Do you need your fire pit for your backyard so that you can relax there some evenings? It seems likely you just purchase a fire pit, but sometimes, you have to do it yourself. You can check the below DIY backyard fire pits and pick one to set up.
1. DIY Inexpensive Fire Pit
This fire pit doesn’t cost much. Hence it is inexpensive. You can have this DIY fire pit in your backyard for $50 – $60 and a little work. Before you go ahead with making this fire pit, you should know the size you would want and the size allowed in your backyard.
Once done, you purchase some blocks, concrete blocks to be precise and you would need about 40 – 60 of them depending on how high or large you want the fire pit to be.
The blocks are the only things you would spend money on. Each one costs less than $2. To make things interesting and more decorated, you can get colored blocks too. After purchasing all the blocks you would need, you can now head home and get to work.
Assume you are a builder because what you want to do now is to build your fire pit. The area where you want your fire pit to be should be cleared. Concrete blocks usually have a tip. You should remove the tips on all the blocks except those on top – Level 4.
Starting from Level 1: you should place the blocks in a circular path. About ten blocks should be perfect. You can add more if you want a wider fire pit.
Then the Level 2 should follow: on this level, you have to give airflow gaps on both sides of the fire pit.
This can be achieved by breaking about two blocks into two, and then you place the half blocks midway on opposite sides. These airflow gaps are important so there won’t be much smoke in the fire pit.
Level 3: and four will have blocks placed just like Level 1.
The Level 4: blocks still have the tips on, and you should place each block with the tip facing inside the fire pit, so it forms a lip.
That’s it. You are done. You now have your fire pit right there in your backyard. You can toss in woods and light up your fire.
2. DIY Free Materials Fire Pit
Want to build your fire pit for free without having to spend any money? You can go with this DIY free materials fire pit. Not only is making the fire pit free, but it is also straightforward to set up.
The primary thing needed for this fire pit are rocks; you have to get rocks anywhere you can; you can find a couple of them around the neighborhood. The rocks do not have to be the same size, no matter the shape or size. Just gather all of them together. Next, you begin to stack them up in a circular manner. You can also stack them up to form a square or rectangle, and anyhow you want it. It would help if you were careful when stacking up, so no one gets injured. Also, the rocks should be closely placed so they are stable and won’t fall off. It is effortless and does not have to be very high, 2 or 3 levels are OK, but it should be wide. In the 2nd or 1st level, you should try to create airflow gaps by spacing some rocks.
With just this, you are through. You can enjoy the fire pit you made without spending any money. This is ideal, especially when it just has to do with the family. Mind you. The fire pit should not be too close to the house. 10 – 15 feet away is recommended.
3. DIY In-Ground Fire Pit
This is another very easy fire pit you can do yourself without having to spend too much money. To set up this DIY fire pit, you would have to sacrifice a portion of your backyard. I used the word “sacrifice” because it is an In-Ground fire pit that you would have to dig, and that area can remain so forever.
The DIY In-Ground fire pit is very simple to prepare. First, you have to choose your spot, the area where you want your fire pit to be located. Next, you have to dig and hole.
The hole should be at least 4 inches wide and 12 inches deep. It would help if you tried to make things look better by being a bit accurate with your digging. Fill the hole you dug with lava rocks, about five gallons, so it fills the pit to some height.
Then set bricks around the walls inside of the pit. You can set some at the top – round the pit – to make it more decorated. After that, clear the area around the pit’s rim, possibly there may be grass around it, clear round it, so there is space. Place much bigger rocks around the fire pit, flat stones to be precise, and put dirt in between, so they stay firm.
Your DIY In-Ground Fire Pit is ready, and you can proceed to make use of it.
4. DIY Garden Firepit
If you need an outdoor fire pit around your garden or backyard area, this DIY Garden Firepit may be an ideal one. You do not have to spend too much, but it may take time to complete, say a day or two. To make this fire pit, you would need some gravel, sand, and cobblestones.
First, you need to clear the fire pit area—Mark out an area for the fire pit and clear additional spaces around it. You can use a pole to know the fire pit’s center, so your clearing will be accurate. Next, dig the area around the fire pit. The rounded area marked out for the fire pit itself should not be touched. Your digging should be a bit deep, so it looks like a large hole. After that, you add gravel in the hole, pour it all around the hole, and it should be level. Next, you add sand, just the same way as the gravel, pour it all around the hole, and it should be level. Placing the cobblestones should follow; you first place it around the main fire pit to form a circle, then you place it just like bricks on the dug area. As you finish placing the cobblestones, examine the work to make sure everything is in order, you can add sand with a little water in between some of them to keep them stable.
Your DIY Garden Firepit is ready. Place your woods in the fire area and light up your fire. To make things more interesting, you could consider making a bench around it where people will sit. It’s easy too; get your woods, both for the posts, battens, and others. Place the posts and the battens on top. Then you place hardwood on top of the structure. It would be best if the hardwoods are of the same size. Before now, you should drill a few holes in the hardwood so you can mount rods to keep them firm. That’s all. If you have chairs, you can still use them as you created enough space around the fire area.
5. DIY Metal Fire Pit
Building this DIY Metal fire pit requires a bit of welding experience, but it still is straightforward to build. You would need to purchase four steel sheets. You either get four sheets of the same size for a square or 4 sheets with two different sizes for a rectangle. You get a big metal square or rectangle steel for the under of the fire pit, and about 4 rolled steel rods for the legs. All these might cost you up to $100 or less.
When you have your steel sheets ready, you have to weld them together to form a square or rectangle – depending on which you want. Welding can be a bit tricky as it can be difficult to keep the metals in position. To make things easy, get a magnet to help you hold them in the right position. The steels should be welded in a 90 degrees position. Next, weld the steel rods to create four legs for the fire pit. The legs will be fixed inside the ground in your backyard.
Everything is done. You can add few concrete blocks around the metal fire pit and so inside before putting your woods.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How deep should a fire pit be?
A: A fire pit does not have to be too deep. If you are digging a hole for a fire pit in your backyard, 6 to 12 inches should be OK enough.
Q: Do I need a permit for a fire pit?
A: A permit is not necessarily needed for a fire pit though it is required in some places. There are certain limits in size that one should not exceed when building a fire pit, you should check out for it in your city.
Q: Do fire pits need air holes?
A: Yes, fire pits need air holes so that there will be a proper flow of oxygen to keep the fire consistent. A fire pit without air holes will not function well, and it may be disastrous too.
Q: Are pavers safe for fire pit?
A: Yes, paver stones are deemed safe, and you can build a temporary fire pit with it.
