Building a fire pit

[ducks4you]

I've already posted this on TEG, but I thought I might get some different ideas here.
I am AG 2 and we already can burn, as long as it's not after dark. I've been burning around where there was a burn barrel when we moved in. 2015 I am putting a new chicken coop there and I want to move where we have our "every day" burning. (We accumulate big logs in my north pasture for my October "Salsa Party," too.)
I've been researching laying down brick bc I want to make a brick circle or rectangle like you would lay down a brick walkway, and then make an ~ 1 ft high circular pit on top bc I'm tired of sitting next the fire sometimes in the mud!
Has anybody here ever laid down a sidewalk?
Also, I'm putting it about 30 ft. south of the current one, and the ground has a dip, which I want to use to help drain when it rains, so the middle of the fire pit will not be level, although I want to level out the outside of the pit where we can put our camp chairs.
Any advice is appreciated, as ALWAYS!

 

[wyoDreamer]

You may want to leave the actual fire area dirt or gravel. Concrete does not like heat, and if there is the wrong kind of stone in the concrete, it can blow off chips of concrete when it is heated.
Here is how I would do it
- put a stake at the center of where I want the fire pit. A rope with a loop at the end, place the loop over the stake and use that to draw a circle the size you want. one for the outside edge and one for the inside circle
- cut the sod along that circle and remove all grass inside it.
- dig down about 8", using the dirt to make a level circle area the size I want my pad
-pound stakes around the circle to connect my form too
- add 4" of gravel for a solid surface to pour the concrete on
- they have a thin, flexible landscape edging I would use for the form, screw from the outside of the stakes, through the form so I can remove it easier after pouring the concrete. There may be sharp screw heads sticking out, but making it easier to remove the form is very good
- pour the concrete doughnut, I would stamp the concrete if I could.
- Build the fire pit at the inner edge of the doughnut.
- fill with washed stone - for better drainage and to raise the fire to view it easier and get more heat.

Can you tell that I am married to an engineer and must build things to freeway standards. lol!

 

[ducks4you]

That is really interesting. I hadn't considered using concrete. I live on a 5 acre farmette, so I don't have nosy suburban neighbors inspecting my work. Freeway standards could DEFINITELY work for me!

 

[Britesea]

What @wyoDreamer suggests sounds like it would be safe, AND attractive. The problem with laying bricks is they will shift with frosts and such. So I would go with something like her suggestion even though it sounds like more work up front; you don't want to have to do the job twice.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Sorry if I confused. Britesea is correct. Freeway = Interstate Highway
We tend to way overbuild things around here. But I can say we have never had to go back and redo or repair anything that we built. It is built to last forever...

Well, we had to remove something DH built once, and that was because our needs changed and it was in the way. What a pain in the butt that was, all I remember is that he used construction glue and screws to hold the pieces of wood together, and I had to chisel the wood apart. I complained for two days on that one.

 

[Britesea]

 

[ducks4you]

That's why I don't think I want to cement anything. I've been looking at tree rings, like this one that is ~ 4' diameter, to use as my fire ring. Since it's in the back yard area of my 5 acres, where only WE will see it and use it, I have decided to buy my bricks and paving cement blocks as cheaply as possible and make kind of a mosaic around it so we aren't sitting in the mud by the fire pit.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Not sure what you mean by "tree ring".
Any one posted paving blocks on Craig's List in your area?

I am tossing around the idea of selling a bunch of stuff on Craigs list. We have a lot around this place that we will never use and I am sure someone would have a use for.

 

[Hinotori]

There are the big metal fire rings that you can buy. Or make of you're good at that type of stuff. A lot of them are decorative. That is what we've talked about doing.

 

[Beekissed]

Using edging and filling your area with sand before placing pavers may be the ticket to getting good drainage, level surface area, no shifting due to frozen ground and still have a safe area for burning without using concrete.