I wasn’t sure if this fit better in GQ or here, but figured answers would vary enough that it was better suited to IMHO.
Sat^Gal and I recently bought one of those fire pits similar to this one.
To stay within code, we need 10’ clearance from any structures, fences, property lines, etc; we also need the apron (ground around pit) to be non-flammable to 1.5-2x the height of the pit.
What I’m thinking of doing is digging into the turf, about 8-10’ diameter circle, putting in a layer of sand, using 4 18x18" slate sidewalk blocks to set the pit onto, then fill the rest of this circle with gravel.
The main question I came in here for is, how deep should I dig, and how deep of sand should I put down?
If you have any other tips, techniques, and suggestions to share, they’re more than welcome, since I have no real experience in landscaping to speak of…
I’ve never built a firepit, but I do remember from campfire-building lessons in Girl Scouts that you never use slate for stones around a campfire because moisture in them can cause them to explode.
Is your fire to be pretty or to keep people warm? Decide now, because the optimal firepit can do one or the other, but not both.
To be pretty, dig as deep as you like, but remember that you’re going to be leaning OVER the flames to put in new logs. The deeper you go, the less heat you’ll feel (because so much of it will go into the ground, instead. I’ve seen firepits for show as deep as 18". You’ll get lots of light, and a fire that people can get up close and cuddly around.
To keep people warm and for a more tendable fire, keep it as shallow as your local law requires. Less heat will be wasted out the sides, and a shallow pit is easier (and safer) to reach into to move logs around and add new ones. Less ankle twisting, too, if you step into the pit while you’re moving things. Good warming and busy tending firepits are only 1-2" deep, or even mounded up a bit with ash.
We don’t line our firepits with stone, any stone. They’ll all crack eventually, and then you’ve got shards of hot, sharp stone to try not to step on. Sand or just whatever soil we’ve got under the turf is far safer. We do put rocks out on the circumference, and often use limestone for that.
Here’s one of our recent fires in the building stage. It’s, uh, probably bigger than you’re going to be dealing with… (although it was one of our smaller ones.) You can see the ring of stones, and how there isn’t much “pit” to the pit. When guys are carrying little sticks like this to the fire in the dark, you don’t want them falling into flaming pits!
The slate won’t be in direct contact with fire or heat – It’s supporting a ‘portable fire pit’, which has 15" legs. I’m just wondering how much sand I’d need under the slate and the surrounding gravel, or whether I need sand at all. (perhaps I can just lay the blocks and gravel on the dirt, which means I’d only need to dig down the thickness of the slate blocks)
I have fires in my yard about once a week all summer. I have an old Smoky Joe kettle grill from my apartment days that makes a decent fireplace. I toss a piece of (roughly 2 feet x 2 feet) plywood on the ground under it so I don’t burn a bald spot in the yard and then put the hose at it when I’m done. I’ve never burnt the house down, pissed off the neighbors or had the cops at my doorstep, and I’m in a densely settled suburban village. I honestly don’t know the local ordinences about egress points and minimum distances, and it never occurred to me to find out.
Wait a sec – by my reading, if you inset the fire pit so it’s flush with the ground, you don’t need an apron at all. 1.5-2.0 times zero height == zero apron.
Of course, your lawn may not appreciate the proximity.
I guess the meat of this OP is this:
Do the landscaping-types in here think I could put these slate blocks directly in the dirt after I dig into the turf, or would I need some sand under the blocks to keep everything level?
And, I plan on putting landscaping fabric under the blocks and gravel, to keep weeds from coming up through, as well as eventually, I want to surround the gravel section with decorative bricks of some sort.
So, in your mind’s eye, picture this: a 10’-diameter gravel circle with decorative block edging, with 4 18x18" slate sidewalk-blocks in the middle, onto which one of these (not exactly as shown) would sit. the slate blocks would be level with the gravel, and not sitting on top thereof.
Would I need sand under this circle, to keep everything level, or would dirt be sufficient?
