Building a Fire Pit: Gravel Base
A free-draining gravel substrate will make your fire pit safer and long lasting.
For this fire pit, we used compacted gravel as the base rather than a poured concrete footing. A gravel footing allows water to drain quickly and is easier to install than concrete.
Layout
A garden hose can help you visualize where to put the fire pit; you can move the hose around as much as you want. A hose can also help you understand how big the finished fire pit will be1. It’s not, however, a substitute for drawing the plan on paper or properly measuring and marking a layout on the ground.
![determine the size and placement](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16131358/determine-the-size-and-placement.jpg)
To lay out a perfect circle, measure the pit’s diameter and divide by two to find the radius. Mark the pit’s center2and set the end of the tape on it. Rotate the tape around the center, and mark the circumference at 10-in. to 12-in. intervals.3. Connect the dots with a continuous line around the circle4.
![using the hose as a reference](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16135102/using-the-hose-as-a-reference.jpg)
![make a series of marks](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16135528/make-a-series-of-marks.jpg)
![form a circle](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16135703/form-a-circle.jpg)
Excavate and add gravel
Use a spade to cut along the circumference, and then dig the footing to a depth of 8 in. to 12 in. or deeper until you find undisturbed soil5. When digging, take care to cut clean, vertical sidewalls6. Later, you’ll use the edge of the hole to set the perimeter stones; any irregularities will transfer to the stonework, so dig a perfect circle. Also create a flat base, without bumps and without depressions that can hold water7. With a hand tamper, thoroughly compact the pit base; pay special attention to the area near the circumference upon which the wall will be built8. Add 3 in. of gravel and spread it evenly with a rake or flat shovel9. As with the soil base, it’s important to create a flat gravel surface without dips or bumps. Use a level to check for flatness and for any desired slope; then compact the gravel thoroughly10.
![Excavate using the line as a reference](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16135853/Excavate-using-the-line-as-a-reference.jpg)
![dig vertical walls](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16140016/dig-vertical-walls.jpg)
![Create a flat floor](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16140126/Create-a-flat-floor.jpg)
![Compact the base soil](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16140450/Compact-the-base-soil.jpg)
![Add 3 in. of gravel](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16140648/Add-3-inches-of-gravel.jpg)
![Compact the gravel](http://m.ecmna114.com/images/app/uploads/2023/07/16140828/Compact-the-gravel.jpg)
Excerpted fromMasonry Complete(The Taunton Press, 2012) by Cody Macfie
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