DIY Projects

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Outdoor DIY Projects

Stay Toasty this Winter

Sitting around a campfire with friends and family, enjoying a glass or three of wine, telling stories, is what life is all about. Fire pits create a warm ambience and comfort. So why not DIY your very own fire pit?

Tools:

  • Bolster and/or cold chisel.
  • A club hammer or angle-grinder fitted with a masonry cutting disk.

These materials are available at selected Mica Stores. To find out which Mica is nearest to you and whether or not they stock the items required, please go to www.mica.co.za, find your store and call them. If your local Mica does not stock exactly what you need, they will be able to order it for you or suggest an alternative product or a reputable source.

Method:

We decided to make a circular fire pit using bricks. We calculated in simple maths before we started, the measurements we would need in order to make things a lot easier.

The bricks used were standard size of 222mm long, 106mm wide and 73mm high and have a mass of 3 – 3.5kg.

We decided on an approximate diameter of the fire pit at about 700mm Ø.

The formula is as follows for the circumference of a circle is 2 x r (radius) x π (Pi) (3.142) or Pi x d (diameter). In short, 2 π r or π d = circumference.

Your fire pit’s circumference, if you want to avoid cutting bricks for the side, needs to be a multiple of 222mm, so we used a length of string, knotted at 2220mm (10 bricks) to check the size.

Therefore we concluded if 2 π r = 2220, then r = 2220 ÷ 2 π r that equals a radius of 353mm. To have a bit of leeway we decided to round the number to 355mm.

  1. We built the fire pit on existing paving and used chalk to mark off the circle, we also used a nail driven into the space between the paving bricks to act as the rule’s anchor.


    2. Make a Fire Pit 1

  2. Note that the bricks are laid on the outside of the circle; hence the exterior diameter of the fire pit is 2220 + 2 x 106 = 2432mm. This shows the first course laid.


    3. Make a Fire Pit 2

  3. You can add courses as you wish depending on how high you would like your fire pit to be. In total we decided to make the walls three courses. This would allow sufficient side height after the base is laid (to protect the paving) to ensure burning wood stayed within the pit.


    4. Make a Fire Pit 3

  4. Once your bricks are laid into position at the desired height you would like them to be, you will now need to cut some bricks in order for the fire base to fit within the pit.


    5. Make a Fire Pit 4

  5. Ensure that the surface below the fire is protected.


    6. Make a Fire Pit 5

  6. To complete the pit we dropped in short lengths of steel rod by cutting them to 200mm lengths, this needs to be done to ‘knit’ the wall together. This means that it can easily dismantle and move it elsewhere when needed.


    7. Make a Fire Pit 6

  7. And we’re done!


    8. Make a Fire Pit 7

  8. All lit up!


    9. Make a Fire Pit 8

    Project Guide:

    • Time: 1 Day
    • Cost: Depends on the desired size (The one shown here cost less than R100)
    • Skill: 1
    • Assistant: No