Fire pit ideas for summer cottages. How fire pits are used

Despite the fact that summer has already passed its equator, numerous owners country houses are still “burning” with a bunch of ideas that they want to implement on their sites. Only now, if 10-20 years ago these "ideas" were mainly associated with sowing and harvesting, then modern inhabitants of summer houses tend to turn them not into labor camp, and in the recreation area with family and friends. Recently a site on how you can decorate areas with your own hands. This time we will give you some ideas on how to make your site not only beautiful, but also as comfortable as possible for relaxation. At the same time, we will try to include the simplest options in the selection of ideas, the implementation of which can be done without the help of professionals.

The most popular element in modern backyards is not a gazebo at all, but a fire bowl. And, accordingly, seating. It is not at all difficult to equip such a site, but the benefits and Have a good mood she brings a lot. by the most simple option here it will be the purchase of a store bowl and the installation of several chairs or benches:

In general, benches can be bought in the store ready-made, but it is better to do it yourself. In the second case, the use of wood is not at all necessary, since you can get by with only a few meters of iron mesh and a bunch of stones from the courtyard. You should not be afraid that it will look cheap and “went”. People usually get even very nice:

Do-it-yourself fire bowl:

If your hands “itch” to make not only seats, but also the bowl itself, then this is also not at all difficult - you just need a desire, a little theoretical preparation and a pair of free hands and days off:

As you can see, it’s really not that difficult to make a cozy place for a fire in the backyard with your own hands. Here are some more easy-to-implement examples:

Also pay attention to easy way hammock setup:

And here - in a place for storing firewood:

And a few more photos with an equipped fire bowl:

How to make a summer terrace?

You can also expand the functionality of your backyard with summer terrace, which will allow you to enjoy a barbecue or just a good company in any weather. This is already a more expensive and complex pleasure than a fire bowl, but all the money and time invested is worth it. Believe:

How else to equip the backyard?

In conclusion, I would like to add a few more beautiful ideas for arranging recreation areas in the backyard. You can “dilute the atmosphere” with the help of simple tables made from improvised materials, a swing or a hammock suspended from a tree, a small fountain or an original playground.

An evening by a live fire is a leisure activity that is as attractive as it is popular. However, open fire is a serious danger if handled carelessly. You can make a fire only in a prepared area and in compliance with certain rules security

The fire bowl is simple and affordable way organize an evening by the fire in complete safety.

What are fire pits for?

The ancestor of the bowls was a fire pit - a recess dug in the ground. She performed two main tasks: did not allow the fire to spread uncontrollably and kept the heat for cooking.

The fire bowl has the same functions. It is used infrequently for cooking, it performs, rather, an aesthetic function. For cooking, a tandoor oven is perfect. you can read how to make it yourself. Live fire in the evening in the garden or on outdoor terrace creates an unforgettable impression. But it is undesirable to make a fire in the garden, and not every owner will agree to sacrifice his lawn on a successful site. Sparks from an open fire pose a considerable danger, especially if wooden buildings are located on the site. A fire by the river and a tourist tent are not always an option either.

The fire bowl prevents the spread of fire, as it rigidly preserves the boundaries of the fire. Small portable models, and some stationary ones, are equipped with protective caps to protect surrounding objects and people from sparks. At the same time, all the ashes, coals, unburned pieces of wood remain inside the bowl, and are not carried by the wind throughout the site. An example of such a bowl is in this photo.

Types of fire bowls

If the fire pit could be made in only one modification, then the bowl quickly turned from a simple functional device into a design element. And the ability to build a device on your own, showing imagination and ingenuity, greatly enriched the choice.

Design features

According to the method of construction, fire bowls are divided into two main groups:

• Stationary - or built-in. Settled in a prepared area, usually in a recess - a fire pit, can serve as a comfortable resting place. Act as an attractive original element of garden design. A stationary fire pit is arranged at ground level or higher, forming a stone elevation. The space around the bowl is at least 1.5 m in diameter, covered with gravel or laid out with tiles.
• Mobile - or portable. Better fit the definition of outdoor fireplaces. They are made in the form of a bowl made of stone or metal and are equipped with legs. You can install them on any flat surface - a trampled area, a stone, a terrace, even on a table, and at any time transfer to another place. However, for safety reasons, you must ensure that within a radius of 1.5 m from open fire flammable or combustible substances were not present.

