Stone Veneer Firepit

Scuba_Dave

That looks great
What did you use to coat the firebrick to make it black ?

eemichael83

Thank you very much For the inside, I cut the curve with the saw, then I took a regular hammer and chipped away at it to break up the smooth edge. I'll take a closeup pic or it tomorrow if it isnt raining.

I used some high temp spray paint. It is usually used for grills and stuff like that. Here is the stuff I used: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=112

gma2rjc

Beautiful job!

Don't tell your friends and neighbors you made it, they'll all want one in their backyards.

The black paint inside looks great!

no1hustler

Looks great!

oatlord

Awesome fire pit! Definitely makes me wish I had one. But since I don't, I'll admire yours. Any updates yet?

eemichael83

Thank you. I went on vacation about 10 days so I havn't gotten a whole lot done. I did manage to make some progress towards the end of last week and yesterday.



I believe once I get all the pieces cut, I'll have to figure something out for leveling the patio a bit better. In one direction it is level:



But about 90 deg around, it looks like this:


The left part slopes down a bit. Really not a big deal, and most people probably wouldn't notice it, but the lowest edge is probably around 1.5-2" lower than the rest of the level area. It might actually help with preventing the patio from holding water though... I'll just have to see how I like it whenever I get all the pieces cut. BTW, I'm now certain that I'll have to order more stone... shouldnt be much though, maybe a ton more at the most (~$200 + shipping) Since shipping will be $50, I'll probably go ahead and order enough to make a decent stepping stone path out to the pit... which was the original intention anyway.

cocobolo

...if you hadn't told us, we would never have known.

Might be easier to do the leveling now, rather than later. You might try running a couple of string lines across the offending area to give you a reference point...or use a long 2 x 4. Just anything to let you know how close you are to level.

eemichael83

It's actually a bit easier to tell in person than in the pic, buts its not terrible. Its only really noticeable at certain angles. I think I'm going to try and get all the cutting out of the way so I never have to see that saw again! Then I'll just pull away the outer stones and raise the area as much as needed, then fill the rest with sand until level. I still have about 7 or 8 of the pavers left so I'll probably end up using those.

I got a bit more done today, the patio is around half done now. I'll probably order more stone mid-week.

eemichael83

Got more stone today... and more pics!

eemichael83

Finally got all the stones cut! All that is left now is to level everything and mortar it up.







Im still not exactly sure how I'm going to approach leveling this. I *think* I might be taking the top row of the retaining wall blocks and trimming about an inch or two off the tops since I accidentally made the retaining wall just slightly too tall. Once I get a string level on it tomorrow I'll know a little better where I stand.

gma2rjc

Wow! It sure is beautiful! I hope you and your family and friends really enjoy this each time you sit around the fire.

Do you think you'll get to work on the path this season?

Barb

eemichael83

I plan on laying the left over stones where the path will be. It's mainly going to be just a stepping stone path with grass between. I dont plan on digging and burying them to make them ground level until next spring though.

Today I finished leveling all of the stones. I didnt end up having to do anything with the retaining wall. So now all that is left is mortar!

Jim F

Looks like you are close to finished. Will you have it up and running before winter? I would love to have something like that in my back yard. We tend to get by on the store bought kind. Maybe if we end up staying long-term in our current house and I get everything else fixed up in the house. It looks like you learned a lot along the way. Looks great! That stone veneer makes it look really classy.

cocobolo

I say you've done a first class job there EE.

If you put the remaining pavers on the grass now for your pathway...you might find that by next spring you won't need to dig them in. They will have a tendency to settle as you walk on them.

Great job.

CoconutPete

Awesome work!!!