If you want to create a fire pit in your backyard, and need more information about the right gravel you would need for your project, read this article further. It is nice to have a fire pit seating area in your backyard or garden. You can arrange some cozy chairs around it and enjoy the winter sun or light the fire in the evening and entertain your friends and family.
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Watch the video above to get more ideas about building fire pits from scratch. There is more to it than just throwing some gravel around.
You can have a barbeque set up next to the fire pit area and enjoy a barbeque and beer parties. With time you will notice that you have become quite popular in your community and people want to visit your home more frequently to enjoy the warmth of the fire pit. They truly enjoy the conversations around it.
Best gravel for the fire pit area
The most important thing you need to keep in mind while creating a fire pit and the adjoining seating area is that nothing should be made of inflammable objects. Hence, plastic chairs are a complete ‘’no-no’’. This is also why gravel is a great material to install around the fire pit. It looks nice and keeps things safe.
1. River rock gravel
River rock gravel, as the name suggests has been gathered from the river beds. They have been made smooth by the current of water and they have flown along the river for hundreds of years. They are smooth and come in multiple colors. They look amazing around the main fire pit.
2. Pea gravel
Pea gravel is almost the most important type of gravel for all types of landscape projects at home, be it creating driveways and walkways, or spreading them around your fire pit. They are small in size and fit in well through the cracks of any area. It is easy to walk on an area made of pea gravel and the brown, tan, yellow, and cream-colored stones look quite aesthetically pleasing around the fire pit.
3. Pink Quartz
Even though pink quartz is an expensive gemstone that is used to make jewelry, there are coarse versions available for landscape projects. It gives a cool pink color in the outside yard. The cost of your project will go high due to the usage of this type of gravel, however, trust me, it will be worth every penny. During sunset, the stones will shine in the sun’s rays and create a mesmerizing view in your backyard.
Steps to build your perfect fire pit area
The summers are there and you would love to have parties at home with your friends and family. Even your children would love to invite their friends for movie nights or sleepovers. They would like to serve lemonades, watermelon smoothies, and other cool and refreshing drinks to their friends sitting around the fire pit area. Instead of serving them inside the home at the kitchen table, you can make use of your yard area. Here is the step-by-step guide to building your fire pit along with the seating area.
1. Check your utility lines
It is possible that water, gas, or electricity lines run in your garden. It can be dangerous and expensive to break them. People often start digging without thinking. Before they know it, they have broken a utility line. To avoid this, check the plans or contact your local city to see what locations you should avoid. This can save you a lot of headaches later on.
2. Select your fire pit location
Check the local code to see what is needed. You can use chalk to outline the location. Once this is done, you can arrange the fire pit bricks. You can use mortar to make sure that the structure will last. You can also get a premade fire pit as there are a lot of designs available.
The next step is to add the path and seatings.
3. Dig out the dirt
Depending on the design, this can be challenging and you can consider renting an excavator. You can add a nonwoven textile sheet for the area around the fire pit. This keeps the water flowing but traps the dirt and sand. It keeps this part of the garden stable. Furthermore, it helps to keep weeds out of it. These sheets are quite easy to install as you can cut them to size.
4. Add paver sand and gravel
Add about 1.5 inches of paver sand to give some stability to the bricks. Add some water and tamper it. Check the level of the bricks and you can add more sand to make them even.
Now comes the turn of the gravel which will cover the entire weed block fabric. It is a good idea to have about two inches of gravel so that you won’t have to refill very frequently. You can add smaller gravel and rocks on top of it. This allows the rain to seep into the ground. It also adds more stability to the ground as the smaller rocks and gravel can mix with the bigger rocks.
5. Finishing things up
Add decoration and seating. It can be a great idea to consider fireproof material. This makes your fire pit safer. We have discussed how to use a fire pit HERE.
Conclusion
There are DIY fire pit kits available in stores like Home depot. You may give it a try to pick it up and use it. It will save your time to search for separate items from separate stores and gather them.
Picking the right gravel type for this project is essential. You have to add multiple layers of materials, from a nonwoven fabric sheet to sand and gravel. The right mix of materials can make or break your project. In this post, we have outlined some options that will make sure that your fire pit is a success. It takes quite some planning to install a fire pit but once this is done, it is quite straightforward to finish this project. It is something that you can enjoy for a long time so make sure to build it decently.
These fire pit kits cost anything between $200-$600 and hence it is not an expensive project to include your kids during the summer vacation.
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