How to make an outdoor concrete fire pit

This modern outdoor concrete fire pit is can be built over a single weekend and is great centerpiece for outdoor entertaining. This is not a difficult project but is time consuming and labor intensive. Concrete fireplaces and fire pits should be constructed carefully. When exposed directly to high amounts of heat the moisture trapped inside concrete can expand causing the concrete to crack and in extreme situations explode. I lined the inside of the fire pit with fire brick and filled the bottom with lava rock to ensure that the majority of the heat form the fireplace is not coming in direct contact with the concrete. Please check out my website for more detailed instructions.
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Ben: / benjaminuyeda
Jessie: / ijessup

[@mysterion4301]

I always read through the posts and seldom post myself. But I wanted to say I'm a scientist and scientists work in 'iterations'. No project is ever 'perfect' on the first go round and scientists accept that. We look, we listen, we learn, and we evolve our ideas and designs. Someday people on KZbin may fully appreciate the efforts people such as yourself put forth here and the many iterations any idea goes through on its way to perfection. Please accept my appreciation for this excellent video and the many things I've learned from it...

[@HashInfo]

Mysterion right on buddy I strongly believe an live by your words!

[@riahsmith4625]

It's been 2 years..anyone appreciate anything yet?

[@stevehigh8250]

Great introduction to fire pit construction! My wife and I are building a burn pit and so it is a little larger but the principles are same. I am using a concrete pencil vibrator (Northern Tool) to try to get the most air out as I pour to reduce degrading concrete from the very hot fires in the pit. Also, rather than fire bricks (pricey) we decided to use fire pit rock from the local nursery. The basic form work ideas were very helpful. Thanks.

[@ghoward912]

Lots of work for sure and it looks nice. I used a section of concrete pipe and had my fire pit done in less than an hour. Has been working great for over 10 years.

[@cmajors4596]

Gotta dig during the wet season. It makes a HUGE difference!

[@billjanis6328]

VERY impressive. Thank you! I will do this!

[@anthonyornelas9921]

You're videos are AMAZING! Creative and inspirational! Thank you! GREAT JOB!

[@bloodswarms]

I know how complicated content creation like this can be, and how exhausting it can be, but I'd suggest linking to your site in every video description. You'll get more visits from drive-bys. Excellent work, dude!

[@sacredp6012]

both bench and this one are great projects you showed here. Thanks!

[@HomeMadeModern]

thanks for watching!

[@jimo680]

Ben, Thank You! Great project. I saw your website, as well..fantastic. Cool to see people who share their gifts and talent.

[@clownslider]

ive seen many different people do this.. but no one that ive seen seems to understand that concrete holds moisture and can " explode" if over heated. nice job

[@zakkwylde4201]

...he gets it, he could've burnt the forms out lol doesn't mean this wasn't a dandy little project. I'm a cement mason and I'll give you props on lining the inside with firebrick and you can't do enough of it cause time and time again I see people make concrete fire pits without a fire resistant liner and they're all cracked to hell after awhile, so good job man

[@quickncleanmasonry2043]

Nice job man, if it does crack and or spall like so many nay Sayers are predicting...put an air space of a minimum of 1/2 inch in between the firebrick and concrete this allows for expansion, firebrick should be layed with fireclay or super 3000 refactory mortar but these mortars deteriorate with exposer to water, firebrick should cover all concrete surfaces, the rebar in the concrete should be throughout the concrete, all layers...the more rebar the better. There are gauges online to best suit which gauge of rebar to use, I usually go with 5/8th since it is a good balance of strength and cost. Fire pits usually crack under intense heat after a period of damp weather so I'd keep that in mind. It is quite nice though I like how the concrete took some texture of the forms. Very neat Job as well.

[@PhilipOberg]

You can purchase plywood with a paper face for a smooth finish instead of dimensional lumber. When mixing your own concrete using a bag of cement is simple. Just use the 1-2-3 mixing rule. One scoop of cement, two scoops of sand, and 3 scoops of gravel. Vibrating the concrete is extremely important. If you don't use a concrete vibrator (your can rent one) take a hammer and hit the sides of the form. This will eliminate what is known as honeycomb due to poor consolidation of the mix leaving gravel exposed. When the curing process is taking place you can water the concrete to keep it wet and also wrap and cover with plastic.

[@elizabethlogsdon7078]

Another great tutorial!

[@Dinumeration]

This was awesome I loved it!!

[@P1983sche]

That’s a great fire pit. Nice concept.

