It’s Fall! To me, that means Football, Family, Friends and Fires!
In June, I bought and began renovating a 1905 farmhouse. And, I really wanted a fire pit to enjoy moments with my friends and family. So, I took it into my own hands (literally) and built a fire pit…completely by myself. Actually, my eight year old son, helped me for a few minutes.
Materials Needed:
- Shovel
- Fire Pit Ring
- Tape Measure
- Crushed Lime – I used roughly a half loader bucket full (I prefer white but settled for yellow because a friend had it already.)
- Roughly twenty 10″-12″ Rocks
- One bag of 1″ Rocks to fill, if you desire
My vision was basic and simple. First, I got a 36″ fire pit ring from Rural King for $40. It took me two weeks to figure out the PERFECT spot for my fire pit.
Once I found the spot, I set the ring in it’s location and measured 18″ out from the ring exterior. I wanted to provide an area that I could fill in with lime and mow easily around. I don’t need another thing to weedeat around! Then, I started digging!
After the hole was dug down about 10 inches and was pretty level, I set the ring in it’s final resting place and began pouring in the crushed lime. I put about 3 inches down inside the fire pit and filled the outside until it was level with the ground surrounding it. While I’m not entirely sure on the amount of lime that I used, I would estimate it to be 8 wheelbarrows full, or a half loader bucket full. You can find crushed lime from a local quarry or a Landscaping Company nearby. Crushed lime is nice because it packs down very tightly and doesn’t move like a pea gravel would.
Next, I placed the larger rocks around the ring. I used rocks that were about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. And lastly, I added 1″ river rocks to fill gaps between the larger rocks.
In all, it took me, a woman who has never done this before, roughly 6 hours…the digging was the most time consuming part. The fire pit is so simple but lovely and it will provide the perfect ambiance for amazing memories to be made.
If you decide to build a fire pit of your own, please post a picture on Instagram and tag us at Stickers and Stilettos!
Enjoy your s’mores!
-Rachel
