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Tips on How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit

My goal was to bring my family togther by creating a place that we can gather in the early evening that did’nt include the Television. A fire pit is a small dug out pit where you can build a camp fire and just gather around and talk. It is a cozy way of getting warm and at the same time bonding with the people around you.

A fire pit has been used for outdoor activities and camp outs for many years to help foster good relations among campers. Allowing people to gather around a fire and talk about anything under the night sky just builds a mood that is hard to describe. But how to build a fire pit has been a topic of many camp fires because it usually requires some planning and thought. You don’t want the fire pit too close to any structures that might catch fire easily or any dried up plants or wood that are highly flammable.

Safety Instructions on How To Build A Fire Pit

Starting with the basics is alway a solid decision. You want to think about the size of your fire pit. You don’t need to build a huge hole nor do you need a lot of open space. Initially plan for your fire pit to be about a foot and a half in circumference.

Home Depot or Lowe’s can provide you with some great ideas for building your fire pit. It really can be quite easy once you gather all your materials. At a minimum you will want to have some digging tools and a supply of pea gravel and sand. You might want to pickup some concrete pavers or blocks to surround your fire pit.

Gather your fire pit supplies, then mark the circumference by drawing a circle on the ground. Make sure you dig your fire pit about one foot deep. In the center of your first hole, you want to dig another hole about six inche around and another eight to twelve inches deep.

Next fill both holes with pea gravel leaving room to add about three inches of sand at the very top of the fire pit. Once complete the sand base should be about even with the surround ground surface. You can begin to build a ring around the fire pit using the concrete paver you purchased. Make sure you stack the pavers high enough to prevent your logs or sticks from rolling out of the pit.

A simple bench might can be contructed using a couple of cinder block and a six foot length of redwood 2×6 lumber. It’s a small touch, but if the goal is to bring people together, it’s most likely best if you don’t ask them to sit on ground. You can dress up the bench by using ” Key Stone” landscaping blocks. These blocks are used to build retaining walls and come in a wide variety of textures and colors.

You Backyard Fire Pit doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Make it a weekend project that brings your family together.

Tags: garden, gardening