Do-It-Yourself Brick Fire Pit Design

Add a relaxing area to your home landscape by building a brick fire pit. The design is simple, and requires just a few supplies available at home supply stores. All you need is a little manual labor and about three hours of your time. Choose landscaping bricks that coordinate with buildings or yard features to give your space some eye appeal. Continue the project by adding brick or gravel to the surrounding ground to make a comfortable seating area around the fire pit.

Spade

Landscape bricks

Level ruler

Rubber mallet

Pea gravel

Metal fire ring

Masonry adhesive

Remove the sod and rocks from the area where you want to build the fire pit. Smooth the area, using a level ruler to make sure the ground is flat.

Lay the bricks in a ring, pushing them together tightly. Cut the ending bricks to make them fit, if needed. Use a sharp spade to cut around the outside and inside edge of the brick ring to mark the placement.

Remove the brick ring and dig a 12-inch-deep trench between the two markings. Make sure the trench remains the width of the bricks, so they fit properly inside. Remove 6 inches of soil from the center area of the fire pit to set the burning are below the soil level.

Pour 1 inch of pea gravel into the bottom of the trench and pack it firmly. Fit the bricks into the trench so the sides fit snugly against each other. Check to make sure the fire pit remains level with each brick row. Use a rubber mallet to pound the bricks in place, or pound the bricks flat to keep the ring level.

Add a second layer of bricks, using masonry adhesive to hold the two layers together. Masonry adhesive dries quickly, so apply it to a small area at a time. Add one or two more rows until the fire pit reaches a desired height.

Pour about 5 inches of pea gravel into the center of the fire pit. Fit the metal fire ring inside the brick wall, using a rubber mallet to pound it securely into the gravel so it is the same height as the brick wall. Pour gravel between the metal ring and bricks to close the gap.

Add a decorative top layer of brick to the fire ring to cap off the structure, if desired. Use masonry adhesive to hold the bricks together.

Place the fire pit a safe distance from buildings -- no less than 10 feet -- to prevent a risk of starting the structure on fire with tall flames or blowing ashes. Verify there are no tree branches that hang over the fire pit to prevent damage to the tree.