The Hough Brothers, in: 'How to Build a Fire Pit'

Hi gang.

Just a mini-installment today, but I wanted to share something with you folks that might come of practical use to you later:  how to build a fire pit for under $100.

Kris and I have been wanting one for years, but haven't been able to buy one because we were either living in a.) a rental property with crappy or un-fenced yard space, or b.) Florida. . . where that shit's illegal.  However, now that we're once again homeowners, and in Michigan - and have a backyard the size of a small park - we decided to pull the trigger and build ourselves our very own bonfire pit.

After researching city ordinances via Midland's city government site, and looking up several different varieties of construction, I landed on a design that was both visually appealing and cost effective (and well-within all applicable zoning laws.)

For $100, I was able to purchase all of the following items necessary to build my fire pit:

1. 48 edging stones (I think the color we went with was 'charcoal red,' - Kris liked red, I liked grey, so we compromised.)
2. 3 bags of pea gravel
3. 3 bags of plain sand
4. 1 tube of rainproof, masonry construction adhesive
5. 1 12-pack of Michigan's own Short's Brewery's Summer Variety Pack (for the hired labor, as my brother Chris offered to help me with some of the tedious, manual labor, and we're both big fans of craft beer.)

Allow me to walk you folks through this. . .

I scouted out the backyard and found a spot that was nestled between two of our large garden 'dividers' (our backyard is split into three, large areas, and the first one Kris and I wanted to leave empty for future house additions and patio use.)  The spot I selected was naturally screened by trees from the road, as well as from neighbors on all sides except one of the ones right behind us (but even then, it was mostly screened by bushes.)

Midland ordinances require all fire pits to be no larger than 36" in diameter, and no larger than 2' high off the ground.  In order to measure this out, I laid out rings of 10,11, and 12 stones out at Home Depot and measured it with a tape measure.  10 stones gave you a fire pit diameter of 25", thereabouts, but the stones were completely flush together.  Although it looked really cool, 25" was almost really, really small.  12 stones (shown here), provided nearly 36" in fire space, but the stones had more gaps between them.  11 stones, with a 32" diameter and smaller gaps between stones was - like Goldilocks herself said - juuuuust right.  After placing the stones down on the desired spot, I cut into the lawn with a shovel in order to trace out the line.

The hardest part of this whole process - by far - was digging up the lawn.  Our grass is awesome, so cutting through it was a total bitch.  And of course my brother, who had previously offered to help with the project, showed up after this hole had already been dug (about 6" deep.) 

After raking the ground level, it was time to stamp it level with a stamping tool (whatever they're called), which I borrowed from Mom.

At one point, the girls came out to 'help us.'

After using a large level to make sure it was 100% level (I don't want water accumulating in one spot or another), it was time to move on to the next stage. . .

First I put down a layer of sand, in order to help form a more level and sturdy base, that would also allow some more drainage.

Next, I placed the first layer of edging stones, which would end up being half-buried in pea gravel, which I put over top of the sand to provide more drainage in case of rain.  I also added a small perimeter around the outside of the stones in order to prevent the fire from singing the grass.

I forgot to take a picture of it, but I also added an additional, thin, layer of sand over top of the pea gravel inside the pit in order to prevent any of the moisture-laden pebbles from exploding from the heat (which, I guess, is something they do.)

The finished product:  it adheres to all city ordinances, cost next to nothing, and will be getting it's 'maiden voyage' on the Fourth of July.  Stay tuned.

- Brian