Build Sunken Fire Pit Area
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upgrade your life to pavers. #paverpatio #hardscape
What happens here
Excavate the area designated for the fire pit, creating a sunken section that steps down from the main patio. Ensure proper drainage for this lower area. Construct curved retaining walls using modular wall blocks, ensuring a level and stable foundation for each course. Install a compacted gravel base and bedding sand, then lay pavers in a herringbone pattern for the fire pit floor. Build the central fire pit structure, ideally using a pre-fabricated kit or fire-rated blocks. Integrate steps from the main patio level down into the sunken fire pit area, matching the paver or wall block materials for a cohesive look.
Goal: Create a dedicated, multi-level fire pit gathering space.
Tools and materials
- Level — Checking the level of wall blocks and paver base
- Masonry Hammer — Adjusting and splitting wall blocks if necessary
- Pickaxe — Breaking up compacted earth during excavation
- Plate Compactor — Compacting base layers for walls and fire pit floor
- Rubber Mallet — Tapping pavers and wall blocks into position
- Shovel — Excavating for the sunken area and spreading base materials
- String Line — Laying out curves for walls and ensuring level surfaces
- Wet Saw with Diamond Blade — Making precise cuts on wall blocks and pavers
- Wheelbarrow — Moving soil, blocks, and aggregate
- Bedding Sand — Leveling bed for fire pit pavers
- Concrete — Creating a stable foundation for the retaining walls
- Construction Adhesive — Securing courses of wall blocks together
- Fire Pit Insert/Kit — Forming the central fire pit structure
- Gravel — Backfilling behind retaining walls for drainage
- Jointing Sand — Filling paver joints in the fire pit area
- Pavers — Creating the floor of the sunken fire pit area
- Wall Blocks — Constructing the curved retaining walls and steps