This beginner-friendly DIY will have you busting out the s’mores in no time
There’s something magical about relaxing in front of a crackling outdoor fire. Whether you’re enjoying a mug of hot cocoa in chilly weather or roasting marshmallows in the summer, a fire pit is a wonderful way to level up your backyard game. If you’re a handy homeowner looking for a DIY project, follow this guide on how to build a fire pit so you can enjoy your backyard all year long.
There are many reasons to build a fire pit, especially if you enjoy frequently entertaining guests at your home. Fire pits can provide the following benefits:
Make outdoor entertaining more comfortable during evenings and cool weather.
Light up outdoor spaces without the need for electric lighting.
Add value to your home by making it more attractive to potential buyers.
Create a focal point in your backyard.
Replace a grill for outdoor cooking.
Provide natural entertainment.
Before we cover how to build a fire pit, we need to review a couple of basics.
First and foremost, before building a fire pit, review all requirements and restrictions for your location. For instance, check your homeowners insurance policy to see how a fire pit could increase costs, check with your HOA and local building codes to make sure a fire pit is allowed, and call 811 before digging to check for buried utilities.
Decide on the shape and size of your fire pit so you can buy the proper materials. For instance, a circular fire pit requires trapezoidal blocks. If you’re using a metal bowl, you’ll need to ensure the fire pit is large enough to fit the insert you’ve selected (a larger bowl means more supplies).
You can also purchase a fire pit project kit to keep things simple. For more complex fire pit projects, it may make sense to hire a local fireplace contractor.
Start by selecting the ideal location for your fire pit. Choose a spot that is at least 15 feet from your home and other structures, and pay attention to low-hanging branches and tall brush in the area. Ideally, the ground should be as close to level as possible. Hire a landscaper if you need help scaling back your trees to provide a safe spot for the install. You’ll also want to make sure you’re leaving enough room for furniture.
How you prep the site will vary depending on if you’re building a circular or square (or rectangular) fire pit.
Once you’ve picked your spot, drive a stake into the center of where the pit will go. Tie a string to the stake; the length of the string should be equal to the radius (or half the diameter) of the fireplace ring.
Using the string to guide you, mark several spots in the grass along the circumference of the ring with marking paint. Then connect all the spots with the marking paint to form a circle (it doesn’t have to be perfect!).
No need to use a stake and string with a square pit. Just lay down your brick, stone, or concrete blocks in your desired dimensions. You’ll use these for reference when digging.
Dig about three inches out past your perimeter (either the marked circle or the rectangle of blocks), going seven inches deep. Remove the blocks or stake to dig out the entire pit, and keep the ground as level as possible. Use a hand tamper to level the area and pack in the remaining dirt as best as you can.
The bottom of your pit must be inflammable, so you’ll need to install some kind of fire-proof base over the packed dirt. Sand or crushed gravel are safe, effective options.
Pour an even layer of your inflammable base, roughly two inches deep, into the entire pit. Wet it with a garden hose and pack it down using the hand tamper, then repeat the process until the pit is roughly four inches below the grass line.
Pro Tip: If you’re building your fire pit on an existing patio, the steps are mostly the same. Instead of digging a pit here, you’ll install a fire pit mat or fire-rated bricks over top of the existing patio pavers before building up the pit. Then cement the first layer of blocks to ensure they don’t shift as you work.
Fire pits are typically built with brick, stone, or concrete blocks. Circular fire pits require trapezoidal shaped blocks; for rectangular and square fire pits, you can go with traditionally shaped (i.e., rectangular) blocks.
One by one, lay out the blocks along the perimeter wall inside the pit, atop your bed of sand or gravel. Check to ensure the blocks are level as you go. You can use a rubber mallet to hammer them down if one block is higher than another or add some sand beneath a block if it’s sitting too low.
Continue with a second layer, offsetting blocks over the joints of the first layer.
Test out your metal fire pit bowl or insert ring to ensure the spacing is correct. The lip of the bowl should rest on the blocks. Move the blocks in or out as needed.
