DIY backyard fireplace

fieldgrade

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I sold my last house two years ago that had a firebowl outside and two fireplaces inside. Then we decided to downsize.

The new place is really great, but the fireplace situation is woefully inadequate, so I’ve been working to fix that.

Laid it out in the yard so I’m far enough from the house I don’t need a permit.
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Then dug a 10” deep footing in the red concrete we call dirt around here, and filled it with a yard of crush n' run in the square area pictured. Got it all tamped down and level.

The round area just has an inch or two of crush 'n run and I’ll top that off with 1-2” PA river rock once I finish the fireplace as my “hardscape” in front of the fire.

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Ordered the tumbled block. Three pallets like this, over four tons total, delivered to the house and left on the street. That’s the steel lintel on top.

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Had to get it to the back of the house.

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And then commenced to stacking. These things are not perfectly uniform so there is lots of leveling, swapping blocks, smacking it with a 4LB dead blow hammer and then bonding it at key areas with paver bond. I've already bought some firebrick splits to line the firebox. I am happy to report that the lintel is perfectly level.
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I found a nice piece of PA bluestone for a chimney cap that is thin enough I can get it onto of the 8’ chimney myself when I complete it. Hopefully it’s not too thin. I was going to finish making an aluminum chimney cap, but I think I’ll use a couple of sheets of the aluminum to protect the bottom of the stone chimney cap instead.

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More in a few days.
 
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That is looking great, but yeah, you probably picked the worst time of the whole year to chisel a hole in that red 'dirt'!
 
That is looking great, but yeah, you probably picked the worst time of the whole year to chisel a hole in that red 'dirt'!
It was 96 the day they delivered and I moved the stone block in the street up a slight hill to the back yard.

Wife said, “You must be in pretty good shape.”
Me, “Why?”
Her, “Yer not dead yet.
 
Lol, I had actually thought about adding 'at least you are getting some great workouts in' to my post...

That which does not kill us...
 
Dang man. I’d helped with the labor if i’d known. I could have skipped crossfit for that day. Let me know if you need anything. Seriously.

P.S. looking good so far.....
 
I just figured out that we didn’t move two tons of block to the backyard, but over four tons.

Dang man. I’d helped with the labor if i’d known. I could have skipped crossfit for that day. Let me know if you need anything. Seriously.

P.S. looking good so far.....
If you were smart you would have peeked through the blinds and pretended you weren’t home, which is what I told Tim next door he should have done. He and the retired sergeant two doors down helped me move it. He was pushing us hard, lol. We started after lunch when it was delivered and moved all four tons out of the street in a couple of hours in 96 degrees. Did I say it was 96 degrees? It was 96 degrees.

I was moving it myself to start with, but they saw me out in the street loading my cheap wheelbarrow and had pity on me.
 
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Lintel is in. The folks I bought the block from swore I’d need two people.

Pfft. Just need two target sticks.

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I’ll let the paver bond cure up good for a day then start with the "smoke chamber” tomorrow.

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Where will the ash go?

Six feet under if he keeps this manual labor stuff up.

Man my back hurts just looking at that pile! Cool project. Nicely done there sir. Look forward to seeing some fire pics.
 
Will the paver bond hold up to the heat?
Gravity and weight is what holds this thing together. Paver bond just keeps the completed courses in place while I’m laying the next course and smacking it around with a 4lb dead blow hammer to get it all somewhat square, level, and plum.
 
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Gravity and weight is what holds this thing together. Paver bond just keeps the completed courses in place while I’m laying the next course and smacking it around with a 4lb dead blow hammer to get it all somewhat square, level, and plum.

Plum? I like the color as is.
 
Ash, are you sure you have final approval from the little lady as to location?
 
Ash, are you sure you have final approval from the little lady as to location?
I have approval from the wife, the HOA, and it’s outside 10 feet from the house so the town doesn’t care.

Everyone else can kiss my butt. LOL
 
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Strong work.

