The breeze of autumn is coming through. Can you feel it? Oranges and browns are taking over the greens. All of nature is drying and becoming a bit more crispier. It is our favorite time as a family to gather around the bonfire out back. To sit around sharing stories and telling jokes. Roasting hotdogs and melting marshmallows. Counting stars and seeing who can find the space station first. Examining our hearts and seeing how small we are and how great He is. As I’m writing this my heart is anxious with excitement for those upcoming memories to be made this very night.
I want to share with you how we made our firepit in our backyard so you, too, can enjoy family bonfires. It was one of those projects where at the end we asked each other, “why didn’t we do this sooner?” The entire pit costs around $100. I will try my best to include all the instructions. I promise, it’s really not that difficult to do.
The items:
landscaping wall blocks {Make sure you ask at the store if a certain stone can take the heat of a firepit. The ones we chose can take the heat, but I guess some just start to crumble after a couple of fires as they can’t take the constant heating and cooling.}
gravel/stones {NOT river rocks}
sand
a strong hand willing to do all the work
First you’re going to want to get all your measurements. How big do you want your fire pit? Take those measurements and determine how many blocks you’ll need, how much sand and how many stones.
Fair warning, the blocks are very heavy and will make your car connect with the road. Be very careful.
Then dig a six to eight inch deep circle. Fill the hole in halfway with gravel and then with sand. We then topped it off with nice rocks. Do not use river rock as the heat from the fire will cause the stones to EXPLODE! You don’t want that happening while you’re making smores.
Next, start arranging your blocks. This part can get a bit tricky with spacing. We only went three levels up and that seems to be the best height for us.
And you’re done! Easily completed in an afternoon and you’re now ready to sit around with loved ones and enjoy a chilly evening together.
For much more thorough instructions check out this youtube video.
While outside encourage your children to admire the stars and talk about how amazing our creative God is. Ask them how many stars do they think there are? How far do the skies reach? How big is God? So many fun and thoughtful conversations to be had!
Blessings!
