How to Build Your Own Fire Pit

Looking for a way to get outdoor enjoyment without breaking the bank? No DIY project is hotter than building your own backyard fire pit—pun intended.

Do-it-yourself projects are all the rage because isn't everyone consistently looking for new ways to get extra utility and enjoyment from their living space, without breaking the bank? And no DIY project has been hotter lately than building your own backyard fire pit—pun intended.

Clearly, fire pits are popular for good reason. A fire pit brings much of the convince of enjoying a fire indoors to the great outdoors. When properly built and maintained, a fire pit can last for years, if not decades, and can be built economically and expediently.

There is a lot to consider when DIYing a fire pit, which is why we’ve compiled all the necessary info below. Be sure to read on to find out how you can build your fire pit from scratch. And don’t worry if this all sounds too intimidating, we’ve included some of our favorite fireplace starter kits as well, which anyone can use to lay a solid foundation for awesome fire pit ideas!

All About Fire Pits

A fire pit is a natural gathering place and focal point for any backyard. And you don’t need acres of space to enjoy one. As long as you can ensure ten feet of clearance on all sides you can fit a wood-burning fire pit into your backyard.

But what is a fire pit exactly? Briefly, a fire pit is in its most basic form a permanent home-built place to enjoy campfires. The pit itself is typically constructed with stones, bricks, or blocks. (We will use these terms interchangeably from here on out.)

DIY-ing Your Own Fire Pit from Scratch

While building your own fire pit might sound intimidating, it can actually be a lot of fun and is easily accomplished in a weekend with tools you probably already have around the house. The most difficult part is choosing which materials you will use to construct your DIY fire pit.

When deciding what type of blocks you will use to construct your outdoor fire pit, it can be helpful to visit a local garden supply or hardware store to see what they have in stock. Most stone or brick pavers will be perfectly suited for this purpose. Never use rocks taken from a river as they may explode when exposed to high temperatures!

No matter what material you decide to make yours out of, all outdoor fire pits should have a few key features in common:

A properly prepared space for your fire pit to be constructed upon
Outer layers of heat-tolerant stone or brick
An iron campfire ring (for the safety and durability of your fire pit)
At least 10 feet of clearance in every direction
An optimal diameter of approximately three to four feet
Fire safety equipment

How to Prepare Space for a Fire Pit

Properly preparing the area you want to use for a wood fire pit is one of the most important (yet often overlooked) factors to consider when installing your own. As much as we all wish it was that easy, you can’t just simply plop some stones on the grass in the backyard, arrange them in a circle and call it a day. This would be a major fire hazard, and it only takes 30 seconds for a small fire to get out of control.

When preparing your space for a fire pit there are a few crucial steps you should take before laying any stone.

Mark a footprint of your fire pit in the area you want to use. This is not only important for visualizing if you have your fire pit where you want it to be, but it will also make next steps such as dry laying your brick much easier. Doing so will also help you check to make sure you have a ten-foot clearance all around the perimeter of your fire pit.
Dry lay the stones or bricks you will be using to construct your fire pit. This step shouldn’t be skipped for many reasons. First, it will help you realize the true size of your fire pit’s footprint and allow you to make changes if necessary. Second, it will also make clear if you need to cut any stone pieces to form a clean circle.
Dig a trench for your fire pit. Digging a trench may seem like a superfluous step, but it is vital to the safety of your fire pit. You never want to just lay your fire pit on top of grass or any similarly uneven surface. To make a proper trench you simply need to remove all grass and dig down twelve inches underneath where your brick or stones will be. This means your first ring of blocks will be partially underground, this is intentional. You should also dig down six inches in the space that the ring will enclose, this will be the center of your fire pit.

Once you have completed this last step, your space is ready to be built upon. We will go over how to build your DIY fire pit step-by-step below. But before moving on, take a moment to appreciate your hard work and consider the important steps that are to come.

Building Your Own Fire Pit

Once your DIY fire pit area has been properly prepared, it is time to get down to constructing your pit. Before starting, make sure you have whatever blocks, bricks, or stones you will be using nearby and already cut to the size of your footprint.

