- 1). Safety first! Make sure that the location you choose is at least 20 feet from any structure in your yard. Make sure you trim any overhanging branches and stay away from shrubs. If you are building on the ground then pebbles, sand, dirt, or grass are all suitable foundations to use because they all allow for drainage in the rainy season! If you are building on a concrete surface, your pit will fill up with water and double as a birdbath!
- 2). Make sure you outline the shape you are building up into your fire pit with a hose or chalk or a string. If you choose to use a metal liner, you may, but you do not need to as stone will be fine. If the heat wears it away over time you can replace the brick or stone easily. If you use a liner, you can use a tractor hub or drum from a washing machine; they both work well! If what you are using is more than a foot or so tall, you can bury part of it.
- 3). Go to your local Home Depot or other store that sells stone pavers or bricks and get as many as you need to finish the job (depending on how wide and tall you want it). You can use something as cheap as cinder blocks or regular bricks. You can get fancy with flagstone piled up or pavers. No matter which you choose it will be beautiful! You just place them down in a circle and then do the next layer, overlapping them as you go; layer by layer...it's that easy! Keep building layers until you get it about 18-24" high. If you want to be able to grill on the fire pit, make sure you buy a round grill grate to place on the top of the pit (you might want to find the size of these and build your pit to match!)
- 4). Now that the hard work it done, you can sit back and enjoy your new backyard fire pit. You can sprinkle gravel around the perimeter or just leave it as-is. It will look great with some annuals planted around the bottom or even some potted plants! Enjoy!
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