Mobile ready-made bowls are often equipped with metal mesh caps that do not allow sparks to fly far. This option can really be placed on the table.

The sizes of portable fireplaces are very different: from tiny products with a height of 15 cm, to designs that completely replace a table. The latter are often supplied with a removable metal cover-plate. After removing the ashes from the bowl, the plate is fixed on top, and the mobile fireplace turns into a convenient table.

Fire bowls sometimes include devices powered by liquid or gas fuels. This design consists of a closed case, in which a cylinder with fuel, a burner and a bowl above the burner are placed. However, this device does not apply to sources of live fire.

materials

• Refractory brick- any other stone can be used for facing the stationary option, but only this material should be in contact with the fire. The burning temperature of firewood is about 800-900 C, hard coal- up to 1200 C. Not every stone can withstand such heating.
• Concrete- often used in home-made stationary fires.
• Granite- the stone is actively used in the garden landscape, and finds such use. A granite fire bowl usually looks like a bowl or flowerpot and is fixed to the ground. It is possible to move it to another place, but it is not easy: the stone weighs a lot.
• heat resistant metal- the most popular option for portable structures. Durable, light enough, fire-resistant material, besides having the highest decorative possibilities.
• Wrought iron outdoor fireplaces can be amazingly beautiful. Products cold forging more affordable, as they mainly include standard elements. Hot forging is always a unique unique creation.
• Ceramics- refractory grades successfully compete with bricks. Both mobile and stationary fire bowls are made of ceramics.

Combinations of materials are very interesting: a ceramic bowl and metal carcass with twisted legs, iron bowl with ceramic mosaic.

Homemade and ready

This exquisite accessory for evening entertainment is easy to find in the store when it comes to mobile devices. Stationary structures erected by master masons according to ready-made sketches in a matter of hours.

Home-made designs are usually more practical, although they cannot be called less aesthetic - it all depends on the skill and desire of the builder.

A concrete fire pit is a simple and affordable way for everyone. A trench is dug in the ground, up to 15 cm deep and 30–40 cm wide, and poured with concrete. After the material has hardened, the soil is removed from the hole made inside - the bowl. It is not necessary to concrete its bottom, you can fill up and compact crushed stone and sand. Brick - in this case, a hole is dug and lined with refractory bricks. It is not difficult to raise it above the ground by simply raising the walls just above the ground. An even simpler method is bury an old metal barrel in the ground.

A portable hearth is easy to make from a drum washing machine . To do this, it is enough to clean and paint the drum and install it on metal legs. The production is simple, and the product looks stylish.

Use on your site, cottage, garden

The fire has not been used for heating or cooking for a long time, walls and castles have taken over the protective functions, but live fire is still perceived as a symbol of life and warmth. Even on the warmest summer evening near the flame it is more comfortable and more fun.

Creating this atmosphere is the first task of the fire bowl. Calling this function aesthetic is difficult, but fire is still one of those three things that you can look at endlessly.

Design Element - The bowl itself can be used as a decoration or a stylistic accent in a garden or yard, or even in a home when it comes to a portable device. Usually the bowl is the center of the rest area. They try to maintain the design in the style of the building. But even the simplest option in a summer cottage is a gravel-strewn area with wooden benches, and that will make the rest much more attractive.

V garden design the bowl can be used in a completely unconventional way, for example, when decorating a pool or fountain. The combination of the elements of water and fire in one design object makes an amazing impression.

In the photo - an example of such a thicket on the fountain:

Cooking - if a fire without a baked potato or a kebab does not seem good idea, then the outdoor fireplace can also be used for cooking. Mobile structures of large volume are often equipped with appropriate accessories: a grill grate and a poker. Devices for stationary fires need to be selected or made independently. But you can bake potatoes on a sheet of iron anyway.

