I'm going to have a firepit in the backyard of the new house. I think it would be cool to be able to chill around a campfire with friends and beer ya know? Anyway, for about 45 bones I can have a 4 x 4 x 2 pit out of concrete blocks. The idea of a firepit was met with great enthusiasm, but apparently concrete blocks are an indicator of poverty and low class. But hanging the cheapest blinds money can buy on each and every window inside the house is perfectly acceptable, but I digress. I will not buy one of those round, steel commercially availables pits. So in sticking with the block or brick method, what would you use?
Im not sure what there called but there is some kind of steel strainer basket that alot of people use around here, that they get from the coal mines. got any connections with miners?? Cinder blocks are not good enough for DD, So dont even think about it :D
Everytime my buddy comes up he has to have a fire. I have this little back stop berm behind the house just off the porch. I'm going to dig out about a 6 or 8 foot half moon into the hill, level the base with some flag stones and line the half moon with some stones from and old stone foundation. The pit will be about 4 feet high, 6 feet across and cozy. Eventually I'll build a patio out of pavers going right up to the edge of the pit. The pit is all free materials from old stone walls and foundations. Behind the stone wall I'll pour in some smaller gravel and top it all with sand from the dug out half moon.
I always have a fire pit but mine is on the beach. I just dig out the shale a bit and gather the largest stones I can find to line it. I can burn all the drift wood that floats in as well as a bunch of wood I still have from when we cleared the land.
If you have a rocky creek nearby...take a ride and pick up enough large creek stones to build your own fire ring...have seen this quite a few times, looks great, practical, and cheap! Good Luck!
Hmmm..... Two thoughts: See if John will let you have that big metal dish between his trailer and barn (he may want it for the same purpose) ... or: You know how you see people stopped on the interstate at those rock slides always picking up new field stone? Maybe do the same and dig out your pit and line it with some nice stone like that.... would be basically free and look very classy.
We used to make ice cubes with grape mad dog and then pour purple passion. Chicks loved it and it only took a glass or two to get them movn
I used to see poeple doing this all the time on a highway that runs through the southern part of the state, but after the news did a story on it saying how it was illegal I haven't seen them doing it anymore. I never really saw an issue with it, but obviously someone did. Just saying to be sure it is legal where you may want to do this.
we have the concrete blocks, durable and are still standing... long before i was a gleam in my daddy's eye and will be here long after i look similar to the ash that sits in the bottom of that great piece of art that my granddad's grandad built. screw em' if they dont like it!
Warning Will.... Danger Will... Warning Will.. These stones have moisture deep inside. The first couple fires will have stones splitting and popping and throwing shrapnel. I know I'll have the same thing. I've been through this before..... but I got to admit.... they make a lovely pit. I don't mortar them or anything like that.... just takes lots of loving care to stack them solidly and firmly. Use small chips to stabilize any shakey spots. It's a lovely pit when done. I've dodged the shrapnel befor and will again because it makes such a nice pit. After the first couple fires you will not have the popping and shrapnel again.
We get that here too with the shale on our beach. Once the fire gets hot with a new batch of shale it is like pop corn. You hear it go off and then see the pieces fly all over the place. After a few burns the shale is all seasoned and it doesn't do that. We do have lots of good beach fires here at the island.
I'm going to be building a new one set in to our patio using smaller versions of the tumbled Versalok block. Might line it with a steel cylinder of some sorts if possible.
