Outdoor brick fireplace

[CHER]

We're in the middle of building an outdoor patio and its purely for hanging out no heating involved. Were also including a firepit in the design. Id love some suggestions from anyone who’s done something similar. So what diameter should the firepit be? Also whats the best thing to put at the bottom? Should I just leave it sand? And how much lower should the firepit sit compared to the pavers? Right now Im thinking of making it one block deep so the pit would be around 18” deep if I go one block above the pavers. Any deeper and I feel like youd have to build a massive fire to see anything! For construction I’m planning to use landscape blocks on the outside and fire bricks inside to prevent cracking. Someone suggested using a tire rim but given that the house is a small more upscale home, Im not sure thats the right look. Any thoughts guys?

 

[Mean|Earl5]

Building an outdoor firepit is a great project. We love ours for cool evenings. Your idea of about one block deep with a fire brick lining is a good call. IMO any deeper, and you lose that nice view of the flames, like you mentioned.

 

[CHER]

Building an outdoor firepit is a great project. We love ours for cool evenings. Your idea of about one block deep with a fire brick lining is a good call. IMO any deeper, and you lose that nice view of the flames, like you mentioned.

Thank you. We're taking our time making sure everything us tailor made!

 

[ChimneyChamp]

Make it 36 to 44 inches wide and 18 inches deep. For the bottom, use a mix of gravel and fire sand to help with drainage and heat. Place the pit about 1 to 2 inches below the pavers. Line the inside with fire bricks and use blocks on the outside. And leave out the tire rim,it doesn't fit the look you want

 

[splitsville]

We're in the middle of building an outdoor patio and its purely for hanging out no heating involved. Were also including a firepit in the design. Id love some suggestions from anyone who's done something similar. So what diameter should the firepit be? Also whats the best thing to put at the bottom? Should I just leave it sand? And how much lower should the firepit sit compared to the pavers? Right now Im thinking of making it one block deep so the pit would be around 18" deep if I go one block above the pavers. Any deeper and I feel like youd have to build a massive fire to see anything! For construction I'm planning to use landscape blocks on the outside and fire bricks inside to prevent cracking. Someone suggested using a tire rim but given that the house is a small more upscale home, Im not sure thats the right look. Any thoughts guys?

I did something kinda like that last summer, maybe going to do it again this summer. Our firepit is about 36" across and 12–14" deep, and it's perfect for cool summer nights without needing a bonfire. Crushed gravel is the best option for the bottom (some good drainage).

 

[Mean|Earl5]

Thank you. We're taking our time making sure everything us tailor made!

You're very welcome! That's the best way to approach a project like this. All that careful planning will pay off in spades when you're enjoying your first fire on a cool evening.

 

[FlameKeeper]

Agree, aim for a setup that's 36–44 inches wide and 12–18 inches deep, that's the sweet spot. Put gravel and fire sand at the base. Use fire bricks inside. Ditch the rim to keep things simple and tidy