How To Make A Fire Pit
Love the great outdoors at night? Try this hot idea – build an outdoor fire pit. It’s the perfect way to entice you and the kids out of the house and bring back the age of ritual. You know, sitting around a fire, toasting marshmallows and sharing ghost stories under the starry night sky.
These days, you can buy relatively inexpensive fire pits, then it’s simply a matter of landscaping around it. Think gravel and sandstone with granite boulders for seating, to give the space an authentic, earthy feel. Set up a tent, light the fire and bring out the billy – you won’t even notice you’re still at home!
Gather your supplies
• 200 x 200 x 400mm sandstone dimension stone
• Outdoor fire pit
• Flat granite boulders
• Split sandstone flagging
• Road base
• Sandstone gravel
• Native plants (we used kangaroo paw, grevillea, leucadendron, bracteantha)
You'll also need
Set-out paint; firewood; lump hammer; bolster; garden mix; mulch; wheelbarrow; rake; broom; shovel; matches; turf cutter (optional)
STEP 1
Position fire pit in centre of desired space, ensuring it’s a safe distance from plants and other flammable materials. Using set-out paint, mark a 2m radius around fire pit. Remove pit, then remove turf. Excavate area to 100mm.
STEP 2
Put fire pit back in centre of area, then place granite boulders around inner edge of set-out paint circle. These boulders will be your seats.
STEP 3
Using set-out paint and inside edges of boulders as a guide, mark another circle – the space between the 2 circles forms the seating area. Mark another circle around fire pit about 30cm from edge. Use hammer and bolster to cut dimension stone in half. Place on set-out paint around fire pit.
STEP 4
Position sandstone flagging randomly in seating area. Fill inside marked areas with 70mm of road base and compact by foot.
STEP 5
Spread a 30mm layer of gravel over road base, using a rake and broom to spread evenly.
STEP 6
Spread garden mix around seating area, plant up, mulch and water well. Hose down sandstone flagging and granite to remove dust. Put firewood in fire pit, strike a match, then relax.
