Fire Pit

[waffle]

I'm wanting to build a fire pit in the backyard. I'd like it to be permanent and look good. I'm leaning towards this design. http://www.instructables.com/id/HomeMade-Modern-DIY-Concrete-Fire-Pit/?ALLSTEPS 

I'd make a few modifications like a fresh air intake at the base.

Does anyone have any advice for building this? My concrete experience is limited to setting posts, but feel I could tackle this without too much trouble.

[zolotiyeruki]

I've seen fire pits built more frequently with landscaping bricks, and that's what I'd do.  Getting a super-clean, super-smooth finish on concrete takes more work and time (I'm lazy and impatient).  I'd do a small slab of concrete, and build the fire pit on top out of landscaping bricks.  That way, it's easy to hide imperfections in the concrete.

[misschedda]

My inlaws just built one, but exclusively with landscaping bricks. Good luck!

[cross3700]

Don't just use concrete or landscaping bricks.  Be sure to line it with fire bricks.

[Bob W]

We love fire and love camping.   

Here is our deal though --- a few years ago we rented house with a nice fire pit in the backyard (downstairs).

Wife says we'll use that all the time.   I say we never will.   After 1 year we had used it a total of 1 hour.   However we used our deck pit often.

Current house -- we have a metal fire pit on our deck that we use probably 30 nights per year.    We generally use the Duraflame fire logs and have found all other logs (including wood) inferior.   The logs burn 3 hours very consistently,  start easily,  have little smoke, a nice flame and little clean up or hassle.  The pit is within 5 feet of our kitchen door so when we have guest people move around,  use the bathroom and have quick access to food and drink.

So our entire set up cost $50 for the metal pit and about $120 per year in logs.  Set up time about 30 minutes.  Our experiences is that a metal pit will last about 3 years if left to the elements.   Another advantage of them is that they are raised up, thus bringing the fire closer to people.   To clean we simply pick it up every 6-8 uses and carry to the garden to dump. 

Wife says we should build a pit on the nice flat area in back.    I say no way!

So here is my suggestion ---  Find you a $50-$100 fire pit at Home Depot or Lowes.   Get some Duraflames by the case.   Put it there and see if you actually use it much.   Proximity to the house is essential for usage in my experience.    You can put additional logs on top the Duraflame if you want a bigger fire. 

That design you showed has some drawbacks IMHO --  The concrete is aesthetically unpleasing,  the concrete is too high to allow radiant heat out,  clean up will be nasty. 

If you go with that type of set up go for a non permanent ring.   You can simply find some rocks and make a ring just like camping or get the fancy blocks at the home stores.   I would also consider raising a fire pit up at least 1.5 to 2 feet off the ground.     

And this is very important -- do not put up nonmovable benchs around the ring.   Fire temps vary so it is important to be able to move closer or further. 

All of this is just my opinion after having dealt with this for many years.   

Best of luck.   I love fire!

[HipGnosis]

Make sure it's legal.
I have a metal ring pit in my back yard.
A few yrs ago a law was passed that made it illegal to use here... has to be fully enclosed.
I've got a pile of brush in the back corner now that I need to figure out how to get rid of...

[Axecleaver]

Bob's advice is really good. Having been down this road myself, cleanout of the ashes is a key concern in your build. Fire bricks you can move aside and shovel out pretty easy. Assuming you are burning clean things (ie, primarily wood and not color magazines and cardboard), a metal fire pit you can dump in the garden and rake in to the dirt (helps the plants, too), or put in the compost pile. Poured concrete is a PITA to clean, and if you don't polish the concrete, it will get grimy pretty fast. 

A popular project here is to use the drum of an old/recycled dryer for a fire pit. It's about the right size, readily available to most folks,  and completely fireproof. Also radiates heat really well.

[waffle]

Thanks for the replies. I've had fire pits before and know that we like them and will use them. The new house that we bought doesn't currently have one though. I've  checked the local regulations and they are legal here so long as its placed correctly.
I'm going to use this metal ring http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-30-in-Galvanized-Round-Fire-Pit-Ring-DS-18727/204247561 and will probably do something similar to the pictures in the reviews where landscaping bricks are used as an outer ring and decorative rocks fill in between the metal ring and the bricks.

[Capsu78]

Galvanized round isn't a bad concept- however a junked truck wheel surround with white stones and a fire ring is how they roll in Wisconsin.  I even salvaged an old Weber charcoal grill top as a cover so the firepit never gets wet and is easy to clean.

Id post a picture of mine if I could figure out how to post!

[1967mama]

I just bought one of these for $169.00:

http://www.amazon.ca/Pleasant-Hearth-Chesterfield-Outdoor-Fireplace/dp/B00D6D3YJ2/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1428094987&sr=8-28&keywords=outdoor+fireplace

I really appreciated your insightful comments, @BobW on having the fire close to the house and the people or it won't be used ... soooo true! We have a "natural" fire pit at the back of our acre and it gets used about 3x a year. This should be a great alternative this year and I love summer nights on the patio!

