You need to help your patio get to the next level with concrete fire pits. Many times concrete is overlooked as an effective tool for home improvement, but when it comes to fire pits, it is among the best choices. You will not just have an attractive and durable fire pit for enjoyment all year round, but you will have increased the value and appeal of your home.
You can enjoy outdoor fires all year round. While these pits bring to the mind warm nights during summer with children roasting marshmallows in them, they are populous even in the months of cold winter. Wrap yourself in blankets, sit around the fire, and enjoy the clear winter sky that is very enjoyable. When it is your choice to have concrete fire pits, you will enjoy a lot of options for design and styles.
With the surroundings of concrete, you will choose to replace the traditional wood fire pit with the gas fire pit. You will not need a wood stash for the pit. You just need to turn the gas line on and start the fire. However, a lot of individuals prefer the crackle and smell that comes from a wood fire.
When you settle for concrete fire pits for outdoor fires, you will do well with the designs. You may choose to recess in the ground for a finished, smooth look. Or you may construct the pit by use of a concrete fire ring. Any of the looks is quite impressive and the appeal of the patio will increase. Whether the patio is traditional or modern, you will have the ability to design a complimenting concrete centerpiece. You have the choice of round or square shapes or custom designs that will enhance the patio further. You may work bricks and stone in your design or just smooth concrete walls.
You will not have to get worried about the heat damaging the pit because concrete withstands blistering temperatures. Remember that the best fireplaces are built with bricks and concrete. The concrete will provide a safe, thick wall that will protect the patio and other surrounding areas from open fires. The new addition may also bear the design of a seating area that is usable without fire. It will create a secure border between small children, clumsy adults, and start an open fire.
For improving the feel and look of the patio, concrete is one of the best choices to bear in mind. The flexibility, convenience, and safety of the design will make it a good choice for your home.
Concrete fire pits are not more than holes in the ground with small walls constructed around it, but it opens up to all possibilities in design, size, and the things you can do with its surroundings. It can be very simple or complicated to construct, and basic or ornate to look, just the way you would like it to be.
A functional but simple pit requires basic do-it-yourself skills and its beauty is its multi-purpose characteristics for building it.
Where do you start?
You need a location, to begin with. Since the pit will have flames and burn solid fuel, do not put it close to trees, or buildings, or any flammable property. It is undoubted that you will stand, sit, and eat around the pit; therefore, it needs open space surrounding it. When selecting your location, it is good to remember that you may add features like sitting in this area later on.
The design
You will have to begin by hole excavation in the ground, just three feet wide. It may be hexagonal, square, round, or triangular. The excavation requires a finished level of six inches below the ground. It means that to allow for a solid base, you will have to dig one foot deep.
Since the fire, sparks, and fuel control is critical, you will have to construct a small wall that will surround the pit perimeter. This will not just create the controlling barrier on the burning fuel but also make the pit attractive and add its versatility. You may use the wall to rest the implements of your barbecue. The wall needs to be eighteen inches high.
How do you build the fire pit?
Use chalk or sand to mark the outline of the pit in the exact position. Allow for surrounding walls in the measurements and ensure you have an overlap of six inches of the concrete base beyond the outside face of the wall.
By using a shovel or spade, excavate your pit to one foot deep. Try keeping the sides of your excavation vertical.
Fill the excavation with six concrete inches, or compacted hardcore with a concrete top. You need to vary the depth of the excavation based on the thickness and type of base you choose to use.
When the concrete has hardened and the base set, mark the wall line out. You will do this with ease by securing a string on the center and attaching chalk to the other end at appropriate dimensions. You will then build the wall by use of stone, brick, or concrete.
If you desire to allow ventilation into the pit, you may leave a few gaps on the walls. They will allow air to feed the fire but is unnecessary for walls that are less than eighteen inches high.
This will complete your basic concrete fire pits, but you have the option of using hard landscaping and paving around the pit. You have the option of building tables and benches around it.
Even though it is quite easy to construct concrete fire pits by use of available masonry materials, a lot of firms sell fire pits and most of them come with the desired materials. They also come with doing-it-yourself instructions for laying them down. The kits of the basic concrete pits include the base, pit, and wall materials. However, deluxe kits include all necessary things that create complete patios and seating areas that surround the fire pits.
The construction of simple fire pits can be achieved within a few hours even though you will have to let the base made of concrete go off for two days.