Man, building a fire pit has been on my to-do list for ages. Finally got around to it this weekend, and let me tell you, it was a bit more involved than I expected! But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
First things first, I had to figure out where to put this thing. I wanted it far enough from the house so stray sparks wouldn’t be a problem, but still close enough that we’d actually use it. After pacing around the yard like a crazy person for a while, I settled on a nice spot in the back corner.
Next up was digging. Oh boy, the digging. I marked out a circle about five feet in diameter, grabbed my trusty shovel, and went to town. It took some serious elbow grease, but I eventually dug out a pit about a foot deep. I also made sure to dig out an area around the pit for a gravel border – gotta keep those landscaping bricks in place somehow, you know?
With the hole dug, I dumped in a few inches of gravel for drainage. I tamped that down real good to make a nice, solid base. Then came the fun part – the bricks!
I picked up these curved landscaping bricks from the local hardware store. They’re designed specifically for fire pits, so they fit together in a circle perfectly. I started laying them around the edge of the pit, one by one. It was like putting together a giant, heavy puzzle.
- Lay the first layer of bricks.
- Check if they are level.
- Keep laying the bricks.
- Build them up.
Building up the walls was a bit tricky. I had to make sure each brick was level and that the whole thing was sturdy. I ended up stacking them about four rows high, which seemed like a good height.
Once the brick walls were done, I filled in the area around the pit with more gravel, right up to the top of the bricks. This not only looks nice but also helps with drainage and keeps the bricks secure.
Finally, I threw some firewood in the pit, lit a match, and bam! Instant fire pit. It felt so good to sit back and admire my handiwork. We even roasted some marshmallows that night – the perfect way to break it in!
It was definitely a workout, but totally worth it. Now we have a sweet spot to hang out on cool evenings, tell stories, and maybe burn a few more marshmallows. If you’re thinking about building a fire pit, I say go for it! Just be prepared to put in a little sweat equity. But trust me, the end result is totally worth it.