Also, your idea about using a duraflame log is super .. where do you buy boxes of them? I'd like to pick one up. Quick and easy start up is great too. We do have scrap wood around our property, but it would be best thrown on top. A mostly smoke-free fire is pretty important in our area as one new neighbour is phoning the fire department on people having fires, even in the dead of winter <grrrr>. 

[jba302]

Don't just use concrete or landscaping bricks.  Be sure to line it with fire bricks.

This or refractory cement. All concrete cracks at some point so you'd want to manage that as well.

[cshaw]

I built one like this one last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4NNgbCJGWQ

I used the exact same brick as shown, but mine is not quite this big.  The kids used it all summer long and have friends over to make S'mores and roast marshmallows.  My daughter has already used it once this year and it's just starting to warm up here in SE Idaho.

I actually built an outdoor fireplace at our last home and want to do the same thing at our current home, but the pit was quick and easy (took me part of a day). 

[Capsu78]

Here is my Wisconsin inspired truck wheel fire pit

[BikeFanatic]

Thats a nice re purposed fire pit, I am inspired.

[anks]

+1 on making sure it is legal. I suggest asking your local fire department.

The reason I say this is because I built a fire pit in my backyard, only to have to take it down a year later because it violated the maximum fire pit diameter ordinance. Someone called the fire department because they saw smoke. When they stopped by, they noticed it was too large in diameter. Huge bummer

[waffle]

I got my galvanized fire pit ring the other day. I started burning off branches/tree debris from my yard. So far so good. Once my yard is cleared up i'll get around to making it look pretty.

[paddedhat]

Make sure it's legal.
I have a metal ring pit in my back yard.
A few yrs ago a law was passed that made it illegal to use here... has to be fully enclosed.
I've got a pile of brush in the back corner now that I need to figure out how to get rid of...

I solved this problem, even though the wife and neighbors laughed at me.......  Our area has the same rules but they do allow the use of chiminea, those small, freestanding clay or metal fireplaces. I had a brush and limb pile about the size of a minivan.  I cut the whole pile into chunks no more than 8" long, using a circular saw. This alone reduced the volume by 75% Next I put the fireplace next to the pile and  started a small fire inside. Once it was going I took a leaf blower and rigged it up so that it was a couple of feet away, and pointed at the opening where you load the wood, and let it run on low. It created a blast furnace with flames roaring a few feet out of the top of the chimney. For the next six hours I casually loaded the firebox until the pile disappeared. Sweet, and no rules were broken, LOL

[1967mama]

Make sure it's legal.
I have a metal ring pit in my back yard.
A few yrs ago a law was passed that made it illegal to use here... has to be fully enclosed.
I've got a pile of brush in the back corner now that I need to figure out how to get rid of...

I solved this problem, even though the wife and neighbors laughed at me.......  Our area has the same rules but they do allow the use of chiminea, those small, freestanding clay or metal fireplaces. I had a brush and limb pile about the size of a minivan.  I cut the whole pile into chunks no more than 8" long, using a circular saw. This alone reduced the volume by 75% Next I put the fireplace next to the pile and  started a small fire inside. Once it was going I took a leaf blower and rigged it up so that it was a couple of feet away, and pointed at the opening where you load the wood, and let it run on low. It created a blast furnace with flames roaring a few feet out of the top of the chimney. For the next six hours I casually loaded the firebox until the pile disappeared. Sweet, and no rules were broken, LOL

Hahahha! Awesome story, @paddlehat!

[frugalnacho]

I used a steel fire ring.  I surrounded it with retaining wall bricks 2 levels high.  Easy to install, relatively cheap, and works great.

[jba302]

I solved this problem, even though the wife and neighbors laughed at me.......  Our area has the same rules but they do allow the use of chiminea, those small, freestanding clay or metal fireplaces. I had a brush and limb pile about the size of a minivan.  I cut the whole pile into chunks no more than 8" long, using a circular saw. This alone reduced the volume by 75% Next I put the fireplace next to the pile and  started a small fire inside. Once it was going I took a leaf blower and rigged it up so that it was a couple of feet away, and pointed at the opening where you load the wood, and let it run on low. It created a blast furnace with flames roaring a few feet out of the top of the chimney. For the next six hours I casually loaded the firebox until the pile disappeared. Sweet, and no rules were broken, LOL

This is such a great idea. We just had to get a 100+ year old basswood taken down to the trunk (due to a huge split, effectively turning the tree into a monster "bowling ball on a hollow paper tube" concept). I have about a tenth of an acre of yard loaded with wood that is too soft / too smokey to burn inside, too small to give away to carvers, and way too much volume to just leave in the wooded area to let it rot. Maybe a couple days of this would clear out all the little bits of it once i can get the machete through enough of it.