Need Info on Building an Outdoor Fireplace

[Scozz]

I'm interested in building a stone fireplace next to my deck this spring. I want it to have at least a 48" hearth and incorporate a drop in gas grill next to it. I have hundreds of thousand of tons (literally!) of rock walls on my property that I would use for construction. Does anyone know of any sites that could help with construction? Would I be better off welding a plate steel firebox or using fire brick? Any words of wisdom from the members? I've done little masonry but always manage to tackle any project I put my mind to...Scozz

 

[Tevi]

Do a Google search on stone masonry grill.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Scozz, I think this is just what the doc ordered. John
Outdoor fireplace and grill project
Actually, not just what, but it will give you some good ideas maybe. I didn't realize at first that the units were prefabs, but heck, you may want to go that way. John

 

[RalphVa]

My FIL built us a stone fireplace next to the pool in NJ. Got some photos of it that I can scan in. However, our brick one out back is the same design and is actually bigger. Just checked my photo stuff for the house and haven't taken one or scanned in the image of it yet. Let me know if you want a pic. I've a digital camera now. It's just out the back door of the basement built into the sloping dirt bank on the east end of the pool.

Used fire brick inside the cooking pit and the chimney on this one and the one in NJ.

Ralph

 

[Scozz]

Ralph I would like to see photo's if you have the time. Thanks ... Scozz

 

[RalphVa]

Here's the front of the fireplace.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Here's the fireplace from the side.

The wife dug out for the footings for this beast.

Ralph

 

[Scozz]

Nice ... you did the brickwork?

 

[RalphVa]

No, we paid a mason about $2,000 to build it.

I tried some brick work in Baton Rouge over the sides of a culvert and then on a barbeque. Didn't do so well. Got several snide remarks about it. Didn't use firebrick either. It was starting to crumble inside when we sold the house.

My FIL was a good mason. Should have learned something from him but never was around when he did the work for us in NJ. He built a tad smaller version of the brick one out of NJ field stone, all from our 1/3 acre. Don't have enough field stone here.

Ralph

 

[Egon]

Fire brick does not do well when moistened and heated such as would occur in an outdoor fireplace. Just plain bricks may also suffer the same spalling effects.

It is made for dry operation.

I'd try for the firebox area to be heavilly parged with concrete mixture using mortar sand, excess cement for strenght and mortar cement for stickiness. Use a few layers of chicken wire or equvalent with smaller holes with the cement. The more layers the better. You'll have to concote this mixture youself and avoid all premix bags.

Egon