DIY Stone Fire Pits
- 1). Contact your local zoning board to acquire any needed permits and to learn your local building codes.
- 2). Decide where you will build your fire pit. Follow local building codes and use common sense when choosing a location. For instance, you can't build the pit on top of a gas line or underneath an electrical line.
- 3). Place the first row of stones around the metal fire ring to mark the location where the pit will go. After the stones have been placed, remove the fire ring.
- 4). Score the outline of the stones by driving an edging shovel into the ground on both the inside and outside of the stones.
- 5). Remove the stones from the circle and dig a trench 12 inches deep between the two score lines. Flatten out the soil at the bottom of the trench and tamp it down.
- 6). Fill the trench with six inches of 3/4-inch gravel. Level the gravel out and tamp it down.
- 7). Place a stone on top of the gravel. Check to see if it is level and tap it down with a rubber mallet if necessary.
- 8). Place a second stone into the trench next to the first stone. Place the level across both stones and adjust by tapping down the second stone with the mallet if necessary.
- 9). Finish laying the first course of stones in this manner.
- 10
Run a thick zigzag bead of masonry adhesive across two stones. Start applying the adhesive in the middle of one stone and end in the middle of the stone next to it. - 11
Place the first stone of the second row on top of the masonry adhesive, staggering over the two stones underneath it. Continue this process until the second row is complete. - 12
Fill the inside of the fire pit with six inches of gravel and smooth it out with a rake. - 13
Slide the fire ring into position inside the circle. Position it so that it is even with the top of the stones. Fill in any space between the stones and the fire ring with gravel. - 14
Finish building the walls until you reach the desired height.
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