One of the things I enjoy most during the summer is sitting around a fire pit at night visiting with family and friends and having a nice fire going. Marshmallows and hotdogs always seem to taste better when they’re roasted over a fire, don’t you think ;).

How To Build A Fire Pit

If you’d like to build one for your backyard or out at the lake, here’s a DIY project on Progressive Farmer that shows you step-by-step how to make one - You Can Build This Fire Pit:

There are few things as relaxing as a warm fire on a cool evening. Here’s a quick and easy way to enjoy that time tonight. We built this fire pit–from the hole in the ground to the weenie roast–in a mere six hours.

There are some good tips included, such as:

• At the bottom of the pit, dig a hole a couple feet deep then fill it with gravel–this will help drain the rainwater.
• Soak the ground well with water around the pit before making a fire (in wooded areas)–important for fire safety.

More Free Projects & Plans

• If you prefer a steel fire bowl setup, HomeDepot offers this set of instructions: Build A Firepit (pdf download). This is simple to make, you just need some lumber, rocks, sand and screws (as well as the steel bowl and some tools).
• Backyard Living also offers this free set of instructions: Get Cozy with Firepits, it’s a simple stacked stone fire pit for the yard using retaining wall stones.
• Better Homes and Gardens has this project for a basic (and cheap!) firepit using manhole blocks topped with fireproof brick capstones: Build Your Own Fire Pit.

Tip: If you want to build a fire pit in your backyard, check with your City or Town Hall first (or even the local firehall)–there may be a ban on open fires in your area which means you’ll never be able to use the pit for fires.

Potential Problems: Issues include not setting up the pits far enough away from buildings and trees, but there are also environmental and social concerns that have caused some locales to ban them within city limits (you could trigger a neighbor’s asthma or allergies from the smoke).

If you are legally allowed to have a fire pit in your backyard and you’re confident there won’t be a neighborhood war if you build one, check with your local officials to see what their regulations are for how far to build away from the house (this page suggests at least 10 ft from the house and 3 ft from outdoor furniture).

Safety Concerns: Since it’s fire you’re dealing with, you do need to take some safety precautions–you can find a few tips for firepits and things to watch for at HomeEnvy: The Magic Of A Good Firepit. Some rules of thumb for fire pit safety:

• Build the fire pit safely away from the house, fence, trees, shrubbery and any outbuildings or furniture.
• Whenever you have a fire going, make sure you have a good source of water within quick reach to put out or dampen a fire that’s getting out of hand.
• Make sure to completely put out the fire when you’re done and never leave the fire unattended.
• Don’t take any chances–if it’s windy out, pass on building a fire until the weather is better suited.
• Small children cannot be allowed to run freely around the fire pit, too easy to trip and fall into the fire.

Campfire Recipes (Perfect For Fire Pits Too!):

• Newspaper Fish Recipe
• Campfire Banana Boat Recipe

Homemade Firestarters

To get those fires started easily, why not make up a bunch of firestarters to have on hand for the upcoming season, here are a couple ways to make them: How To Make Pinecone Flames and Firestarters as well as How To Make Waterproof Matches & Firestarters.

Some of my fondest memories growing up include hanging out at our neighbors with a big fire going in their backyard pit…if you’d like to get to know your neighbors better and create some goodwill, this can be a great way to encourage more neighborhood socializing. Start up the fire, get out the marshmallows and invite the neighbors over and enjoy the company (bonus: the kiddos will have a hoot too)!

You might also wish to check out How To Build A BBQ — Plans & BBQ Tips for some more ideas and cool things to build for the backyard.

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