How to choose a campfire site

When choosing a site, several factors must be considered, of which safety is the most important:

• Site dimensions- its diameter should be at least 3 m. The distance to the nearest bushes should be at least 4–5 m, to deciduous trees - 10 m, to conifers - 15 m. To buildings, especially wooden ones - at least 10 m.
• Space- the site must be placed so that there are no trees with low-growing branches nearby. If there is no such site, then you will have to cut the branches.
• It is preferable that there are deciduous trees near the site. Dry needles flare up from the slightest spark. If cypresses, spruces, pines grow next to the fire bowl, then it is necessary to cover the fire with a special protective cap.
• It is undesirable to leave vegetation cover on the site. The best way- removal of the last layer according to the size of the site, strengthening with a landscape grid and backfilling with gravel or crushed stone. The laying of wild stone, brick, and tile looks no less beautiful. Even concreting would be a good solution, although not as attractive.
• A mobile fire pit can theoretically be placed anywhere. But in practice, it is worth observing the same principles: a rocky flat surface - the model is light and you should take care of stability, the absence of low-growing branches, a certain distance to bushes, trees and wooden buildings.

In the photo - an example design solution for the fire bowl:

No matter how simple this case may seem, it has a lot of tricks. To make a fire quickly and get a stable good flame, you need skill and skill.

• Do not douse the fire with gasoline: the risk of burns and ignition of clothing is too great.
• Firewood - well-dried firewood or dried branches of living trees and bushes are used. Wet wood, branches collected from damp ground will burn smoky and poorly. Coal is quite acceptable, although it does not look so beautiful.
• Kindling - small dry branches and chips, resinous dry bark, dry alcohol, plexiglass trimmings, and so on. Paper and cardboard burn too fast and are not such a good option.
• Matches or a gasoline lighter are used to make a fire.
• In rainy weather, it will be useful to equip an awning over the site.

A fire pit is a practical and beautiful solution. At small area suburban area mobile modification will allow you to organize an evening with a fire in a matter of minutes. If you need a facility for cooking meat, then you can do it yourself. Like the construction of a stationary bowl, this will require more time and effort, but the campfire and cooking area will be ready once and for all: no dark circles on the grass, ash all over the site and sparks flying up to the tops of the trees.

In the country, you probably have a place for a fire - a fireplace, perhaps there is a barbecue, grill or some other brazier for cooking meat and fish on fire. We offer great idea how to make a do-it-yourself fire pit from a broken washing machine drum.

“There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped” - this proverb can be applied to our project. Owners of a hopelessly broken washing machine can reuse the drum for a makeshift campfire site. If your machine, fortunately, is in excellent working condition, you can look for an old drum in repair shops, flea markets, acquaintances, or household appliances junkyards.

To make a bowl for a fire with your own hands, you need:

• angle grinder;
• nozzle-brush on a grinding machine;
• steel corners;
• heat resistant paint.

Remove everything from the drum plastic parts, the central axis, thoroughly clean it from scale, dirt, soap residue. To do this, it is convenient to use a hard brush and a machine, but, of course, you can clean it manually. Actually, you can finish the work on this, put it in the yard and try it out.

An optional step, but you can still lift the drum off the ground. Thus, the fire in the bowl will feed the oxygen from below. To do this, the authors of the project welded steel legs with a flat square base to the bottom of the drum so that the hearth does not sink into the ground. If desired, you can simply put the fire bowl on the stones.

In the courtyard of the house, in the country or garden plot It's so nice to sit by the fire, fry kebabs. There are meat fryers, but they are utilitarian and it never occurs to anyone to enjoy the view of burning firewood. On the contrary, ready-made coals are often thrown, adding only a little thin firewood to keep preparation time to a minimum. In the case of the campfire - special place for making a fire - everything is different. This place is often referred to as a fire pit. It is conceived in order not only to fry shish kebabs, but also to admire the fire. In the dacha and garden plot, the hearth for the fire will come in handy even after pruning: it will be possible to burn the branches, and use the ashes as fertilizer.

Place for a fire in the country

Fire pit on personal plot or in the country it is better to place it at a sufficient distance from the house - so that the smoke does not reach the house.

The site should be blown by the winds - good traction is needed for normal combustion. The place should be flat or you will have to level a certain area - under the hearth itself and under a place to rest, or armchairs.

Device and dimensions

The hearth for a fire can be round or rectangular shape. It can be buried so much that it will be on the same level with the ground, it can be partially buried, with slightly elevated walls. There are options that are generally above ground level - they are placed on a previously prepared site. So the choice is yours.

