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    You Are Here: Home → DIY

    DIY Fire Pit

    August 12, 2017 | Updated November 25, 2019 by Ryan 4 Comments

    187 shares

    This DIY fire pit consists of 36 flagstone retaining wall blocks stacked in a circle and is the perfect backyard project that can be used for years to come.

    DIY Fire Pit with 2 Adirondack chairs

    Ever since Lauren and I bought our house, we knew we'd eventually want a fire pit. First we had to make the back yard nice enough to actually have something like a fire pit which took a few months. Then of course we had to have some type of seats so we made a couple of Adirondack chairs.

    What really ignited us in building a fire pit going was after visiting my dad's cabin about a month ago. We had a great time sitting around the fire pit with our friends Sophie and Rob. While we aren't in the middle of the woods, it's still pretty cool to go in the backyard on a cool evening and just sit and chat with no TV around. Having some s'mores doesn't hurt either.

    I was searching for a while for fire pit ideas and some were pretty crazy, but I just wanted a simple fire pit that was easy to put together. The actual DIY fire pit we made came from directions from Lowe's. You can easily change it up, but with went with the traditional circle. Now we just need to make a few more Adirondack chairs to sit around it and enjoy with our friends and family!

    DIY Fire Pit Shopping List

    • 36 flagstone retaining wall blocks (4" x 11")
    • 2 (0.5 cu ft) bags paver base sand or gravel
    • 1 steel fire ring
    • 5 (0.5 cu ft) bags lava rock

    Tools

    • Shovel
    • Hand tamper
    • Level

    How to Build a Fire Pit

    Step 1:
    Lay out 12 stones to form circle. You want them as snug as possible, but enough space where steel ring can fit.

    forming circle for DIY fire pit with flagstone wall blocks

    Step 2:
    Mark around the stones by digging slightly underneath with shovel.

    Step 3:
    Removes stones and begin removing sod and dirt to a depth of 2 inches.

    circle dug out for pit

    Step 4:
    Compact the soil with a hand tamper.

    Step 5:
    Make sure the area is level. Move soil around if not.

    Step 6:
    Add approximately 2 inches of paver base or gravel.

    Step 7:
    Wet the paver base and then tamp down with the hand tamper.

    Step 8:
    Add rest of paver base. Wet it as well and tamp down with hand tamper. Make sure area is level.

    gravel in circle of pit

    Step 9:
    Lay the first row of stones, making sure the blocks are touching. Set the ring in the middle to confirm it fits.

    stacking circle for pit with flagstone wall blocks

    Step 10:
    Lay the second row of stones, staggering the joints with the first layer.

    Step 11:
    Lay the third row of stones, aligning the joints with the first layer.

    stacking circle for DIY fire pit with flagstone wall blocks

    Step 12:
    Insert the metal ring.

    inserting steel fire ring for pit

    Step 13:
    Add the gravel rock and fill it up to the metal ring. (The rocks and ring are to protect the stones from the heat so they don't crack)

    DIY fire pit with Adirondack chairs

    Step 14:
    Start a fire and enjoy!

    fire in DIY fire pit

    Other Project Ideas:

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    Comments

    1. Sylvia Duer says

      August 12, 2017 at 7:36 am

      Ryan and Lauren, I love your fire pit. It looks beautiful complete with a roaring fire! Have fun.

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        August 12, 2017 at 8:00 am

        Now we just need to get you up here one day to see it in person!

        Reply
    2. Kelly says

      June 07, 2020 at 7:02 pm

      What size ring is that?

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        June 07, 2020 at 7:11 pm

        I bought the one from Lowe's that is 34.25 inch in diameter.

        Reply

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