How to Build a Brick Fire Pit
Hey there!
I built a brick fire pit this weekend! My birthday is coming up and I thought it would be the perfect excuse to create a fire pit area! We’ve really missed having one since living here and Fall is basically bonfire season, right?! 😉 So let me show ya how to build a brick fire pit, or at least how I did 😉
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Brick Fire Pit Materials Needed
This is actually the second brick fire pit I’ve built! And oddly enough it’s the second time I’ve built one around a stump! But like our last house the stump was in a perfect location for a fire pit and it’s killing 2 birds with one stone really!
I never got around to documenting the last one before we moved! So this time I really wanted to make sure I shared because it might be easier (and less expensive) than you think!
Here’s what you’ll need to build a brick fire pit:
- Bricks! Duh right? Lol! I used reclaimed bricks that we’ve found on the property! But I highly recommend that you search the Facebook Marketplace for some! Lots of times you can find them for little or nothing because people just want to get rid of them!
- Mortar! I used this white option from Home Depot! I did have to order it to the store ahead for pickup! I used 1 1/2 bags for this particular fire pit.
- Tools! I used this drywall joint knife to apply the mortar.
- Knee board or knee pads! I used my gardening knee board to save my knees!
That’s it! The project cost us $15 and some elbow grease!
Prep Work
To get the ground ready we had to move around some dirt with the skid steer to make it more level. After that I mixed a bit of left over ag lime in with the dirt. You don’t have to do this I just did since we had it on hand and I think it will help the dirt settle less. Then I raked it level and tamped it down with a sledgehammer.
Let’s Get Started Building the Fire Pit!
After that I started laying my first row/circle of bricks. These bricks are all different colors and sizes so I just kind of puzzle pieced them together, spaced them as evenly as I could, and embraced the perfectly imperfect along the way! 😉 This is also a good way to find out how tall you’d like your fire pit to be and how many bricks you will need for the project.
I decided to go 4 rows high and ours took 31 bricks for each row. After I was happy with the way it would look I mixed up my mortar and started adding it between the bricks. You kind of figure out the best techniques for doing it as you go! But I basically just smooshed some down in there until the gap was filled. Then I would smooth out the visible spots in the front a bit.
Building the Brick Fire Pit
When I started the second row I set the bricks centered, or as close to as possible, over the mortar. This way they were staggered instead of just stacked on top of each other. I used the same approach as before for each row. I would lay out the bricks to make sure they “fit”. Then take 2-3 off at a time, add mortar and set them back into place working my way around the circle.
When I got the the top final row I used a smaller drywall knife so I could be a little more particular about how much mortar got on the top. My goal was to see as much as the brick as possible. 🙂
And ta-da!
How to Build a Brick Fire Pit Video!
Here’s fun time lapse video I made of the process! I hope you enjoy it!
How to Build a Brick Fire Pit
I am just over the moon happy about how the brick fire pit turned out! And you notice the chairs around it? Ed built them while I did the fire bit! Whoo hoo! No more stump sittin for this girl! Lol! 😉 I’ll be sharing how he built them and a full reveal of this little fireplace area later this week!
I’m so glad I could use my birthday as an excuse to carve out time for this project! It was one of the last projects we did at our previous home and I didn’t want to make that mistake here 😉 I know we’ll enjoy this area for years to come and I can’t wait to celebrate my birthday here this weekend!
Thank y’all SO much for stopping by the blog today!
16 Comments
Guerrina
Love this! Going to keep in mind to redo mine which is currently just stacked rocks!
Amanda
Oh I bet that’s pretty too though!! And thanks!!
Jean Marie Eidson Yewell
Love it! What is approximate inside diameter? I’m not sure that is big enough for me, I want to be able to burn some yard debris and shrub clippings as well as roast hotdogs.
Amanda
Thanks! It’s right around 3 ft, but you could make one however big you’d like/need 😊
Carrell Mullins
Great job!! Like your idea. We are moving to a new farm soon and I will have to build a new one. Very nice!!
Amanda
Oh awesome!! That’s so exciting!! And thank you!
Myra
Looks really nice. Are you going to try and burn that stump down as your wood for the fire pit? Just curious.
Amanda
Yes! It works really well to remove the stump!
Debra Vazquez
Great job! We are updating our outdoor areas and a fire pit is in the plan. I like this ‘farm rustic’ style. Thanks for sharing your process!
Amanda
Yay! So glad it’s helpful!! And thank you!
Tina
Love this! – Did you have to leave any spacing for air to travel through, or is it solid all the way around?
Amanda
Thanks! It’s solid all the way around 😊
Susan Oliver
It turned out so lovely! I hope you enjoyed it on your birthday! This is Susan your give away winner, yay! It’s been crazy here in Sonoma County with the fires, I’ve yet to post about winning but want you to know how excited & how much I appreciate it!!!
Amanda
Hey there gf!!! I’m so excited that you won!!! I’ve been keeping you and all those affected in my thoughts and prayers ❤️ I cannot imagine. I hope the package brings a smile ❤️❤️
Lisa Whitmire.
So cool. I love how it has that “chippy white” look. You have great taste.
Amanda
It does! And thank you!!