It is useless to argue about forms. Round ones are more convenient - we stack firewood with a hut. But rectangular ones are easier to build, especially brick ones. Here all the tricks are known - the masonry is carried out like an ordinary wall. Just a wall thickness - a quarter of a brick.

Those who decide how to equip a fire pit in the backyard of the house, in the country or in the garden, usually have several questions:

• How big should a fire pit be?
• Do I need a blower, if so, how much, what size, how to make them and where to place them?
• To install a grate or not?
• How to make it easier to clean the hearth?

In fact, the first two questions are related. If the dimensions of the fire bowl are quite overall - a meter or more in diameter, you can make the walls solid, without blowing. If less than a meter, you will have to make holes for air to enter.

Blowing is better done not from below, but in the walls. Their number - two or four - diagonally opposite each other. Small holes are left in the wall, breaking off a piece of brick (a quarter, approximately). If necessary, they can be laid with the same, slightly hewn, quarters. It’s not worth making a blower from below: with such a design, ash flakes often fly around the site during the “work” of the hearth - they are carried away by an air stream, which is difficult to regulate with such a design.

About the grates. This is how you feel more comfortable - you can do it, but they do not really affect functionality or convenience.

Site preparation

If the site has dense sandy soils, you can land works exclude. The second version of the simplified campfire site is the existing site, laid out paving slabs, stone, asphalted or concreted. On this base, you can lay a couple of rows of bricks or stone. Here is the finished hearth. This option is ideal for soils with poor water drainage. After rain, on such a site, a recessed bowl for a fire will turn into a mini-pond and will dry for a very long time.

You can prepare the site in this way ... By the way, an interesting idea is to use concrete blocks by loading voids with pebbles or rubble

In other cases, without preparatory work not enough. No, you can lay down a hearth for a fire right on the ground, but after a few years it will become unusable - the walls will “creep” after rains or spring heaving of the soil. Preparing a site for a fire pit is standard:

1. We are filming fertile layer soil, remove roots, stones.
2. We level and ram the soil.
3. We pour a layer of crushed stone (not lime, but granite) of medium and large fractions 10-20 cm in size, level, ram.

Already on this base, you can install a hearth, provided that you are satisfied with a crushed stone pillow as a base or are going to pour concrete. True, for concrete, it will be necessary to assemble formwork around the perimeter. If you plan to pave the area around the hearth with tiles or stone, pour sand or a fine screening fraction on the rubble. Sand / screenings are rammed, leveled, then tile or stone is laid.

Crushed stone - it's not so bad

On clay or fertile soils, so that the crushed stone does not “leave” into the ground, they put it under it with a density of 200-250 g / m. This nonwoven fabric, which allows water to pass through, prevents roots from germinating and prevents crushed stone from mixing with the soil. In fact, this is a very important layer that is best laid down.

How to make a concrete fire pit

A concrete fire pit can be round or square. The only difference is in the shape of the formwork. You only need two rings or two rectangles/squares.

A round shape can be made, for example, from two metal barrels of different diameters. It will only be necessary to cut off two rings of the desired height. After the concrete has hardened, the form will need to be removed, so it will have to be cut. If you may need it in the future, make a detachable form of two half rings. On one side, weld the hinges, on the other, make locks-clamps.

The square shape is easiest to make from boards, fiberboard scraps, thick plywood. They don't have to be new, but they should be even. We use self-tapping screws to assemble the form - it will also need to be disassembled.

The distance between the outer and inner formwork must be equal to the wall thickness. For a concrete hearth, a sufficient thickness is 15-20 cm. We put the form on the prepared base, check the distance, verticality and horizontality. We fix the form by driving in pegs so that the formwork does not move when filled with concrete.

A ring formed between the two formworks, into which we will pour concrete. We stick into this ring into the ground and hammer in pieces of reinforcement with a diameter of 10-14 mm. They are needed for greater rigidity of the walls. The length of the reinforcement is about 60 cm, the installation step is 15-20 cm. We also hammer into the ground by 15-20 cm. We place the reinforcement in the middle of the ring and so that its upper edge “sinks” in concrete by 5 cm or a little more.