Note: Fire pits don’t have to use a bowl or insert. It’s possible to have your fires directly on the ground, assuming you’ve adequately created a thick layer of fire-resistant sand or gravel.
Once you’re certain you have the layout right for the first two rows—with the proper space for your bowl or insert to fit—you can disassemble the second layer of blocks, then reconstruct while properly adhering them.
To do this, apply two parallel beads of a general-purpose construction adhesive along the top of the first layer of blocks. Place the second layer of blocks back on top of the first layer, remembering to stagger the joints.
From here, you may wish to add a third or fourth layer of brick, stone, or cement blocks. Follow the same process:
Add the row temporarily.
Test-fit the bowl or insert.
Disassemble the row.
Apply adhesive.
Reinstall the row.
Not so fast! Don’t celebrate your hard work with a fire. It generally takes a few days for the adhesive to cure. Refer to the instructions for your specific adhesive to confirm.
Once your fire pit is built, you should know how to enjoy it safely to prevent damage to your property or injury to you or your loved ones. Keep the following fire pit safety tips in mind whenever you use your fire pit:
Only use heat-resistant stones in your fire pit.
Keep a fire extinguisher, bucket of sand, or water nearby to put out fires.
Don’t leave the fire pit area unattended before fully extinguishing fires.
Don’t light fires when it’s excessively windy outside.
Trim any tree branches or plants that are less than 12 feet away from your fire pit.
Make sure your pit is at least 15 feet away from flammable structures.
Don’t light a fire when there is a no-burn alert in your local municipality.
Completely extinguish your fire using water; it should be drenched with no embers remaining. Don’t confuse this with putting out a fire in a fireplace, for which you don’t use water.
The cost of building a fire pit varies depending on the type of fire pit kit or metal ring insert and blocks/pavers you buy. The average cost to have a pro build a typical fire pit is $850, though materials or DIY kits typically range from just $200 to $500.
You can easily build a simple above-ground wood-burning fire pit yourself to save on the cost of labor. If you want a simple fire pit but don’t have the time or desire to DIY, you can hire a local handyperson at a rate of $40 to $140 per hour to build it for you in less than one day.
For a large or more complex fire pit that requires an electrical connection or gas power, you’ll also need to hire a local electrician or a plumber near you, since you cannot run natural gas or electrical lines yourself. The cost to run a natural gas line is $15 to $25 per linear foot.
Most homeowners put a layer of compact sand or gravel at the bottom of their firepit, but you can also choose more decorative options like fire-resistant paving stones, bricks, or fire pit glass. Dirt by itself can even work, but other materials do a better job of spreading the heat around.
You can put a fire pit on a deck, but you’ll need to adhere to additional safety measures to prevent your wood deck from going up in smoke. For starters, consider the weight of your fire pit and what your deck can structurally support (and reinforce the deck first if it’s old). Make sure the pit can also sit far enough away from the house, especially if your home has vinyl siding. The fire pit will also need to sit on a fire pit pad or heat shield.
You can safely build a fire pit on your patio as long as you use porous, fire-resistant pavers or a fire pit mat over existing pavers. Otherwise, you’ll need to have exposed ground beneath your pit. You’ll also need to make sure the location for the fire pit is far enough away from your house and any other nearby structures.
Pavers will crack in a fire pit if they are made of the wrong materials. Be sure to use kiln-fired brick paver stones when building your backyard fire pit. You can also purchase a fire pit project kit, which will sometimes come with fire-safe pavers, to help you avoid the guessing game of buying pavers separately.
Once the fire pit ashes have entirely cooled, you can dispose of them with your regular garbage — just wait a day or two to be safe. However, there are lots of good uses for fire pit ashes around the house, so they’re worth saving in a bin outside. For instance, they can help repel pests from your garden and also add rich nutrients to the soil. You can also use the ashes in the winter; ashes are good at providing traction on icy driveways and can even melt snow and ice quickly.
