Building a Fire Pit

feb · 07-07-2009, 12:17 PM

In light of this 'Summer of Rain', I need a new project to keep myself from going crazy. I was thinking about building a fire pit. I have a flat area where I currently have one of those fire pits on wheels. It serves it purpose but I thought I'd make a nicer more permanent one, maybe something you can put your feet up on and relax.

What have you folks used to create your firepits? I've read about using rocks, using landscape pavers, putting fire bricks inside to protect the man made rocks from exploding... There seems to be alot of info on the web but what is being used around this area? Whats a tried and true method?

Ideally I'd want it to be about 3 or 4 feet in diameter and maybe 2 feet high.

Any tips on prepping the base, what materials to use, drainage concerns for rain, concerns for venting to allow enough air to get to fire, etc.

Thanks.

jmen24 · 07-07-2009, 01:30 PM

I am in the process of building a new pit as well and I will share a few items that are on my list of things to consider.

1. My town requires that the pit not exceed a certain size in order to qualify for a seasonal campfire permit. Verify that your town does or does not have restrictions, my town is 4 feet in diameter.
2. Best use of the heat in the pit. Are you looking to stay warm by the fire if so what direction are the prevailing winds on your property, because if you want heat to stay warm with, a two foot tall circle will send all the heat up and not out and if one end is open you do not want the wind constantly blowing into your face. The design of my pit is an opened u shape \_/ with rounded edges.
3. Materials, which you said you are looking for recommendations, this area is full of natural stone that works great for fire pits either stacked dry or mortared together, this material will blend into the landscape the best in my opinion, unless your landscaping uses different materials, then you may want to consider something that works better with your yard. On stone pits a dry stack is my preference because you can always adjust the sides up or down before starting the fire and if stacked neatly has a nice look. Mortared stone rings tend to be heavy on the mortar and that to me takes away from the look.
I am using red brick set in mortar with a brick pad and 4"x4"X24" long granite blocks for a front edge decorative detail, because that will fit better in my landscape. I would probably avoid the concrete landscape blocks as most are cast of a dry concrete mix that is then formed into the shapes using pressure not water and cement, I would think these would not hold up to the heat. Granite is not a good material for direct contact with flame as it will crack, that is why it is only at the face of the pad on my setup as it will not be in direct contact with flame.
4. Ventilation is key and the nice thing about a dry stack stone is you have plenty of ventilation, if using a solid pad as a base with walls all around it will be difficult to get a good hot fire that does not smoke alot, I am solving this by leaving one side open for air flow as well as heat transfer. But I wanted the pad for easy cleanup of ash and drainage of water, being pitched out of the back.

As I am designing the final layout some things change as I move along but those were the big items of note that can affect the overall look and performance that I considered.

phoenix · 07-07-2009, 06:12 PM

just as another option i bought one at Lowe's for ~ 150 and it has worked out great

Argie's Wife · 07-12-2009, 08:47 PM

I've been looking into building one and found that many masonry yards are selling kits - like this:

But hands-down, the coolest fire pit I've ever seen - and it's a very "green" idea - is making one out of an old washing machine drum - no joke!

There's a video on it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If7qSBvt_Ng

But the stone work is a little crude - I'd build it up a little nicer than that, myself... maybe find some old discarded brick for character...

07-07-2009, 12:17 PM	#1
feb Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Meredith (Winnisquam) & Nashua, NH Posts: 209 Thanks: 25 Thanked 20 Times in 17 Posts	Building a Fire Pit In light of this 'Summer of Rain', I need a new project to keep myself from going crazy. I was thinking about building a fire pit. I have a flat area where I currently have one of those fire pits on wheels. It serves it purpose but I thought I'd make a nicer more permanent one, maybe something you can put your feet up on and relax. What have you folks used to create your firepits? I've read about using rocks, using landscape pavers, putting fire bricks inside to protect the man made rocks from exploding... There seems to be alot of info on the web but what is being used around this area? Whats a tried and true method? Ideally I'd want it to be about 3 or 4 feet in diameter and maybe 2 feet high. Any tips on prepping the base, what materials to use, drainage concerns for rain, concerns for venting to allow enough air to get to fire, etc. Thanks.

07-07-2009, 01:30 PM	#2
jmen24 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,139 Thanks: 223 Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts	A few things to keep in mind I am in the process of building a new pit as well and I will share a few items that are on my list of things to consider. 1. My town requires that the pit not exceed a certain size in order to qualify for a seasonal campfire permit. Verify that your town does or does not have restrictions, my town is 4 feet in diameter. 2. Best use of the heat in the pit. Are you looking to stay warm by the fire if so what direction are the prevailing winds on your property, because if you want heat to stay warm with, a two foot tall circle will send all the heat up and not out and if one end is open you do not want the wind constantly blowing into your face. The design of my pit is an opened u shape \_/ with rounded edges. 3. Materials, which you said you are looking for recommendations, this area is full of natural stone that works great for fire pits either stacked dry or mortared together, this material will blend into the landscape the best in my opinion, unless your landscaping uses different materials, then you may want to consider something that works better with your yard. On stone pits a dry stack is my preference because you can always adjust the sides up or down before starting the fire and if stacked neatly has a nice look. Mortared stone rings tend to be heavy on the mortar and that to me takes away from the look. I am using red brick set in mortar with a brick pad and 4"x4"X24" long granite blocks for a front edge decorative detail, because that will fit better in my landscape. I would probably avoid the concrete landscape blocks as most are cast of a dry concrete mix that is then formed into the shapes using pressure not water and cement, I would think these would not hold up to the heat. Granite is not a good material for direct contact with flame as it will crack, that is why it is only at the face of the pad on my setup as it will not be in direct contact with flame. 4. Ventilation is key and the nice thing about a dry stack stone is you have plenty of ventilation, if using a solid pad as a base with walls all around it will be difficult to get a good hot fire that does not smoke alot, I am solving this by leaving one side open for air flow as well as heat transfer. But I wanted the pad for easy cleanup of ash and drainage of water, being pitched out of the back. As I am designing the final layout some things change as I move along but those were the big items of note that can affect the overall look and performance that I considered.

07-07-2009, 06:12 PM	#3
phoenix Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: phoenix and moultonboro Posts: 1,520 Thanks: 58 Thanked 266 Times in 187 Posts	just as another option i bought one at Lowe's for ~ 150 and it has worked out great __________________ it's tough to make predictions specially about the future

The Following User Says Thank You to jmen24 For This Useful Post:
Argie's Wife (07-12-2009)

07-12-2009, 08:47 PM	#4
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	I've been looking into building one and found that many masonry yards are selling kits - like this: But hands-down, the coolest fire pit I've ever seen - and it's a very "green" idea - is making one out of an old washing machine drum - no joke! There's a video on it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If7qSBvt_Ng But the stone work is a little crude - I'd build it up a little nicer than that, myself... maybe find some old discarded brick for character...