- 1). Mark the location of your fire pit to guide as you excavate a base. Drive a yard stake into the center of the chosen site and tie a string to the top of the stake. Cut the string to measure the intended radius for the fire pit. Pull the string around the stake, spraying a circle with the spray paint.
- 2). Excavate the area inside the spray paint circle, using a shovel or spade. Begin by removing the sod and topsoil to a depth of 6 inches. Level the site by excavating the high points inside the circle. Check the area over and over with the level until the base of the excavated site is perfectly level.
- 3). Compact the soil at the base of the area to create a sturdy foundation for the fire pit's wall. Repeatedly thrust the wide, flat end of a manual soil compactor against the soil until the soil no longer gives under your weight.
- 4). Apply a 3-inch thick layer of gravel inside the hole to create a foundation for the fire pit wall. Smooth the gravel layer level, applying additional gravel as necessary.
- 5). Empty a packet of ready-mix mortar into a wheelbarrow and add water, following package directions. Mix the two ingredients to create a thick paste.
- 6). Scoop mortar onto the shovel and empty piles of mortar onto the gravel layer, around the perimeter of the excavated area. Begin setting the stones into place over top of the mortar, end-to-end, to create a single row before building upward. Apply mortar, as necessary, to the ends of stones to prevent gaps in the stone wall.
- 7). Build the height of the walls up to 1 to 2 feet above the ground level of the fire pit site. To do this, apply mortar to the tops of lower levels and between stones, one row at a time. Use a joint tool to smooth mortar into the joints surrounding each stone and a damp rag to quickly wipe away mortar from the faces of stones.
- 8). Cap the top of the wall using similar sized stones. You may need to add additional stones to the top level of the wall to create a nearly level surface once you apply the top cap. Apply mortar to the top of the previous layer and set cap stones into place, carefully smoothing the mortar into joints.
- 9). Apply a second 3-inch layer of gravel into the fire pit to create a surface for building fires. Gravel works well as a fire pit liner, as it can easily be removed and replaced when cleaning debris and ashes from the pit.
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