How to make an outdoor concrete fire pit

This modern outdoor concrete fire pit is can be built over a single weekend and is great centerpiece for outdoor entertaining. This is not a difficult project but is time consuming and labor intensive. Concrete fireplaces and fire pits should be constructed carefully. When exposed directly to high amounts of heat the moisture trapped inside concrete can expand causing the concrete to crack and in extreme situations explode. I lined the inside of the fire pit with fire brick and filled the bottom with lava rock to ensure that the majority of the heat form the fireplace is not coming in direct contact with the concrete. Please check out my website for more detailed instructions.

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[mysterion]

I always read through the posts and seldom post myself. But I wanted to say I'm a scientist and scientists work in 'iterations'. No project is ever 'perfect' on the first go round and scientists accept that. We look, we listen, we learn, and we evolve our ideas and designs. Someday people on YouTube may fully appreciate the efforts people such as yourself put forth here and the many iterations any idea goes through on its way to perfection. Please accept my appreciation for this excellent video and the many things I've learned from it...

[stevehigh]

Great introduction to fire pit construction! My wife and I are building a burn pit and so it is a little larger but the principles are same. I am using a concrete pencil vibrator (Northern Tool) to try to get the most air out as I pour to reduce degrading concrete from the very hot fires in the pit. Also, rather than fire bricks (pricey) we decided to use fire pit rock from the local nursery. The basic form work ideas were very helpful. Thanks.

[PhilipOberg]

You can purchase plywood with a paper face for a smooth finish instead of dimensional lumber.
When mixing your own concrete using a bag of cement is simple. Just use the 1-2-3 mixing rule. One scoop of cement, two scoops of sand, and 3 scoops of gravel. Vibrating the concrete is extremely important. If you don't use a concrete vibrator (your can rent one) take a hammer and hit the sides of the form. This will eliminate what is known as honeycomb due to poor consolidation of the mix leaving gravel exposed. When the curing process is taking place you can water the concrete to keep it wet and also wrap and cover with plastic.

[zakkwylde]

...he gets it, he could've burnt the forms out lol doesn't mean this wasn't a dandy little project. I'm a cement mason and I'll give you props on lining the inside with firebrick and you can't do enough of it cause time and time again I see people make concrete fire pits without a fire resistant liner and they're all cracked to hell after awhile, so good job man

[davidfromm]

The firebrick wall can be built prior to pouring cement with high temp mortar. (I assume your bricks are loosening already.) This also eliminates need for inner wood form once concrete is poured.

[bloodswarms]

I know how complicated content creation like this can be, and how exhausting it can be, but I'd suggest linking to your site in every video description. You'll get more visits from drive-bys. Excellent work, dude!

[clownslider]

ive seen many different people do this.. but no one that ive seen seems to understand that concrete holds moisture and can " explode" if over heated. nice job

[quickncleanmasonry]

Nice job man, if it does crack and or spall like so many nay Sayers are predicting...put an air space of a minimum of 1/2 inch in between the firebrick and concrete this allows for expansion, firebrick should be layed with fireclay or super 3000 refactory mortar but these mortars deteriorate with exposer to water, firebrick should cover all concrete surfaces, the rebar in the concrete should be throughout the concrete, all layers...the more rebar the better. There are gauges online to best suit which gauge of rebar to use, I usually go with 5/8th since it is a good balance of strength and cost. Fire pits usually crack under intense heat after a period of damp weather so I'd keep that in mind.

It is quite nice though I like how the concrete took some texture of the forms. Very neat Job as well.

[ghoward]

Lots of work for sure and it looks nice. I used a section of concrete pipe and had my fire pit done in less than an hour. Has been working great for over 10 years.

[Miscool]

Digging in Northern Virginia sucks.  I have done it for three summers for home renovation. It is very hard work, it's hot, it's humid, and the ground is caulked full of rocks.  Your flow is interrupted constantly because when you slam your shovel into the dirt, 70% of the time it goes "PANG".  If you're getting really into, sometimes sparks fly off of rocks when you hit them.

[cmajors]

Gotta dig during the wet season. It makes a HUGE difference!

[davidblount]

You should always completely incase your rebar in concrete. Never drive them into the ground

[namibianbackyardengineerin]

You could simply leave the smaller form and let the first fire do the job for you. Very nice work!

[HUNdAntae]

looks really nice, and takes a lot of work to make. I have a tractor's rim sitting on a couple of bricks, and it serves perfect not only to sing kumbaya around, but to make food on skewers, on a harrow-disk(i welded 3 legs on it), in a cauldron(of course hanging from a tripod). it is not nice, definitely wouldn't reach the aesthetic bar of suburban US, but i can tell ya, it's highly functional: easy to clean out through the holes, perfect airflow, and it's big enough to burn the garden-garbage(like fallen leaves, small branches, that don't worth the hustle to cut up for the stove). It's the best outdoor fireplace i've ever owned.

[shanes.]

I like how simple this is and I prefer the rectangular pits over the round ones.  I'd suggest only making three sides instead of four; you can easily gain access to cleaning/loading it and also for airflow.  I made a crude stacking of firebricks and chose to point my open end toward the south, which rarely gets heavy winds.  The open end style also seems a bit more roomy and approachable when cooking over the pit.

[jameshleaupepe]

To help with the wood from sticking to concrete use Vaseline or petroleum jelly helps removing things like wood from concrete

[chadgdry]

Thats great!  Now that I've seen it, I think I'll make one.  Here is how I will alter it:

1. The inside will be at a 45 degree angle to reflect heat out..
2. The entire pit will be recessed into the ground with about 4 " above ground.  
3.  I will make a lip on the inside to receive a metal frame and using a mig welder, I will construct a grill using 1/2" square bar (keeps the critters out when not in use)
4.  I don't know how yet, but the concrete top will be covered, maybe with glass tiles to capture the light from the flames...
  
Thanks for the idea base!!!

[sacredp]

both bench and this one are great projects you showed here. Thanks!

[mick.Walker]

Air vents around the base would help with the burn.

[andohswale]

I will 100% not end up making my own fire pit. But its damn cool watching you make one!