How to Build a Stone Fire Ring

We will show you how to build this simple, safe and durable fire ring over a weekend in your own backyard to entertain friends and family this Spring.

Planning your Outdoor Stone Fire Pit

Having the necessary Tools and Materials on hand saves time and frustration. 

Tools Required:

• Garden rake

• Level

• Safety glasses

• Sledgehammer

• Spade

• Tape measure

• Wheelbarrow

Materials Required:

• 1-1/2 yards of sand?

• 20 sq. meters of flagstone

• 24 granite retaining wall stones (6-1/2 x 8 x 14 in.)

• Marking spray paint

Step 1

Mark your fire ring and patio

Begin by making sure there are no electrical wires or water pipes running over the area you are planning your fire ring. 

Choose an area that’s about 5 meters in diameter and relatively flat. Make sure that your fire ring is not too close to buildings and bushes, you do not want to set the neighbourhood on fire😉

Drive an iron rod directly into the centre of the area you have chosen to build your fire ring.  Tie a piece of masking tape or rope around the rod and measure out 2,5 meters. With a can of spray paint mark out a 5-meter radius circle.     

Step 2

Remove any grass/plant material and enough sand with a good shovel, so the paving stones you’ve chosen are flush with the surrounding grass when set in 3cm of sand.

Drive a 15cm. landscape spike beside the centre iron rod until it is 5cm below the sod level. Drive six additional spikes about 1 meter away from the centre, spacing them evenly around the centre. Level the top of each spike with the centre one, then spread sand in the circle flush with the tops of the spikes.

Lay the stones in a circle to determine how large you want to make the ring. There is no right or wrong here. A 1-meter inner diameter works well, but you can adjust the size according to your preference. Measure the radius of the circle and then mark this circle at the centre of your fire ring.

For safety and stability reasons, limit the height of the ring to two rows of stone. If you go higher, keep in mind that the stones can fall, so be sure to use large stable stones!

Make sure that when you set your base stones, you have a level bed of sand to keep your base stones stable. 

Once the first level is perfectly aligned the second row of stones are easy to place.

Step 3

Spread 3cm of sand over the sitting area and fit the first flagstone tightly to the fire ring, twisting it into the sand till firmly set and the joints are tight.

You can use various materials for an attractive sitting area, for low maintenance purposes, we have chosen flagstones for this project.  Once the grass starts growing in-between the flagstones it is easy to maintain by running a lawnmower over the stones to trim the grass.

This is where you can get creative with the look and feel of your fire ring.  You could add colourful stones, wood chips, moss or any ground coverings of your choice.

This is your masterpiece, go crazy!

Step 4

The final step to this project is to raise the level of sand inside your fire ring to your specifications.

Well Done!

Only one thing left to do, Pack the wood, Nou gaan ons Braai!

Please send us a photo of your new fire ring, we would love to see it, you can upload your images in the comments section!

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Build it Gansbaai offers local delivery, supplying the greater Overberg area with building materials, do-it-yourself home improvement tools, and expert advice.