Fire Pit Idea Needed

[MillWeld]

I put in a simple fire pit last fall consisting of a 12' x 12' array of pavers with 4' x 4' hole in the middle for the fire. It has been great to have the neighbors over for an evening around the pit. The land is flat, sufficiently far from trees and I put landscape fabric (used) down before l laid down the pavers. I wanted to keep it simple - no excavating, no gravel, no concrete. The result was a disaster - this spring grass and trees are growing between the pavers. Was the problem caused by using used fabric? Would new fabric prevent growth? I have considered thicker material - shower pan liner, roll asphalt roofing, pond liner - but I am running these alternatives on TBN to get your ideas because I do not want to experiment and have to do it again. Your ideas are welcome.

 

[herm0016]

it must have grown through the fabric. never use anything non-permeable on the soil.

i would roundup it and call it a day i think. if you want to redo it, i would use new fabric, but whatever heavy duty stuff you find, i get mine from a landscape supply place and its way tougher than the big box stuff. or 2 layers of the big box stuff. really, the right way is to get rid of the organics under the pavers, build up with road base, compact.

 

[CalG]

There is an obvious lack of fire in that location.

Build one, and see how well a fire will take care of those weeds.

 

[MillWeld]

"never use anything non-permeable on the soil."
Why is this? Many fire pits have tiles set in mortar on concrete. Then there's patios, etc., I could go on...

I will check out fabric from a landscaper and compare it with what I now have. Thanks.

 

[Thomas]

We dug down 8" remove soil than fill it full of hard pack for our small area.

 

[JPRambo]

Lift a few pavers. Is the grass growing through the weed fabric? Or between fabric and pavers. The ashes are like fertilizer. How do you mow the surrounding grass?

 

[EddieWalker]

I grew up Scouting and camping with my parents quite a bit. When I bought my land and built my house, I wanted a fire pit. It was basically a campfire type area with rocks around it and nothing else. Then we went on vacation and they had a raised fire pit. It was made of brick and about 2 feet up from the ground. You could put your feet on the edge of it, or just sit close to it and really feel the heat of the fire. That totally changed my mind on fire pits and having a fire.

I now have a metal fire bowl that's about 2 feet up. It's super easy to clean, I just scoop up the ashes and dump them in a metal bucket that ends up in a ditch after they have cooled off. We thought about building one out of rock, or bricks, but the cost of the metal one was less then the materials to build it, and it was ready to use the day I bought it. We've even taken it down to the lake when we have parties down there, then bring it back the next day.

 

[herm0016]

"never use anything non-permeable on the soil."
Why is this? Many fire pits have tiles set in mortar on concrete. Then there's patios, etc., I could go on...

I will check out fabric from a landscaper and compare it with what I now have. Thanks.

pool liner and plastic sheeting is what i mean, never use it under something like pavers or rock or mulch. its terrible for the soil and can create problems with the stuff above depending on how much rain you get.

 

[Doughknob]

I think 12'x12' is way too big - too much maintenance; not enough fire. I just scraped a shallow divot about 3' diameter in the ground. No nothing else. Just burn in the divot and clean out the ashes periodically. Works great all the time.......

 

[arto98607]

Here is an easy to maintain "fire pit" - no weeds, no worries!