Bonfires are a summer staple. Roasting marshmallows on the fire, hanging out with your friends and family, sharing some laughs and having some drinks. What could be better?
If you want to have a bonfire but have no place to hold it, why not create your own fire pit? They’re relatively inexpensive and add so much to a backyard. I found a tutorial by YouTube channel homesteadonomics that teaches you how to make a super simple pit.
The main materials to make this pit are steel, masonry sand, and stone. Other than some tools you probably already have laying around and some wood to use for spacing, all you’ll need is a space to build it and set it up!
First, you’re gonna need some steel. Get the supplier to cut 4 12 inch wide strips from a sheet of a 4×8 sheet of 16 gauge. Then, cut a 51 inch piece from one of the strips.
After that, you’ll want to drill 3 parallel holes on the end so you can bend it into a circle and secure it to the other side. Then you’ll do the same thing, having that circle be 8 feet in total.
You’ll want to use wood blocks as spacers to bend the steel into perfect circles. He teaches you how to do the math for this in the video, but it’s basic geometry that comes into play here. If you remember geometry for circles, you’ll be set.
Then comes installation. Make sure you’re working on a flat surface and have cleared out any greenery, laying down masonry sand if the area isn’t already dry/sandy. Set down the steel frame in that area, then you’ll fill in your outer circle with masonry sand. You can choose to leave in the wood blocks, or remove them as you fill it with sand.
Once it’s almost full, you’ll decorate the top of the circle with stone. Lay them out and fill it in like a puzzle, using something to pack the stone in, and adding some sand on top to fill in the gaps. You’ll want to compact the stone and put sand over them 2-3 times to make sure it’s secure. Brush the excess sand away, and that’s it, you’re done!
I can’t wait to use my pit for the first time this summer. Can you say backyard barbecue? You obviously need this fire pit in your life, but share this with anyone who needs it in their lives too!