chaos. Also, obtaining permission from the local fire department is necessary in order to construct a fire pit in the backyard.
• Next aspect is to make a list of materials required and get them. Building a fire pit requires a small bag of gravel, a small bag of mortar mix, a 2ft stake with a string and a nail, bricks and a large circular grill. One would also require certain tools such as an edger or square tip shovel, rake, trowel and level.
• Construction: Once the location is identified, dig a circular hole that is 4m in diameter and a depth of 11/2 ft. At the center of this hole, keep another one that is about 6-8” square and 12” deep. Fill the hole with gravel of about 4” height. Make a 3” layer of sand on top of the gravel. This prevents spreading of fire. Use mortar and surround the pit with atleast 2-3 layers of bricks stacked in a vertical manner. In the same manner, use mortar and place a horizontal layer of bricks on the inner side of the hole. Allow it to dry for 24 hrs. Place a large grill on top the bricks and the fire pit is ready to use.