Now you can pour concrete. The composition is normal; for 1 part of M150 cement, 3 parts of sand and 4 parts of crushed stone. Water is usually obtained in 0.7-0.8 parts (depending on the moisture content of sand and gravel). Concrete is poured into the form, left for 5-7 days, after which the formwork is disassembled. A concrete hearth for a fire is ready, only a fire can be made in it no earlier than in 2-3 weeks, and better - in a month and a half. Only then will it gain enough strength and not crack from the fire.

Making a fire pit out of brick or stone

You can equip a fire place with bricks different ways. There are simple and cheap, but which can quickly fall apart. There are more difficult to manufacture, but they will serve for several years for sure. To build a hearth for a fire, you can use ordinary solid red brick, but it will not “live” for long. Such material can be used for country or garden hearths for one or two seasons.

If you need to do it quickly - you can

According to the rules

For permanently designed recreation areas, it will be necessary to look for fireclay bricks. You can already choose the sizes yourself, but it’s easier to put from smaller ones, even if it takes longer. But even for the largest fire pit, only four or five dozen bricks are needed, so the masonry will not take so long.

Fireclay bricks are not cheap pleasure, so when laying the hearth, usually the inside of the hearth is laid out of fireclay, which is in direct contact with the flame. The outer part can be lined with ordinary brick or stone.

If you have already gone broke on fireclay bricks, then laying it on fireclay mortar is worth it - it is sold as a powder in bags. Water is added to the composition, stirred. After a while, the solution is ready for use. After folding the hearth, you will have to wait 5-7 days for the solution to dry out. Then you load the hearth with firewood to the fullest and warm it up for a couple of hours. This is necessary so that the mortar and brick are sintered into a single whole, and for this the temperature must be high. So do not spare firewood here. But fireclay mortar is used only for laying the inside of the hearth - where the temperatures are the highest. The outer row is placed on cement-sand mortar. Fireclay is unacceptable here - it will not have enough temperature and it will simply crumble.

An ordinary brick can be laid on clay or cement mortar. In some cases, you can do without mortar at all - by filling the voids between the bricks with compacted rubble, sand or soil.

Simple and fast

You can set up a campfire site in just a few hours. It will take only a few flat granite stones or pebbles, crushed stone. They spread the bottom of the fire. You can also lay a brick on the bottom, and fill the gaps with rubble. To build the walls of the hearth for a fire, you need a dozen two or three bricks. That's all.

The order of work on the arrangement of the fire is as follows:

1. We mark a circle on the ground.
2. We remove the sod and remove the soil to a depth that is equal to the length of the brick and the thickness of the base. The brick installed on the poke should rise at least a little above the ground level - then the hearth will not flood or blow out.
3. Level and seal the bottom.
4. We lay out bricks or stones, tap them well with a mallet (or just with our feet).
5. We fill the gaps with crushed stone, which is also well pressed into the ground.
6. On a circle we expose "sticking out" bricks. They become close to one another on one side, and small gaps form on the other side. They are filled with previously excavated soil (if it is not clay or loam), sand or fine gravel.

That's all. A simple brick hearth for a fire is ready. It is not a fact that after a good rain it will remain in its normal form, but it requires a little time and money.

Reliable design of a round hearth for a fire made of bricks

In order for a brick fire to serve for a long time, its walls must stand on solid foundation. On a crushed stone pillow, a reinforced concrete belt is usually poured. It is made in a circle, the thickness is not less than the thickness of the walls, the height is 10-15 cm. For greater strength, a reinforcing ring made of a bar with a diameter of 12-14 mm is placed approximately in the middle of the height.

The inner part of the hearth is lined with fireclay bricks, the outer part is ordinary, hollow, laid with bandaging of the seams (with an offset of half a brick). Fireclay bricks are placed on clay or fireclay mortar, ordinary bricks are placed on a cement-sand mixture.

Such a hearth for a fire made of bricks requires more materials and time for arrangement, but it will serve for more than one year. And so that it is not flooded with precipitation and does not fill up with foliage, you can cover the fire with a shield. In this form, by the way, it can be used as a table.

Exactly according to the same principle, a square or rectangular brick hearth is built. Technology is unchanged, the difference is only in form.

