- Joined
- May 27, 2012
- Messages
- 5,190
- Location
- Bellmere, QLD
- Website
- www.selfsufficientme.com
- Climate
- Sub-Tropical
Here's how I made my fire pit out of regular retaining wall blocks/bricks and a galvanised round garden bed for the central steel rim.
Overall the build took about 6 hours mostly due to digging and measuring/levelling out to make sure I got it right the first time. I have to say, I'm really happy with how it has turned out!
Background
To be honest, building a fire pit was never in my mind - it was just something I hadn't thought of until my wife suggested it. We were talking about buying some kind of outdoor wood oven and I had been researching several of them including pizza ovens and various other cooking devices, which used wood as the fuel since we have so much free wood from all the fallen trees on our property lately.
My thought process was to find something I could use to cook with, in particular, to roast meat like our pekin ducks, which we grow to eat. I don't know why but an open fire pit didn't occur to me because my focus was purely on some type of oven. Then, my wife asked if I had considered a fire pit like a backyard campfire except built to look nicer and I admitted I hadn't but the seed was planted and a quick Google found heaps of inspiration!
I got to thinking could I build a fire pit which was: cheaper than an off-the-shelf outdoor wood fired oven; easier to make than a DIY pizza oven; and give me the ability to roast our ducks? The answer was YES!
Considering how I'm not the best handyman, I wanted my fire pit to be as easy as possible to build. Materials had to be easy to obtain and I didn't want the build to be overly technical or require craftsman like skills to construct.
The cooking concept is simple - you guessed it - a spit bar powered by a simple battery operated unit and that's my "outdoor oven/wood fired cooking device" complete
Materials
Size: Before I purchased the materials I obviously needed to work out roughly what size I wanted the fire pit to be. You could easily get carried away and build a large pit with visions of roasting a buffalo over it but in all practicality a large fire pit takes more fuel to run, is harder to stoke/control, gets too hot, difficult to talk over it, and takes more to build. On the other hand, you don't want a fire pit that is too small either.
I decided the internal area should be around 1 metre (about 3 feet) give or take a little and this would be about right for general cooking (even a small pig) and comply with other aspects/expectations of what a campfire should perform like. When you really think about a proper campfire it doesn't need to be huge to be effective and a bonfire looks spectacular but it's pretty stupid really.
When the outer wall is taken into consideration an internal measurement of about 1 metre seems right as this would bring the total width of the fire pit to just over 1.5 metres which will accommodate most commercially made spit assemblies perfectly. In the end, I was only able to source a 90 cm inner rim (just under 1 metre) so I worked off that and I reckon this size turned out to be spot on.
Deepness or height was a factor also, I wanted the fire pit to be raised enough to contain the fire appropriately and so the walls could act as a visible barrier for safety reasons, but it couldn't be too deep that it hindered management of the fire or the heat for the spit. I decided on a foot or 40 cm deep was about right, which meant 3 x blocks high (allowing for some digging in) was good enough.
Keeping it simple I decided to use the following materials obtained locally to build the fire pit:
Build
Here's the steps I took to build my fire pit.
Step 1 - Dry run
I did a dry build in the location I wanted my fire pit to get the size and positioning right. I located the pit away from overhanging trees and in a position convenient to our picnic area but not where people are always walking past.
Once I was happy with the build I marked the base with stencil builders marker spray paint allowing for an extra few inches around the base.
Step 2 - Digging out fire pit and levelling off
My area was uneven (hard to tell by the pics) but I needed to dig out the pit several inches more on one side to ensure the pit was level. I continued to lay blocks around scraping out and levelling off each block until the whole ring was as level as possible.
Step 3 - Position rim and compact paving sand
Position the galvanised rim central and pour in paving sand around outside then compact it down by walking over - the sand should be a few inches deep at least.
Step 4 - Lay first level of blocks
Lay the first level of blocks as evenly as possible around the rim ensuring about a 2 inch gap is left to allow for the remaining levels (2nd & top) to tier inwards as it is built up otherwise the top level of blocks won't fit. I used a rubber mallet and spirit level to lightly tap the blocks together into the paving sand and make them all straight and square.
Step 5 - Build levels 2 and top plus set rim height
Place the second level of blocks on and try to position each block centrally over the gaps between the two bottom blocks. Depending on the size of the rim this may not work out exactly and you will find some blocks out of alignment - I wasn't too concerned about this and just tried my best to get each layer of blocks as staggered as possible to the one below. Note these type of retaining wall blocks cannot be stacked flush on top of each other due to the lip on the base and are designed to lock in behind the bottom block as they step back.
I placed the top level of blocks on at this stage (even though they were to be removed in the next step) because I wanted the rim set a few inches below the brickwork so I worked out the height by laying the top blocks to find out how far the rim needed to be dug down. See how in the image below the rim is too high?
This is probably a good time to mention gaps between blocks: unless you are prepared to cut blocks to size or you're lucky for them to fit together perfectly do not expect all blocks to fit together flush because it's nearly impossible to do and will likely drive you nuts trying. There will be some gaps here and there which will be filled by paving sand and masonry cement so don't be too worried about getting the blocks exactly right just fit them together as good as possible. On a side point, smaller blocks (edging blocks) are best for making circles and could be used instead of the medium sized blocks; however, you need more of them, the structure isn't as strong, and I don't think the build looks as good...