Place an even layer of gravel in your trench. This layer of gravel will perform two functions for your fire pit. First, it will provide a drainage system to help combat instability caused by water. Second, it will provide a buffer that is essential for fire safety by keeping your fire from combusting anything that may be hidden underneath it. Spread the gravel evenly within the base of the trench you have previously dug. Strive to maintain a ¾” thickness and make sure everything is level and compact by tamping the gravel down into place.
Lay your first layer of stones, ensuring they are level as you place them. Use a level to confirm that your first layer of stones are square on all sides. Tap down any bricks that are too high with a mallet. Bear in mind a tiny tap can go a long way, so you don’t need to swing away like Thor. If any blocks are too low, you can shim them up with quality patio sand.
Start assembling the walls of your fire pit. Now comes the fun part, building the walls of your fire pit is as close as most adults will get to playing with Legos. Nonetheless, it is important to do a thorough job, so make sure all your blocks fit snugly together. You don’t want any seams peeking out that would compromise the efficacy and safety of your fire pit. Use a four-foot level to check your fireplace’s level across its diameter. Adhere the blocks together using a quality masonry adhesive.
Add more gravel to your fire pit and finish your fire pit’s walls. Once you have two layers of brick down, lay an additional six-inches of gravel down to support them as they set. Continue to layer your walls and adhere your blocks with adhesive, continuing to check for levelness as you go. Don’t let your walls exceed the height of the campfire ring you will use.
Insert your campfire ring. Make sure it is level and even to the top layer of the wall you have constructed. Fill any gaps between the ring and your bricks with additional gravel or patio sand.
Top the walls of your fire pit. You can choose to top your fire pit with either more bricks or with natural stones. Bricks can be adhered to the top of the pit’s walls using the same mortar adhesive. Natural stones should be set into a slightly tacky mortar mixture.
Enjoy! You’ve completed your fire pit and are now ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy a fire in your backyard, all thanks to your hard work!

Using a Fire Pit Kit

If DIY-ing your own fire pit from scratch seems like a daunting task, there are a variety of options you can utilize to make the process nearly foolproof. One such option is to employ an outdoor fire pit kit to help lay a sound foundation on which the fire pit of your DIY dreams can be built. Below, we will look at three of our top picks for fire pit DIY kits that anyone can use to make a handsome and functional fire pit in no time.

HPC Unfinished Enclosure Kit:

This fire pit kit from HPC is one of our favorites as it allows for a gas fire outdoors. Simply run a gas line out to it (professional installation is recommended), finish the façade with whatever stone, brick, or metal that suits your outdoor space, and you’re done!

The solid galvanized steel construction ensures your gas fire pit will be both safe and durable for years to come. To turn this pit into a show-stopping conversation piece, swap out the included lava rocks for fire-safe glass or another oddity.

Necessories Fire Ring Insert:

This steel fire ring insert has an available cooking grate attachment and provides a great foundation for those that are hoping to create a concrete fire pit. The ring is made of the same high-quality steel you’ll find used by the U.S. Park Service in fire rings across the country.

The fire ring is 31-inches in diameter and 7-inches in height and is wood-fueled. Finally, if a concrete fire pit isn’t your style, you can clad the ring in any brick or stone that you choose to.

Firerock Pre-Engineered Fire Pit Kit:

This fire pit kit from FireRock is one of our favorites as it takes all of the guesswork out of constructing your own backyard fire pit. It has a larger size, 44-inches in diameter, which is plenty of room to add a grill to the setup if you should so choose. It can be clad in whatever masonry you prefer and when using a specialized mortar the fire pit is guaranteed by a 20-year warranty.

The best feature of this pit is its customizability. Examples of this include adding height to your outdoor fire pit with additional riser blocks or the ability to choose between using wood for fuel or upgrading to a gas burner. With all of this freedom available to you, this pit kit is truly the best of both worlds.

Essential Fire Pit Safety Tips

When enjoying your fire pit, it is important to keep safety in mind. To this end, we’ve compiled the following fire safety tips.

Keep a fire extinguisher handy:

A fire extinguisher or bucket of water should always be kept nearby for emergency use. It only takes the right conditions and an errant spark to allow your fire to jump out of your fire pit. In such instances you have minimal time to act before serious damage can be done, this is why it is so important to be prepared ahead of time.

Always monitor children and pets around the fire pit:

Good fire safety etiquette should start at a young age. And while you should never leave your fire pit unattended while in use, this is especially true if you have pets or children around. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy making s’mores around your new pit, but children should always be under direct supervision when enjoying a fire and taught to respect the power of the flames.

One lesson you should be sure that all young ones (and some adults) know is that once something is put in the fire it must stay there, with marshmallows and hotdogs on a roasting stick being the only exceptions!

Consider what you will use to fuel your fire pit carefully:

To minimize potential sparks, always use dry, seasoned firewood. All wood should be no larger than 3/4^th the size of your fire pit’s diameter. If your fire pit runs on gas make sure you only use the type it is designed for.

Lighting your fire pit safely:

It may be tempting to take a shortcut to a roaring bonfire, but using accelerants such as kerosine, gasoline, or lighter fluid to build a fire is never recommended. This is because a fire started with any of the above will be harder to tamp down or extinguish if it rages out of control.

Putting your fire out safely:

As stated above, never leave a fire unattended, even if it has burnt down to embers. Instead, ensure that your fire is completely snuffed by using either water or sand to smother it.

We’re Always Here to Help!

Running into problems with your DIY fire pit kit? Have more questions about how to ensure your fire pit is safe? Feel free to reach out to our team of pros. They are always happy to help with any issues you may run into along the way. Our NFI-certified experts have years of experience in the field and can diagnose whatever problems you may have so you can get back to your backyard and enjoying a fire in your new fire pit! Call 866-848-3473 or email us today. Browse our section for more information or check out the other articles in our Learning Center.