How to Build a Bonfire Pit in Your Backyard?

A bonfire pit may look very small but has a lasting impact on our lives. It is a place to enjoy a nice family time with hot food and wine of course. Creating a bonfire pit is not a tricky task if you decide to create one for your family time. All you need is some basic tools and a few DIY tricks to build a bonfire pit of your own.

Chilly winters really demand a bonfire pit in your backyard with Barbeque and a hot coffee. It gives warmth to your body during the cold winter season. Apart from that, you can also prepare hot dogs and barbeque around the bonfire pit.

This blog lists all the creative ways to build a bonfire pit in your backyard. You can follow these ways to build an instant bonfire pit in your backyard.

Table of Contents

Things to check before building a backyard bonfire

Thinking of building a bonfire pit requires you to consider many things from getting a permit to calling a fire department. Some of the most important things to consider while building a backyard bonfire are:

First of all, you will require a permit to build a bonfire if your place has a necessity to grant one.
Check out whether the bonfire is legal in your area or not. If it is legal, you must find the months in which you can build a bonfire.
You can ask the fire department about other things that are necessary to build a bonfire pit in your backyard.
You must follow some fire safety instructions before building a bonfire pit.

Which things are required to build a bonfire pit?

There are very few things that you need to build a bonfire pit such as:

Stones and bricks
Twiggs, newspaper, and pine needles
Logs
Large sticks
Dried hardwood

Steps to build a fire pit in your background

Do you want to build a bonfire pit in your garden or backyard? Then follow some of the best tips listed below:

Create the ring of blocks

The first thing to do is to make a ring of blocks for a bonfire pit. Making a perfect circle for the pit is important for gaining an ideal-looking bonfire pit. Cutting the blocks is the next step to getting a circle. You may need to cut some blocks to adjust the size of the circle. Mark the points with a considerable width in the ring.

Get a cold chisel of at least 3 inches with a brick hammer to arrange all the blocks in the points. Now, you have to cut all the blocks similarly with the same size such that they all easily fit in the ring.

Keep all the blocks flat

The next thing you must do is take a hammer and adjust the edges of all the blocks. Use the bottom part of the hammer to clean the edges of the block. Lay all the blocks flat on the surface.

Dig the ground for a trench

Now, get a spade and start digging a trench of at least up to 12 inches in depth. Keep the width of one block and further dig down for around 6 inches around the trench. Start placing the blocks in the trench and check whether they all fit there. If you cannot place all the blocks, dig a few more inches and remove the blocks.

Fill up the trench

The next thing to do is to put the gravel in the trench and keep the trench level even by using a hand tamper. Keep a circle diameter of around 1 inch and a minimum gap of 3 inches between each block.

Level the different blocks

Now, we have to level the different blocks. So, start arranging the first block in the ring. Keep a level of 2 feet in the block. If you find the block is very high, lower it with the help of a rubber mallet. If the block is very low, fill it with some materials to get the right level. It is necessary to level the first block to get the level of other blocks.

In the same way, start arranging the second block adjacent to the first block. Complete the whole ring by placing all the blocks similarly. The blocks must be kept tightly to each other. You can check the level of every block with a mallet. Work very slowly as the pressure or force might damage all the blocks.

Make the walls

The next thing is to assemble the walls on the blocks. You must take a caulking gun and spread the border of masonry adhesive on the blocks. Now, place all the blocks on the pieces covered with glue to create a strong wall of a bonfire pit. All the interlocking parts must be kept tightly. A similar procedure must be followed for the different walls.

Fill up the bonfire pit

You are just about to finish the work of building a bonfire pit. Take gravel and fill up the pit to 6 inches. Lay the remaining courses and connect all the joints. Now, put the iron campfire ring in the block circle.

You have to adjust the iron campfire ring with the block wall. If there is any empty space between the walls and ring, fill it up by adding more gravel.

Make a cap for the blocks

You have to arrange all the cap pieces on top of a pit wall. You can either use natural stone or blocks to make a cap for the block. Use dry mortar or additive to stick the pieces on top of the wall. Place the capstone on the top of the pit and use a rubber mallet to push it down and set it perfectly. After two days, you can light the fire and enjoy a winter party.

Final words

This is all about building a bonfire pit in your backyard. The steps are very simple but you will need a set of the right tools to make a good bonfire pit. This procedure can be done by anyone by following the exact method.

Having a bonfire pit in the backyard is just awesome. From arranging a family get-together to a barbeque party, you can enjoy various functions in your outdoor places. This method is easy as well as affordable for many families.

So now, try the above steps and create a beautiful bonfire pit around your backyard for a wonderful time!

You might also like:

How to Build a Bonfire Pit in Your Backyard?

Things to check before building a backyard bonfire

Which things are required to build a bonfire pit?