Simple Options

You can make a hearth for a fire much faster. Firstly, a lot of country or courtyard hearths made of metal are offered. All you need is a platform on which you put a metal fire pit.

Metal bowl - fast way set up a campfire site

The advantage of this solution is not too high a price and the simplicity of arranging a campfire site. The advantages include low weight, which allows you to bring the installation under the roof for the winter or in bad weather.

A very similar option is a concrete fire pit. They are cast different sizes They are either round or square. You can do exactly the same yourself, but you will have to wait at least a month. And they put the finished bowl, and you can use it.

Photo ideas for decorating a campfire site

Making a fire pit is only half the battle. It is also necessary to equip the site - so that you can sit, look at the fire, enjoy the evening and chat with friends. Several interesting ideas we have collected in this section.

You can just stack the stones one by one ...

Metal hearth for a fire - safe, inexpensive

Make seats out of logs - in the style of forest fires

Very easy to fold...but very hard to find these bricks

Fire pits are rapidly gaining popularity. They extend the time we can spend outdoors, providing warmth and comfort on chilly evenings. People have always been drawn to the safety, heat, atmosphere and culinary possibilities that a campfire provides. The use of fire pits in gardens is a modern and more convenient alternative to conventional fires.

How fire pits are used

Today, people use garden fires for gatherings with family and friends, for grilling food, and as an unusual object to emphasize the originality of landscape design.

Sometimes the bowl is placed for ease of movement between the main areas of the garden. For example, guests will be pleased to move from the dining area or pool to the firepit and back.

If you decide to build a fire pit in your backyard, think carefully about the size and location of the firebox. Although you can make the construction quite voluminous, the average diameter of a bowl used in the garden is about 1 m. These dimensions include both the outer rim of the fire bowl and the burning area. The most comfortable distance from the fire to the legs lying on the edge of the outer wall is 25-30 cm.

If the bowl is designed in such a way that it is flush with the ground, people will have to squat around it to feel the heat. Therefore, if you want the outer wall of the fire bowl to serve as a seat at the same time, make it about 50 cm high.

Don't make the bowl too high, as it will be uncomfortable for people to lean on the edging, and the hearth will not be able to radiate enough heat to heat the seating area.

Location and weather

Further recommendations for the construction of the hearth bowl relate to the distribution free space around it, as well as weather features:

• the size of the area around the bowl;
• wind rose;
• Fire safety.

How big should be the area that you allocated for the chairs? Some owners of fire bowls believe that a distance of 2 meters is enough for people to be able to move away if they get hot. In the case when the diameter of the structure is more than 1 m, we recommend leaving up to 5 m of free space around.

Check the wind rose for your area. It is not recommended to install a fire bowl where the wind is constantly blowing: firstly, it will be difficult for you to kindle a fire, and secondly, guests will have to constantly dodge smoke flying in their faces.

If you're planning on making stationary benches or chairs, don't place them too far away from the fire. Arrange them so that you are comfortable and warm.

Please note that open flames are prohibited in some areas to prevent fire or air pollution. You will probably need a permit from the fire department as they will want to make sure you don't set the firepit on wooden porch or too close to flammable overhanging branches or foliage.

Fire bowl ideas

There are many types of garden fire bowls. The simplest and a budget option- buy finished structure at a local store. It is usually made from light metal and equipped with a grate with a spark cover. The structure is mobile and can be easily moved throughout the garden.

If you decide to make a bowl yourself, nothing can limit your imagination. You can use brick, concrete, stone, metal, or a combination of all of these materials.

A hemispherical smooth concrete bowl is also a popular option. They look modern and expensive.

You can also make a table with a fire bowl in the middle. This design has a fire zone and wide border around, on which plates and cutlery are placed. The table can be square, rectangular, round and even L-shaped. You don't need a wood burning stove. There are all kinds of gas and propane options that are great alternatives and are easy to use.

Many experts on landscape design specialize in the construction of garden fire bowls. They know all building codes and how to make the structure safe for you.

If you decide to build a fire bowl yourself, you must be extremely careful not to allow flames and sparks to fall on surrounding objects. Use fire brick and fire retardant caulk on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Follow the drawings and instructions drawn up by professionals, then your creation will become a source of warmth and comfort, where you want to return again and again.

Fire bowl design - video