How to Build a Circular Fire Pit

A circular fire pit is a safe and social way to build a fire in your backyard.

When you huddle around a fire with your circle of friends and family, you're continuing a pattern of human behavior that goes back thousands of years. While our ancestors gathered around out of necessity for cooking or for the warmth provided by the flames, many people do it now as part of a social gathering. Sitting around a bonfire after a summer cookout or on a crisp fall night is an experience that many people find enjoyable. You can bring this experience to your home by building a circular fire pit in your backyard.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden stake
• Pole
• Hammer
• String
• Tape measure
• Spray paint
• Shovel
• Gravel
• Rake
• Sand
• Tamp
• Stone
• Mortar
• Trowel
• Chipping hammer

Instructions

1. Contact your local zoning board to acquire any permits that you may need and to learn any building codes that you must follow.

2. Decide where your fire pit will go. Follow the local building codes and use common sense when picking a location. For instance, you don't want to put a fire pit next to a wooden shed or on top of a buried natural gas line.

3. Drive a wooden stake or a pole into the ground at the center of the area where the fire pit will be located. Attach a string to the pole or stake and tie the other end to a can of spray paint. Cut the string so it measures half the diameter of the fire pit. For example, if the fire pit is 6 feet across, use a string that is 3 feet long.

4. Walk around the edge of the fire pit, spraying the ground to mark the circle where the pit will go.

5. Remove the stake or pole from the center of the circle and dig a hole 12 inches deep inside the circle.

6. Pour a layer of gravel 6 inches deep into the hole and rake it smooth.

7. Add a 6-inch-deep layer of sand on top of the gravel. Smooth it out and tamp it down to compact it.

8. Lay the first course of stone around the perimeter of the pit. Fill in the gaps between the stones and the tops of the stones with mortar, then lay the next course of stone. Stagger each row of stones to improve the strength of the fire pit's wall. Wipe off any excess mortar from the front of the stones, and use a chipping hammer to shape the stones if needed. Build the wall 8 to 12 inches high, unless your building codes require you to build higher. In that case, refer to them.

9. Allow the mortar to set for at least 3 or 4 days before building a fire.

References

• This Old House: How to Build a Fire Pit
• Club Husband: Building a Fire Pit