D.I.Y. sunken fire pit with seating

[ashleesellen]

My partner and I built a beautiful sunken fire pit/conversation pit using decking boards, concrete blocks and white pebbles. It’s perfect for roasting marshmallows on cold winter nights, or for relaxing with friends on a sunny afternoon.

Steps

Step 1

The first step was to measure out the size and depth we wanted the fire pit and dig the hole. We also had to remove an old brick path and a clothesline  

Step 2

We next dug a trench and filled it with cement to secure the concrete blocks. 

Step 3

Then we added two rows of heavy concrete blocks for the base. 

 

 

Step 4

Creating the frame using lengths of timber was a matter of trial and error in deciding exactly what we were looking for in a bench seat. 

 

Step 5

We finished the back of the seat and starting adding the decking boards. We used the same merbau decking boards for the deck we built earlier in the year. 

Step 6

We finished the decking boards and added some strips along the concrete blocks to complete the look. 

 

Step 7

Once the seating was finished we added some final touches including painting the concrete blocks white, putting a weed mat on the dirt and adding white pebbles

 

Step 8

Later on we added festoon lights, and now we love hanging out in our backyard; summer, winter, night or day, the fire pit is the perfect place to hang out!

 

😊

Step 9

Our dog Billie loves to have a sunbathe on it too 🥰

 

[KatieC]

Hi @ashleesellen,

I am loving your sunken fire pit area! However, I am guessing that Billie is loving it the most. Thank you for sharing your project, you may even find it in one of our Top Ideas like Fire pit outdoor entertaining areas one day. If someone is looking to create a similar design, do you have any words of advice for them? 

Katie

[ashleesellen]

Hi Katie!

Yes Billie definitely spends the most time using it!

If anyone else wanted to tackle this project I would say go for it! It really wasn’t too difficult; the hardest part was trying to figure out measurements for the angled back rest. Unfortunately I don’t have any official measurements written down because we were really just making it up as we went along haha

[KatieC]

Hi @ashleesellen,

Ha-ha I also build on the fly sometimes too! Your project came out beautifully. Thank you again for sharing.

Katie

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @ashleesellen 

Wow to your idea! Love the way you have sloped the back of the seat! Thats something I will keep in mind as it is always frustrating sitting with a verticle back rest. Does the pit retain water when it rains? And I really like that three strip edge you have on top of the bessa blocks! It "snaps" it together.

Dave

[ashleesellen]

Hi Dave!

Thanks for your kind words! 
We only put a weed mat at the bottom to allow drainage instead of black plastic. We live in Perth so it’s only sand under that which means the water drains straight through  

[Dave-1]

@ashleesellen 

Of course! Yeah that would certainly help with drainage I am on the East Coast and clay is my friend... Drainage is a must for me but for you nope

Dave

[chloel]

Hey @ashleesellen 

awesome design, we are keen to do something similar!

for the concrete that you poured to hold the blocks in place - did you wait for the concrete to dry before laying the blocks or do that whilst its wet?

thanks!

[ashleesellen]

Hi Chloe,

It’s been a while since we built it so I’m not 100% sure but I think we let it dry and then cemented the bricks on top of it. 

[Akanksha]

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @chloel! Delighted to have you join us. 

Great to see @ashleesellen has answered your question on building a similar fire pit area. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions or need any other advice. We'd be happy to help. 

Please do keep us updated as your fire pit project progresses. We'd love to see photos and details of your process.

Akanksha