[@davidfromm679]

The firebrick wall can be built prior to pouring cement with high temp mortar. (I assume your bricks are loosening already.) This also eliminates need for inner wood form once concrete is poured.

[@lftilbury]

Hi. You did such a nice job! I like when people give you good advice. It will be very helpful for us. I always think there is a way to say something nicely. I learned a lot from your video. Great Job!

[@jmgarza1288]

I love this guy!

[@jasonjennings5313]

Great job it looks very good!

[@minyongkim1355]

Great job!!

[@namibianbackyardengineerin4412]

You could simply leave the smaller form and let the first fire do the job for you. Very nice work!

[@jamestheuri6179]

Love your work

[@emmyco2860]

Very nice, love watching this i learned .

[@browill9]

That was an awesome job. Thanx

[@stettan1754]

Nice project!

[@tanthony3895]

great channel!!! THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT VIDEOS AND HARD WORK!!

[@raykupal]

Great DIY. I would round out the corner edges though, they look sharp

[@diasporaman5419]

Dude your so talented

[@marlinmelendez-laboymrs.pr9573]

Wow...wow...wow!!! I want to make this.

[@Angelo51597]

nice work!

[@jamiewalker2435]

you could put diagonal boards to make beveled edges so it has a bit of a softer apperence :)

[@lujanguerra5536]

que lindo, muy buen trabajo ! :)

[@justsayin7937]

I have a fire pit in my front yard without air vents and it works great.

[@Cnctrldotcom]

Nice project, if I can find space I'll probably build one of these. I'm a little concerned that your rebar will rust and split the concrete over time. I'm fairly sure builders stand the rebar on plastic legs to keep it off the ground and prevent water getting in. The problem is that rust is significantly larger than steel. You may get away with it though as you've not got much rebar in there.

[@Banjo-lm2wl]

excellent thank you for posting

[@TheShedStudios]

How on earth do you not own a cement mixer yet?

[@HUNdAntae]

looks really nice, and takes a lot of work to make. I have a tractor's rim sitting on a couple of bricks, and it serves perfect not only to sing kumbaya around, but to make food on skewers, on a harrow-disk(i welded 3 legs on it), in a cauldron(of course hanging from a tripod). it is not nice, definitely wouldn't reach the aesthetic bar of suburban US, but i can tell ya, it's highly functional: easy to clean out through the holes, perfect airflow, and it's big enough to burn the garden-garbage(like fallen leaves, small branches, that don't worth the hustle to cut up for the stove). It's the best outdoor fireplace i've ever owned.

[@joshuacornell6667]

Burning leaves is a waste of otherwise good nutrients for the plants that they could have otherwise used to keep healthy, invest in a composter and stop burning leaves.

[@RandyJacob]

Dude. Your channel is exactly what my life needed. Thanks so much for this! Can't wait to get started.

[@HomeMadeModern]

+Randy Jacob thanks so much for your support! don't forget to share the projects you've done with me :)

[@HashInfo]

HomeMadeModern great vid bud thats some nice work drill some holes in her for air flow!

[@PSWerkstatt]

This is really nice 👍🏻

[@davidevans3175]

Great job.

[@OhPhilly]

Can you do one on how to make an outdoor smoking dryer/pizza oven?

[@shanes.538]

I like how simple this is and I prefer the rectangular pits over the round ones. I'd suggest only making three sides instead of four; you can easily gain access to cleaning/loading it and also for airflow. I made a crude stacking of firebricks and chose to point my open end toward the south, which rarely gets heavy winds. The open end style also seems a bit more roomy and approachable when cooking over the pit.

[@salvadorgarcia304]

[@danno1ize]

looks nice man.

[@M3iscool]

Digging in Northern Virginia sucks. I have done it for three summers for home renovation. It is very hard work, it's hot, it's humid, and the ground is caulked full of rocks. Your flow is interrupted constantly because when you slam your shovel into the dirt, 70% of the time it goes "PANG". If you're getting really into, sometimes sparks fly off of rocks when you hit them.

[@joshuacornell6667]

Fist or baseball size rocks and larger are the worst, I also have my pains here in the Northeast/New England region.

[@mick.Walker]

Air vents around the base would help with the burn.

[@HomeMadeModern]

mick walker great idea!

[@llieske]

Sidney Turner screw some large wooden dowels or 2x2 near the bottom between the inner and outer molds before pooring the concrete. Drill and knock them out once dry.This creates a cool air intake which will make the fire burn hotter and cleaner.

