How to Set Up an Outdoor Fire Pit

Campfires are great for relaxing and socializing.

An outdoor fire pit is an easy and rewarding project for your yard or property. Campfires are a great way to socialize and relax with friends and family and knowing that your fire is safely contained makes it more enjoyable. A few simple safety rules, such as keeping flammables away from the fire pit area, can assure a nice place for relaxing that carries no risk of conflagration.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Stones
• 2 sturdy wooden stakes
• Logs
• Sledgehammer
• Wedge

Instructions

Build a Fire Pit

1. Choose the location of your fire pit carefully. It should be at least 30 feet away from your house and not have any tree branches hanging lower than 10 feet. It should be well away from any paths or walkways that are frequently used, both for safety and for privacy.

2. Dig down about 8 inches with a shovel. Chop out squares of sod with the edge of the shovel and put them aside. Dig deep enough that there is bare dirt in the bottom of the hole and all the sod is removed. Make a circular hole between 3 and 4 feet in diameter.

3. Find or buy some stones that are small enough to move but big enough to be substantial. Anything between the size of a grapefruit and a basketball will work well.

4. Fit the stones around the edge of the hole, pressed up against the outer wall and leaving a sizable space in the middle.

5. Fit and stack the stones until they are above ground level by about 6 inches, thus creating a containing wall to limit the area of the fire.

Build Some Extras

1. Drive two stakes with Y shaped tops into the ground on opposite sides of the fire pit, about a foot away from the outside of the stones. You can suspend a stick or a metal rod over the fire in the Ys of these stakes and hang pots from it for cooking.

2. Put some long logs around the fire pit for sitting. Make the logs more comfortable by splitting them down the middle with a sledgehammer and wedge to create a flat sitting surface. Raise the logs off the ground by placing each end on a short log set perpendicular to the long log.

3. Place some smaller logs parallel to each other about 8 feet away from the fire pit. You can use these to stack firewood on, to keep the firewood off of the ground so it will dry faster.

References

• This Old House: How to Build a Fire Pit
• Firepit and Grilling Guru: Want to Learn How to Build a Firepit?
• Build a Fire Pit: Build a Fire Pit