Backyard Fire Pit - What To Do?

[jyl]

I'd like some thoughts about an outdoor grill/fire pit project.

This is a picture of a corner of my back yard. The circular wood "table" lifts out, in halves, to expose a fire pit. We use it for roasting marshmallows, cooking paella, etc. Typical fuel is wood from pruned trees or 2x4 scraps.



As with most fire pits, the fire is at your feet and the smoke rises to your eyes. Cooking is awkward since you're hunched over with smoke in your face. There's no a grate, you rest a metal camping grate on the logs and hope the paella is done before the logs crumble.

I was thinking about building a - not sure how to describe it - an elevated fire pit with an annular counter about 30" high and a proper grate, fire chamber, door to load fuel and admit combustion air, etc. So you can sit upright like a Civilized Man, wine glass and cheese plate before you, tending to the marshmallows, kebabs, rotisserie bird, paella, etc.

Kind of like



And that's where my idea turns to fuzz. What design? Features? What material - stone? Brick? Is it DIY-able it? Is it even a good idea?

[LWJ]

John,

That is KILLER. I really like what you currently have. As for your improvement, it could be welded up pretty easy but the fabricator would need to have some pyramid rolls to make the curves. This means it would be ungodly expensive to have a shop do this. As for stone, not a bad plan. I personally would have a hard time executing it however. Until I saw your design, I as planning on building mine out of concrete pavers.

I thought that a poured concrete structure might be the way to go. You could top it with a steel pan / grate. You could line it with fireplace brick if the concrete couldn't take the heat. The exterior could be anything you like. Stone, paver, raw concrete. It would all be able to mortar on to the concrete.

You might go somewhere like Mason's Supply with your drawing. They would have an opinion.

I have plans for a fire pit but am way way behind you. Keep us posted on your design. I am inspired.
Larry

[trekkor]

I like this.

I have a few ideas.
I'll return later.

Simple, inexpensive and do it yourself project.


KT

[sc_rufctr]

Like Larry suggested I would go with poured concrete. (with steel reinforcing bars)
You could make an inner and outer mold from wood. It's easier than it sounds.

I would make the top out of steel plate. Secured to the sides with brackets.
You could have it cut out of two parts instead of one to make it less expensive.

Just one obvious thing... It becomes a very permanent structure. A pain to remove if things change.

[trekkor]

Let me just ask this real quick:

Are you open to raising the whole thing high enough to accommodate barstool?
I large enough circular top for six to sit and relax next to the fire or BBQ ?


KT

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by trekkor

Let me just ask this real quick:

Are you open to raising the whole thing high enough to accommodate barstool?
I large enough circular top for six to sit and relax next to the fire or BBQ ?


KT

Good idea but you have the problem of cleaning and loading the fire pit.
The higher it is the hard it is to clean and load unless you incorporate a door in the side.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Good idea but you have the problem of cleaning and loading the fire pit.
The higher it is the hard it is to clean and load unless you incorporate a door in the side.

Unless you as well raise the base of the firepit by a couple of feet. Do like your idea of the door in the side.

[jyl]

Yes, I'd like the annular countertop to at table-top height. Not quite as high as bar height, because the chairs for our outdoor dining tables are regular height and I'd like to be able to shift chairs back and forth. If the outer rim were about the same diameter as the current wood "table" thing, the radial distance from outer to inner rims was about 18 inches, that would be enough space for six people to eat with full place settings, etc.

I was thinking the grate should be one to two inches below the countertop's inner rim, so you can lay steaks, skewers, etc right on the grate.

The wood should be resting on something not too far below - 12 inches? That would be close enough to get nice cooking heat with a reasonably small amount of firewood, or even with charcoal if I wanted to. Maybe an opening/door in the side to access the combustion chamber, wood-stove style, maybe on the side where the photo was taken from as people wouldn't usually sit there (and get their knees singed).

And then I dunno if the wood should sit on a grate with ash falling below and combustion air coming up, or if it should sit on a solid stone/brick surface. But it should be easy to sweep out.

Thinking of a sort of Beni-Hana thing where you sit around the cooking surface.

During the winter I'd like to put a big circular lid on it, just like a lid on a stock pot, to keep the rain out. In fact, I could see using such a lid during cooking - though the grate might have to be lower then.

[Taz's Master]

jyl, I would rest the wood on a grate with a cleanout below. Making the top metal would concern me re heat transfer. (I don't know, but I'd hate to make it and find out that the top was too hot to touch after an hour with a fire inside.)

It looks like there is some sort of cap (or circular base to the table) over your current pit. Possibly that could be grating that would allow air in from the bottom to feed the fire, and a place for the ashes. Then once or twice a year the table could be tipped over and the ashes cleaned out? Feed the wood to the fire from a door in the side or lift off the grill and feed it from the top.

[trekkor]

My outdoor kitchen area has a counter top with a big round hole in ti.
I am able to drop in my 22" Weber kettle BBQ.
The grill surface is flush with the counter.

I'm in the middle of building a table to match the kitchen.

I'll take some pictures later and post them.
( I'm heading to the track in a few minutes )


KT

[Steve Viegas]

Beautiful firepit and backyard (what I can see of it).

On a side note, my wife bought me a "fire pit" from Harbor Freight a number years ago for my birthday. It was a metal structure, solid floor sitting on three legs, grated side walls, maybe 15 inches high, with a solid roof, perhaps 36 inches in diameter. All black.

The first time I lit a fire in it (scrap wood, paper for kindling) the ENTIRE thing went up in flames. I probably had 30 people over, we were all laughing so hard that my new fire pit was flamable that no one was really able to panic about the giant fireball loose in my backyard (this is in the SF bay area). Luckily a hose was near by and we were able to put it out without too much more excitment.

Good times my friends, good times.

[Gogar]

+1, I'd put an iron grate inside, about 2' from the ground, and build a cleanout door underneath the grate, on the side. Wood burns on the grate, ashes fall down, you open the door the next day and scoop out the ashes. Also, make that additional, circular, BBQ-style cooktop just below the inner rim, for an instant big grill surface. Make both the inner iron grates removeable, though.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by Steve Viegas

Beautiful firepit and backyard (what I can see of it).

Unfortunately, you are seeing about 25% of my backyard, just in that corner. Postage stamp.

[Steve Viegas]

Living in the bay area, I understand completely (my yard is about 6500 square feet).

[trekkor]

You can build the frame out of square tube steel.
Set the legs in concrete.

I like the advice for a raised fire box with a access door for ash.


KT

[john70t]

There is a "BD's Mongolian Grill" resteraunt. Was trying to post a link but the website is too scripted.

Basically, it's a round circular heated slab of granite or heavy iron(?), with a removable scraper-pit in the center/sides.
Toss some food on, stir, then scrape everything off into a bowl.
Simple bulk cooking.

[porsche4life]

I don't see what is wrong with a 55gal drum and a piece of expanded metal...

You trying to be all civilized or sumthin' boy?

[RWebb]

do you want it round? square? or octagonal?

if it is round, that might limit the construction techniques or materials...

[porsche4life]

Square is easy to build... Round? Well... You better get out a stack of hundreds bub...

[jyl]

Has to be round, definitely.