[@MichaelMixson]

goltoof four steel pipes cut to size would work just as well and then you don't have to fight with the dowels make one with a threaded end coming out then you can add longer pipe in the future and run it up through a smoker box then its a multi function device just need a lid for the top if you are gonna use it as a smoker and a thin sheet of 1/4 inch steel plate would serve that purpose and wouldn't be to hard to move to add more wood!!!!!!

[@llieske]

Michael Mixson multipurpose is the key word. I'm looking at making a woodfire pizza oven myself, with a modern twist. I don't see why it couldn't also serve as a rotisserie, smoker, fireplace, and hot tob warmer.

[@Rocky1115]

mick walker That was my first thought when watching this... It's gonna be really hard to start a fire in this!

[@OnTheFritz602]

That was a cool vid, nice job!

[@andersonhomagic4729]

JOB WELL DONE

[@calipsous]

awesome!!

[@rt-kw8jd]

Great work man👌

[@donkeysponcho]

Great idea

[@chadgdry3938]

Thats great! Now that I've seen it, I think I'll make one. Here is how I will alter it: 1. The inside will be at a 45 degree angle to reflect heat out.. 2. The entire pit will be recessed into the ground with about 4 " above ground. 3. I will make a lip on the inside to receive a metal frame and using a mig welder, I will construct a grill using 1/2" square bar (keeps the critters out when not in use) 4. I don't know how yet, but the concrete top will be covered, maybe with glass tiles to capture the light from the flames... Thanks for the idea base!!!

[@HomeMadeModern]

Paul Gdry awesome! can't want to see it! please share it when you make it! love those ideas!

[@yokedupbra]

cool project thanks

[@FatGayandTired]

I have been feeling like a crackhead waiting for another fix! Great VID!

[@Sgt_Hest]

Looks good, I wish I had a garden. I live in an apartmen with a balcony and I'd love to make one of these in mini, with a bottom and some feet and all. Of course not for a big fre, but just for sitting around having a good time.

[@joshuacornell6667]

Look up King of Random and Keg Foundry. two good sources of making a proper pit and one that would allow you to hide it in plain site while also protecting the deck.

[@nilediam]

Es impresionante las cosas que podemos hacer y que por lo general solemos pagar muchísimo. Es simple, me gusta y lo voy hacer.... Si Dios quiere...

[@ThisWithThem]

That's awesome Ben big fan of your work, keep it up. Kate :)

[@justinkean4982]

Pretty cool man

[@SwinginJohnson74]

excellent video! thank you very much.

[@HomeMadeModern]

+Ben J thanks for watching!

[@MuhammadArfan]

Very nice work.

[@chrisshevock7237]

That's clean.

[@tpestar]

that is amazing work...

[@andoh8swale]

I will 100% not end up making my own fire pit. But its damn cool watching you make one!

[@babatundeadedayo4823]

Hey bro this is build was super awesome... I was going to proceed to do the same when I realized, it can truly be multi purpose... As a fire pit, BBQ grill, and a wood top table at liesure. I dont know if am asking too much but can you make a video to modify this build. thanks man

[@melissaredick4]

before I watched this I thought it would be so simple like the bucket stool I watched beforehand. Then seeing so much work going into it was awesome to watch. And it came out looking sooooo freakin cool!! Is there any maintenance to keep it up?? Do you guys use it often?? It's fall, my favorite season, and a great time to use a fire pit :)

[@loadzofhobbies4219]

As a builder I would have poured the concrete in one hit to obtain a smoother finish. Also you can buy mold oil for the shuttering to make teasing it apart easier. This is a great project tho. The fire bricks are a great idea.

[@HomeMadeModern]

ryantoomanyhobbies thanks for the input on the mold oil. I will give that a try!

[@jameshleaupepe1818]

To help with the wood from sticking to concrete use Vaseline or petroleum jelly helps removing things like wood from concrete

[@RovingRecordings]

Nice!

[@Alex1552project]

great video......do you have the plans available for this? Also, can you modify it to accommodate a propane insert?

[@baconneggs2406]

well done

[@samhill4275]

Damn. I don't have a garden. Sweet video though!

[@RandomMcfattinada]

how is the firepit holding up for you guys? since its soon 4 years youve created it. im thinking of building a similiar one myself :)

[@shoebfasih5042]

i wanted to make a like a 10ft by 4ft contemporary concrete fountain base. then maybe but blue tiles on the inside, along with some pvc and pumps for the fountain effect. The outside add stone, to give the stone venir look. I'm just having trouble making a blueprint on how to do the "box" shape of the fountain. Its like making a sink.... but this will be too large to just flip upside down. Prbly make the molds on the side. I'll take reccomendations. Thanks

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Sweet !

