In the process of tearing up some grass to add a brick fireplace in the backyard. Thinking about laying some crushed granite or river rock on top of some landscape fabric and having some chairs around a circular brick fireplace. I know Lowe's sells some kits.

Anyone have any experience of what they have done? Located near Katy.

Following. Thinking about same thing but rectangular.

Make sure the fire can get air. Leave out a brick or 2 on the sides of your prevailing breeze, or else you'll just have a smoking pit that no one wants to around.

Landscape fabric then DCG then the fire? Sounds like you'll melt the fabric unless you have a thick layer of DGC.

Make it easy to clean and drain.

Building a fire pit is cool. Buying one that you can move around based on shade and wind and space = much better, IMO.

This is my set up in the backyard. Nothing fancy, and that might give me problems in the long run I suppose, but it's worked well so far. Couldn't grow grass here anyways so I just leveled the dirt, put out about a cubic yard of pea gravel (3/8 I think) for a depth of 1 to 1.5 inches across most of the space, and built a fire ring with stones and that's it. No liner or anything, just spray the few weeds that do pop up with roundup. Need to get some permanent chairs out there eventually instead of just using tailgate chairs

Your dog is a cutie.

Quote:

---

Make it easy to clean and drain.

---

This x 1000....mine might as well be a hot tub after a rain, holds water for days...make sure to leave some weep holes at the very least

One, leave enough space for lawn chairs around the pit. Crushed granite needs to be firm enough to prevent legs of chair sinking in.

Second, make sure there is adequate airflow for the fire.

Third, sound system with appropriate volume to hear but not too loud to prevent conversation.

Fourth, invite Texags outdoor board....

If you're just in the planning stages and think this may become a permanent structure down the road, I'd bury a pvc pipe and cap it off or add a drain cover if you have enough slope for it to function as a drain. That way if you ever want to add a gas starter or convert it to gas it's easily done. Also if you ever give up on the fire pit you can easily make it a planter and use the buried pipe for irrigation.

User name does not check out... thinking that yoh are secretly trying to convince OP to install moonshine still

Just a thought - I am going to buy a decorative propane fire pit for this winter after having a wood burning pit for 2 years.

1. Wood fires are enough of a pain to build i won't do it unless we have people over.
2. Girls don't like to smell like fire unless it's a special thing. I.e even when I offer to build one for just the two of us, the wife doesn't want to smell like smoke before bed

I want to actually use the space more than 3-4x per winter.

Buddy has a pear burner. Can get a good fire up and going in less then 5 minutes. And does not need to start small and build up.

I use a Bernzomatic high intensity handheld torch to start mine. It works like a charm.

https://www.reinders.com/products/breeo-zentro-32-round-smoke-less-firepit-with-lid/

I'm doing this with a rock surround.

Does your HOA allow fire pits?

Just added the pit, beds, and water rock in March

Sweet setup

We had a wood burning pit for two or three years and enjoyed it with all its problems. Consisted of big rocks in a circle. Decided last summer to fix it up with more rocks and mortar. My 11 and 13 yo girls were involved. We started at 8am and 9 hours later we were done. I imagined a perfect store bought looking things but they wanted sea shells, round rocks, brick...totally eclectic and I let them go figuring if it was bad I could dig it up with my tractor.

It came out so awesome and it reminds me of a special day I thought, screw the wood, I'll run a gas line and make it propane. Fifty bucks for a ring at Amazon and and c note to the gas guy...done.

I can't tell you HOW F'n AWESOME it is to walk over, turn a valve and fire! Then just turn it off. No musical chairs avoiding smoke...no putting it out if it's dry.

We live on a farm and burn stuff all the time. It is so nice to just sit and enjoy a gas fire pit. Give it serious consideration, hot dogs and s'mores come out great.

Major props to you for going with your daughters' design. What a wonderful memory they have to share with you.

AlphaBean said:

---

Just added the pit, beds, and water rock in March

---

Nice looking place!

My pear burner bud has almost the exact pit shown above.

You want to go the brick route or just make a pad and put a solo stove on it?