Tips for Building your own Backyard Fire Pitq

No matter what the climate in your state, a fire pit out in the back yard makes a great focal point for your landscape design. On those cool or even cold winter evenings, you and your friends and family will enjoy relaxing around a blazing fire in the back yard while sipping cocoa or hot tea. You’ll need some beautiful wicker patio furniture to sit and enjoy the fire.

Many homeowners just don’t feel up to the challenge of building their own fire pit so they hire a landscaping company to do the work for them. If you are handy with a few tools, it’s really not that difficult to design and build an outdoor fire pit.

Tip One

The first and most important tip is to choose the right location. You want a place that’s centrally located but it must be away from the house and it should not have any low hanging limbs over it. Just like placing a candle in an open space with no shelves or other obstacles over it, your fire pit needs room for the flames to flare up.

Tip Two

Lay out pavers in a circle the size of the pit you want to build. Dig out the area in that circle. Be sure to dig down at least 12 inches so you’ll have room for rocks or gravel in the bottom of the pit. The bottom of your fire pit can consist of fire bricks, regular rocks or any type of gravel. It should have a slight bowl shape.

Tip Three

When choosing the stones that will make up the walls of your fire pit, try to match or complement your home. If you have a light gray brick home, then try to find pavers or fire bricks in a color that blends well.

Tip Four

Plant some small areas with flowering plants so that will attract honeybees and hummingbirds. Add a bench in one area. Rattan furniture is a good choice. Wicker Paradise has some good selections at reasonable prices.