Step 6 - Dig in the rim
Pretty self explanatory, I dug the rim down until it was about 1 - 2 inches below the top level of blocks.
Step 7 - Sand between blocks bottom and level 2 only
I then removed the top layer of blocks and filled the gap between the bottom two levels of blocks and the rim with sand. The sand gives extra strength and insulation for the retaining wall circle. I also pushed sand into the gaps between the blocks. It's best to add sand now rather than when the top level is on as it is a bigger gap between the blocks and rim at this stage and therefore easier to do.
Step 8 - Glue/cement the top layer of blocks on
I found cementing only the top layer of blocks on with masonry glue was sufficient enough as the bottom and middle levels were very secure without needing cementing in or gluing. Once the final layer of blocks were positioned I then also used masonry glue to seal the gaps between the blocks.
Step 9 - Fill remaining gap between rim and top level of blocks with sand.
I finished off with topping up the gap between the top circle of blocks and the rim with sand - there should be just a slight gap large enough to get fingers in and push the sand down so it's compacted.
Step 10 - Let dry overnight and clean up the next day
Then, it's just a matter of leaving the fire pit to dry and the next day brush off the sand, perhaps sand off some of the excess masonry glue from the top blocks, if required, to give the pit a better finished look but otherwise that's the job done - easy.
I hope you enjoyed my fire pit build or at least got a few ideas about how you would like to make your own.
Please feel free to ask any questions or add your own hints, tips, or ideas about making a fire pit to this thread.
I'm hoping my spit rotisserie will arrive soon in the post and when it does I intend to make the spit a permanent fixture over the fire pit. I'll be processing about 4 ducks soon and giving the whole "fire pit'n spit" a good test run at a family BBQ in a few weeks time - fingers crossed it all goes to plan!
It'll be roasted pekin ducks and marshmallows for everyone!
Overall the build took about 6 hours mostly due to digging and measuring/levelling out to make sure I got it right the first time. I have to say, I'm really happy with how it has turned out!
Background
To be honest, building a fire pit was never in my mind - it was just something I hadn't thought of until my wife suggested it. We were talking about buying some kind of outdoor wood oven and I had been researching several of them including pizza ovens and various other cooking devices, which used wood as the fuel since we have so much free wood from all the fallen trees on our property lately.
My thought process was to find something I could use to cook with, in particular, to roast meat like our pekin ducks, which we grow to eat. I don't know why but an open fire pit didn't occur to me because my focus was purely on some type of oven. Then, my wife asked if I had considered a fire pit like a backyard campfire except built to look nicer and I admitted I hadn't but the seed was planted and a quick Google found heaps of inspiration!
I got to thinking could I build a fire pit which was: cheaper than an off-the-shelf outdoor wood fired oven; easier to make than a DIY pizza oven; and give me the ability to roast our ducks? The answer was YES!
Considering how I'm not the best handyman, I wanted my fire pit to be as easy as possible to build. Materials had to be easy to obtain and I didn't want the build to be overly technical or require craftsman like skills to construct.
The cooking concept is simple - you guessed it - a spit bar powered by a simple battery operated unit and that's my "outdoor oven/wood fired cooking device" complete
Materials
Size: Before I purchased the materials I obviously needed to work out roughly what size I wanted the fire pit to be. You could easily get carried away and build a large pit with visions of roasting a buffalo over it but in all practicality a large fire pit takes more fuel to run, is harder to stoke/control, gets too hot, difficult to talk over it, and takes more to build. On the other hand, you don't want a fire pit that is too small either.
I decided the internal area should be around 1 metre (about 3 feet) give or take a little and this would be about right for general cooking (even a small pig) and comply with other aspects/expectations of what a campfire should perform like. When you really think about a proper campfire it doesn't need to be huge to be effective and a bonfire looks spectacular but it's pretty stupid really.
When the outer wall is taken into consideration an internal measurement of about 1 metre seems right as this would bring the total width of the fire pit to just over 1.5 metres which will accommodate most commercially made spit assemblies perfectly. In the end, I was only able to source a 90 cm inner rim (just under 1 metre) so I worked off that and I reckon this size turned out to be spot on.
Deepness or height was a factor also, I wanted the fire pit to be raised enough to contain the fire appropriately and so the walls could act as a visible barrier for safety reasons, but it couldn't be too deep that it hindered management of the fire or the heat for the spit. I decided on a foot or 40 cm deep was about right, which meant 3 x blocks high (allowing for some digging in) was good enough.
Keeping it simple I decided to use the following materials obtained locally to build the fire pit:
- Retaining wall blocks - 215 mm (about 9 inches) wide Borderstone (has the lip underneath to stack on top of each other in a tiered fashion) x 53 @ $2.05 each = $108.65 These medium sized blocks look good and are designed for stacking plus are easier to make a smaller neater circle than the larger blocks.
