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After a summer spent out in the Great Wide Open, we hate to retreat indoors, but in most parts of the country, it’s only a matter of time before bitterly cold winter temperatures set in. For now, though, you can extend patio season and enjoy fall to the utmost with a DIY fire pit. Scroll down to see nine different approaches, each involving different building materials and a different level of skill to complete. The s’more-making capabilities of these DIY fire pits? Equally outstanding.
A cozy backyard retreat doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. These backyard fire pit designs are relatively inexpensive, and straightforward to build.
Rocks arranged in a circle: If there’s an older, more tried-and-true way of safely containing a fire, I’d like to know about it. No, you needn’t live near a quarry; Spoonful of Imagination built one from stones found on their property. Occasionally maintained, it’s a zero-dollar DIY fire pit that’s bound to last a lifetime. Just be sure to clear away fallen leaves and other flammable materials surrounding the stones each time you start a fire.
Because they’re inexpensive and sturdy (costing less than $3 at The Home Depot), cinder blocks lend themselves well to a variety of projects around the house. Here, a course of blocks arranged in a circle creates a DIY fire pit for around $50. To make a taller, heartier pit, you could opt to stack another course of blocks on top of the first and secure it with construction adhesive where the cinder blocks join one another.
Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 has a removable fire grate and an ash pan, and is easy to set up and transport. Read the review.
Create a sleek modern fire pit like the one shown here by first building a sturdy wood base. Then cast a classy concrete top with a drop-in fire basket and mount it to the wood base. For additional safety, install a tempered glass flame guard around the fire basket.
Similarly, Karen of The Art of Doing Stuff made a contemporary tabletop fire pit. A can of gel fuel situated in the base—a repurposed metal planter—delivers the small flame, while decorative stones lay over cut-to-size mesh. Framing the fire bed is a transparent box made of four glass panels connected together with silicone.