[@argentinamanitnegra]

Looks great. One thing, though, is I'm not sure about that rebar going into the ground (gravel). Wouldn't that cause the rebar to start rusting/expanding and cracking the concrete right away? Edit: upon expanding some of the additional comments, I'm seeing that the rebar thing has been pointed out several times already :)

[@JackieKohCooking]

Hi I absolutely love your video!!! I am set on making one right away but I can't find the detailed instructions on your website for the pit. Please help!

[@rrmerlin3402]

Tap the forms with a hammer ( lots ) and the finished product will show the wood grain. Very good looking as is

[@davidblount6523]

You should always completely incase your rebar in concrete. Never drive them into the ground

[@Frank82668]

how is the fire pit holding up after a couple years, no major cracks?

[@alldaymusicman]

Homemade Modern, I enjoyed the video but was curious as to why the firebrick wasn't brought all the way to the top. Is the concrete exposed to direct flame going to hold up?

[@denisehuey3039]

how many bag did you use of the concrete

[@mozzer35]

You make it look easy enough for me to try so thanks for that, but it does look like a lot of work. How many hours?

[@GaryKari]

Gotta love this... so much work... is this in USA?? I made similar in Finland about 8 ours lol.... and no concrete. only stones

[@HomeMadeModern]

stones are pretty cool, they make for great textures!

[@yass3336]

Hello great job!! I would like to make one in my yard. Just have a few questions. How can I make a smaller one? Ans I don't have grass in my yard. So how would I be able to make one on concrete?

[@faradpack]

Any feedback, are you happy with what you have done? I feel the walls are too thick, could be a bit thinner so you have more room

[@TheRodrigo806]

Small suggestion my friend would be to use 3/4 plywood. Eliminate the exterior joint lines. Nice job👍

[@fyodordostoy458]

Good work. I would have burnt out the wood in the middle. The fire bricks are only going to protect the bottom half of it - shouldn't they be right to the top?

[@KarasCyborg]

Neat. Two things. Put a steel plate at the bottom with some hooks/loop to make removal of ashes easier? Research dakota fire pit for smokeless fires.

[@nantambusatchldananda4513]

Ben I'm ready to make the fire pit. I need your help in that you stated that if made in a cold climate, one would need some legs at the frost line?

[@tarawang8157]

很棒~讚~

[@wampifty]

very!!! informational I liked your video 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@artyomkozlov3490]

"the entertainer" is absolutely soul destroying to listen to over and over as background music, also as many have said- air intake vents, not only that but it would've been interesting to integrate a recess for a grill or spit for bonfire nights

[@levi4939]

Very cool brother. Thanks for sharing.

[@HomeMadeModern]

thanks for watching!

[@F.S.Thor23]

Looks awesome!

[@cory1641]

I like your style buddy thanks.

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you! i like your encouraging words!

[@pitman2911]

HomeMadeModern ...great job well done looks good. .you should get nice stone,about hand size not to big for the outside. you can get like heat resistant cement glue stick them on gruot them will look even better. nice work anyway

[@swoop-it4621]

Form release No need to wait all that time before pours. Pour it all at once. Great job though

[@styloroc2000]

@HomeMadeModern -- I've been considering this project for some time now; there are no options on the market that I particularly care for, so I think the best pay to go is DIY or pay a pro to make a custom one. My adventurous side says go DIY, but given the time and money to consider, I am still a bit wary. Now that 2 years have passed, any word on how it has stood the test of time (if still standing) and any changes you would have made? Also, any suggestions on how to make the exterior seamless? Would it be worth attempting to seal the concrete? I live in a very wet/humid environment (Houston area) -- are potential problems to look out for (and means to mitigate them?)

[@user-vc1fo5br1j]

Nice

[@alejandrosanchez7255]

para que sirve? pregunto porque es la primera vez que veo algo asi, en mi pais se hacen cosas simiklares con tres lados para hacer asado pero quiero saber mas ,gracias

[@still34u]

well honestly it looks nice, but how do you empty the ashes out of it? .. do you have to shovel it out? .. how do you not shovel out your gravel too? did you get a lid for it? or does it become a pool when it rains? .. you know, the ashes seal the gravel..? anyways .. I love it, it looks cool

[@justonfreeman4086]

Would it be a good idea to have two or more draft tubes build into the base of this fire box to bring sufficient air into the burn chamber from the bottom? It would be like a Dakota fire pit.