Est. 2012 | Colorado Springs, Colorado and Charlottesville, Virginia wedding & family photographer

Want to know how you can make your backyard cozy during those chilly nights? I have an affordable and straightforward guide on how to build a fire pit for $75! I’ve shared many indoor DIY projects, but I’m taking this blog post outdoors. 🙂 

Alex and I share the love for the outdoors, especially campfires. When I think about my childhood years, I think about camping adventures with my family and the Girl Scouts. One of my family’s favorite fall traditions every year is to have a campfire dinner night in my parent’s yard. 🙂 We bust out the S’mores and tin foil potato + chicken dinners to roast over the fire. Alex said that during college, his YoungLife friends would get together every Thursday to sing and goof off around a campfire. What a fun tradition!

While Alex and I were putting together our wedding registry, we weren’t satisfied with the fire pits we were finding online (especially for the price). After our big day, we thought that we would use our gift cards to buy one, but I kept thinking there was a more affordable (and prettier) option. After gathering some inspiration on Pinterest and YouTube, I priced out the materials and was surprised to find out that I could build a fire pit for $75! In just one afternoon, I made this project happen and I’m excited to share this with you all so you can do this too!!

**Disclaimer: I’m in no way a construction pro, but with the help of many online resources, I was able to make it happen!

Here are simple steps on how to build a fire pit for $75! Enjoy!

How to Build a Fire Pit for $75

Materials you need:
36 Cement Pavers (watch out for a sale!)
3 Bags of Rock
Gloves
Taper Measurer
Shovel
Tarp (I didn’t use one but it’s helpful)
Leveler
Mallet
Landscape Construction Adhesive + Caulk Gun

1. MARK YOUR SPOT

Easy enough! Don’t set up your fire pit too close to trees/structures. Once you have your spot, it’s time to purchase your supplies! Yay! 🙂

Layout your pavers to visually confirm it’s where you want the fire ring. Use gloves to move/pick up the pavers. 🙂 Take your shovel and go around the perimeter of the circle so you know where to dig (as you see in the bottom right-hand photo).

2. DIG

After you marked your circle with your shovel, place your pavers off to the side and lay out a tarp close by (if you have one) for the dug up grass/dirt. I dug about 3-5″ deep to ensure a part of the stone would underground. After the 5″ layer of dirt is off, pour 2 of your 3 rock bags into the pit and smooth out.

3. ASSEMBLE

Lay the first layer of stone down in a circle. Make sure the stones are flush against each other to avoid gaps. This is important — Take your leveler and lay it across two side by side pavers. If the two pavers are not even, pick up one of them and put down a little dirt from your dirt pile or some rocks to even it out. This part is the most tedious because you need to do this around the entire ring. Use your mallet to hammer the paver down into rocks/dirt. Once the first layer is good to go, the rest of the project is smooth sailing!

To start the second layer, again, lay the entire circle of pavers down first before gluing. Lay your stone down so the center of it covers the two joining pavers below. We want to make sure the puzzle piece works first. 🙂 Then remove each paver, one by one, to glue (like demonstrated in the right-hand photo below). Do the same thing for your third layer and then pour your last bag of rock into the pit. Smooth it out and then you’re DONE!!! Wasn’t that easy?!

Here are the results!!

That evening, we had some friends come over to enjoy some S’mores! I’m excited to put this fire pit into great use!! Also — If you haven’t tried a Reeses S’more … You might say goodbye to Hershey’s chocolate! YUM!

Want the Look?

Double Sized Brazilian Hammock
Outdoor Waterproof String Lights
RTIC Cooler
Outdoor Patio Set