Building A Square Fire Pit With Retaining Wall Blocks

How to build a square fire pit.

Building a square fire pit with retaining wall blocks.

Fire pits commonly consist of an inner wall an outer wall a cap i e a flat tabletop like surface around the opening at the top of the pit and decorative stones or rocks in the center. If your fire pit will mostly be enjoyed by you and your family or if you prefer a more rustic look a modern fire pit built out of retaining wall blocks or a timesaving fire pit project kit may be ideal. Build out from the corner. I picked up some cheap retaining wall blocks from home depot.

For a square or rectangle fire pit temporarily lay out the first layer of concrete blocks for your design on the ground and check the layout for square. Lay the first row of retaining wall stones 12 in our case along the line minimizing the gaps between them. Cut ab dublin blocks. To prevent the sand from shifting dig a 4 inch deep hole in the grass with a spade remove the turf and fill the hole with paver sand.

Rectangular blocks make it easy to adjust the layout to a size that works well for your design. Add caps starting at the corner. Leave a gap at the corners to add a cut cap. Our fire pit is also 16 inches high.

We built our fire pit on the lawn from regular retaining wall blocks lined with clay fire bricks you can also build your pit on a patio. Costing well under 100 this square diy fire pit is a simple and stylish backyard design element constructed from cement wall blocks laid in a bed of sand. How to build a fire pit using retaining wall blocks. Our fire pit ended up being about 4 feet 49 inches in diameter on the outside and 3 feet 35 5 inches in diameter on the inside if you want something bigger or smaller you will just need more or less blocks.

Mark out the fire pit location. Using blocks of a different style can also change the look of your fire pit. Remove the sod and dirt to a depth of about seven inches from inside the perimeter that you marked. Check out fire pit ideas to see how to build a fire pit ring or an in ground fire pit.

Each block is about 9 long on the short end so i needed 13 bricks for each level. Pavers also work well but since these are literally made to be used as a wall they stack nicely. Twist each stone back and forth a few times in the sand to firmly set it. Build the first 2 courses.

Use a shovel to outline the perimeter and then remove the blocks. Use the small piece to start the second course corner. Secure caps in place with flexible concrete adhesive.