How to Build a Fire Pit
A few weeks ago we posted about making our own fire pit. A lot of people have been interested in how we built it and maintain it.
The number one consideration is safety, here at Rushcroft we love fire, however we are acutely aware fire can easily turn from being wonderful and majestic to dangerous and potentially life threatening. We have a blog on the fire safety rules we use for our son.
From a fire safety perspective there are 3 things you have to take into consideration.
Number one, find a place where it is sheltered from the wind. Partly so you can sit around the fire without feeling cold. But more importantly fire blows in the direction of the wind. If the wind is strong and you are sitting around the fire this could burn you. We live next to a field so wind shelter is an issue for us, we made sure the fire pit was big enough so the fire did not go onto the grass if it was windy.
Secondly, make sure the fire pit is not near a wooden fence or anything that easily catches….for obvious reasons.
Thirdly, ensure there is a border around your fire pit, you should not use normal building bricks, these can explode if they get too hot. You need to use fire bricks or similar that have specifically been built to withstand heat. The main reason why you have a border is to mark out a safe boundary, and prevents the fire spreading to the grass or decking.
Once you have picked a safe spot for your fire pit you can start planning your fire pit. Firstly measure out how big you want your fire pit, we did this by counting the number of fire bricks we had. Mark the space out with the bricks and start digging a spades depth. Once all of the grass has been dug out, use a tamper or earth rammer, flattening the soil.
Then add a layer of sand between 1 to 2 inches, this is generic building sand. Use a rake to even out the sand. Then using a tamper or earth rammer flatten the sand.
You are now ready to start your fire, yes it is as simple as that!
Maintaining the fire is very easy, you can cover it when it rains but water from the ground will get it wet so we don’t bother. We light the fire every week, this keeps the sand and soil dry enough. Add an extra inch of sand every 6 months or so. And that’s it!
If you have any questions feel free to ask us! Always happy to help anyone enjoy fire!