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 be 1. 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](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/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 center 2 and 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 circle 4.
![using the hose as a reference](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16135102/using-the-hose-as-a-reference.jpg)
![make a series of marks](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16135528/make-a-series-of-marks.jpg)
![form a circle](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/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 soil 5. When digging, take care to cut clean, vertical sidewalls 6. 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 water 7. With a hand tamper, thoroughly compact the pit base; pay special attention to the area near the circumference upon which the wall will be built 8. Add 3 in. of gravel and spread it evenly with a rake or flat shovel 9. 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 thoroughly 10.
![Excavate using the line as a reference](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16135853/Excavate-using-the-line-as-a-reference.jpg)
![dig vertical walls](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16140016/dig-vertical-walls.jpg)
![Create a flat floor](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16140126/Create-a-flat-floor.jpg)
![Compact the base soil](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16140450/Compact-the-base-soil.jpg)
![Add 3 in. of gravel](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16140648/Add-3-inches-of-gravel.jpg)
![Compact the gravel](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2023/07/16140828/Compact-the-gravel.jpg)
Excerpted from Masonry Complete (The Taunton Press, 2012) by Cody Macfie
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