- Inner rim galvanised round garden bed - Tumbleweed brand (from Bunnings), 90 cm wide x 40 cm high @ $104. This rim has several purposes: it protects/insulates the bricks from direct fire therefore they should last longer; it makes for a neater and straight wall because the blocks tier inwards as they stack so the wall would be staggered otherwise; and gives integrity/strength to the wall by having something the blocks can be placed against.
- Masonry adhesive - 1 x tube @ $10.50 This is used to stick the top row of blocks onto the second row and fill any gaps between each top row block.
- Sand/course sand - 6 x 30 kg bags @ $7.90 = $47.4 Yes, I could have got a trailer load for cheaper but for convenience sake I got my paving sand from Bunnings. This was used as a base to lay the blocks and to also fill the gap between the blocks and the inner galvanised rim. It doesn't really matter if you use sand or "course" sand - I used a mixture of both.
Build
Here's the steps I took to build my fire pit.
Step 1 - Dry run
I did a dry build in the location I wanted my fire pit to get the size and positioning right. I located the pit away from overhanging trees and in a position convenient to our picnic area but not where people are always walking past.
Once I was happy with the build I marked the base with stencil builders marker spray paint allowing for an extra few inches around the base.
Step 2 - Digging out fire pit and levelling off
My area was uneven (hard to tell by the pics) but I needed to dig out the pit several inches more on one side to ensure the pit was level. I continued to lay blocks around scraping out and levelling off each block until the whole ring was as level as possible.
Step 3 - Position rim and compact paving sand
Position the galvanised rim central and pour in paving sand around outside then compact it down by walking over - the sand should be a few inches deep at least.
Step 4 - Lay first level of blocks
Lay the first level of blocks as evenly as possible around the rim ensuring about a 2 inch gap is left to allow for the remaining levels (2nd & top) to tier inwards as it is built up otherwise the top level of blocks won't fit. I used a rubber mallet and spirit level to lightly tap the blocks together into the paving sand and make them all straight and square.
Step 5 - Build levels 2 and top plus set rim height
Place the second level of blocks on and try to position each block centrally over the gaps between the two bottom blocks. Depending on the size of the rim this may not work out exactly and you will find some blocks out of alignment - I wasn't too concerned about this and just tried my best to get each layer of blocks as staggered as possible to the one below. Note these type of retaining wall blocks cannot be stacked flush on top of each other due to the lip on the base and are designed to lock in behind the bottom block as they step back.
I placed the top level of blocks on at this stage (even though they were to be removed in the next step) because I wanted the rim set a few inches below the brickwork so I worked out the height by laying the top blocks to find out how far the rim needed to be dug down. See how in the image below the rim is too high?
This is probably a good time to mention gaps between blocks: unless you are prepared to cut blocks to size or you're lucky for them to fit together perfectly do not expect all blocks to fit together flush because it's nearly impossible to do and will likely drive you nuts trying. There will be some gaps here and there which will be filled by paving sand and masonry cement so don't be too worried about getting the blocks exactly right just fit them together as good as possible. On a side point, smaller blocks (edging blocks) are best for making circles and could be used instead of the medium sized blocks; however, you need more of them, the structure isn't as strong, and I don't think the build looks as good...
Step 6 - Dig in the rim
Pretty self explanatory, I dug the rim down until it was about 1 - 2 inches below the top level of blocks.
Step 7 - Sand between blocks bottom and level 2 only
I then removed the top layer of blocks and filled the gap between the bottom two levels of blocks and the rim with sand. The sand gives extra strength and insulation for the retaining wall circle. I also pushed sand into the gaps between the blocks. It's best to add sand now rather than when the top level is on as it is a bigger gap between the blocks and rim at this stage and therefore easier to do.
Step 8 - Glue/cement the top layer of blocks on
I found cementing only the top layer of blocks on with masonry glue was sufficient enough as the bottom and middle levels were very secure without needing cementing in or gluing. Once the final layer of blocks were positioned I then also used masonry glue to seal the gaps between the blocks.
Step 9 - Fill remaining gap between rim and top level of blocks with sand.
I finished off with topping up the gap between the top circle of blocks and the rim with sand - there should be just a slight gap large enough to get fingers in and push the sand down so it's compacted.
Step 10 - Let dry overnight and clean up the next day
Then, it's just a matter of leaving the fire pit to dry and the next day brush off the sand, perhaps sand off some of the excess masonry glue from the top blocks, if required, to give the pit a better finished look but otherwise that's the job done - easy.
I hope you enjoyed my fire pit build or at least got a few ideas about how you would like to make your own.
Please feel free to ask any questions or add your own hints, tips, or ideas about making a fire pit to this thread.
I'm hoping my spit rotisserie will arrive soon in the post and when it does I intend to make the spit a permanent fixture over the fire pit. I'll be processing about 4 ducks soon and giving the whole "fire pit'n spit" a good test run at a family BBQ in a few weeks time - fingers crossed it all goes to plan!
It'll be roasted pekin ducks and marshmallows for everyone!
You need to give yourself a bit more credit with the handy man stuff, you do a pretty good job and at the very least you are prepared to give it a go 
