Okay, so I saw this “brick bonfire” thing online and thought, “I gotta try that!” It looked super cool and I figured it would be a fun weekend project. So, here’s how my attempt went down.
Gathering the Goods
First things first, I needed bricks. I went to find the mini bricks. I ended up finding, a bunch. I also grabbed a bag of quick-setting concrete, just in case I needed to, you know, hold things together.
I also picked up a small metal grate, I wanted something to put the fire on, off the ground. Oh, and of course, firewood! I went with some smaller pieces since this wasn’t going to be a huge bonfire.
Building the Base
I started by laying out the bricks in a circle on my patio. I wasn’t too worried about making it perfect, I wanted that rustic, thrown-together look. I did make sure to leave some gaps between the bricks at the bottom, you know, for air to get in and keep the fire going.
Once I had the basic circle, I started stacking more bricks on top. I staggered them like you would when building a regular wall, just to make it a little sturdier. I went up about four layers, which seemed like a good height.
Adding the Grate and Fire
Next, I placed the metal grate inside the circle, resting it on the bottom layer of bricks. This seemed to work pretty well, it was stable enough to hold the wood.
Then came the fun part – building the fire! I used some kindling and smaller pieces of wood to get it started, then gradually added larger pieces as it caught. It took a little bit of fiddling, but eventually, I had a nice, cozy fire going.
The Bonfire in Action!
It worked! The brick bonfire was actually pretty awesome. It contained the fire well, and the heat radiated out nicely. It was perfect for a chilly evening sitting outside.
I did notice a few things, so a simple fire is the best. Also, I should probably have used more bricks to get the bonfire pit a little higher and larger, but it was nice.
I sat back with a drink and enjoyed the fire. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely a success in my book! I’d totally do it again, maybe with a few tweaks next time.