I've always wanted a dedicated outdoor fireplace but I'm pretty sure my Earl made firebowl will outlast the myself and the next asteroid strike, therefore I will continue to smell like beer (maybe whiskey) and fire at the end of the night. Dodging the smoke as the night goes on does get interesting though.
 
Strong work.

I've always wanted a dedicated outdoor fireplace but I'm pretty sure my Earl made firebowl will outlast the myself and the next asteroid strike, therefore I will continue to smell like beer (maybe whiskey) and fire at the end of the night. Dodging the smoke as the night goes on does get interesting though.
I had one and loved it, but I have a lot of pinestraw mulched beds close by at my new place and a mulched berm very close-by, and wanted to funnel all the output through a chimney where I’ll have 1/2” expanded metal, and then 1/4” hardware cloth under that to catch the sparks on top of the chimney.
 
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Strong work.

I've always wanted a dedicated outdoor fireplace but I'm pretty sure my Earl made firebowl will outlast the myself and the next asteroid strike, therefore I will continue to smell like beer (maybe whiskey) and fire at the end of the night. Dodging the smoke as the night goes on does get interesting though.


Well you know what they say. Smoke follows prudy.
 
I had one and loved it, especially coming in smelling like I’d spent a weekend with the Boy Scouts in the woods, but I have a lot of pinestraw mulched beds close by and up a berm close-by now and wanted to funnel all the output through a chimney where I’ll have 1/2” expanded metal, and then 1/4” hardware cloth under that to catch the sparks.

I totally understand. I love my firebowl but there will come a day where I can't safely dodge the smoke and drink without fear of fire and/or hip fracture(s). :D
 
I totally understand. I love my firebowl but there will come a day where I can't safely dodge the smoke and drink without fear of fire and/or hip fracture(s). :D
I used to sit out at mine in 30 degrees and post here. My wife would poke her head out the back door and say, “aren’t you lonely out there?”
I said, “No, I’m good. Just sitting here talking to a couple thousand of my closest friends.” :D

Check my avatar.
 
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@fieldgrade you are going above and beyond! Looks good !!
I told one of my sons that when I finally I kick off it won’t be from a heart attack, because it would have already happened last week.
 
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Ran out of daylight. I was going to make the chimney 12 inches higher but the dang thing is about to dwarf my house, and the wife said she likes this height better. I need to lay the firebrick, and put the slab of bluestone on top.


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Ran out of daylight. I was going to make the chimney 12 inches higher but the dang thing is about to dwarf my house, and the wife said she likes this height better. I need to lay the firebrick, and put the slab of bluestone on top.


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I’m going to do that by my pool area. I want to extend the use of it into late fall/early winter. Next year, I’m tired of remodeling this year!
 
A firebowl is a heck of lot easier, but I need to manage sparks with a chimney in my small yard. I didn’t need to at my last place.
 
I just figured out that we didn’t move two tons of block to the backyard, but over four tons.


If you were smart you would have peeked through the blinds and pretended you weren’t home, which is what I told Tim next door he should have done. He and the retired sergeant two doors down helped me move it. He was pushing us hard, lol. We started after lunch when it was delivered and moved all four tons out of the street in a couple of hours in 96 degrees. Did I say it was 96 degrees? It was 96 degrees.

I was moving it myself to start with, but they saw me out in the street loading my cheap wheelbarrow and had pity on me.

Sounds like you've got some good neighbors. That's a rare thing these days.
 
Sounds like you've got some good neighbors. That's a rare thing these days.
There’s a half dozen guys (with spouses) who all moved in within a couple of months of each other (new neighborhood) and everyone seems to really enjoy being neighbors.
 
A firebowl is a heck of lot easier, but I need to manage sparks with a chimney in my small yard. I didn’t need to at my last place.

You've mentioned the firebowl, like, three times now.

Just so we're clear, you're not getting it back. :p
 
.... and done.

Detail of spark arrestor. One layer of 1/4” hardware cloth, followed with 1/2” expanded metal.
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I just spread a 1/4 yard of 3/4” PA river jacks in front of the fireplace and tamped down
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I had literally a ton of extra block leftover so I built a place to stack some wood behind the fireplace.
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