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How to Build a Fire Pit Patio With Pavers

Building a patio is a way to add value to your home, make your backyard more beautiful, and extend your living space to the outdoors, especially when you incorporate a fire pit into your landscape. Fortunately, wood fire pits are easier to install than gas fire pits, once there is no need for gas lines, but that doesn’t mean it is easy. 

In this article, you’re gonna learn more about how to build a fire pit patio with pavers and create that perfect entertaining area where you can gather with your family and friends.

How to Build a Fire Pit Patio With Pavers: Patio

Before you start building your fire pit patio, you need to check if your house is allowed to have a fire pit with your city’s fire marshal.

When planing, you must decide where to place it, remember to consider wind and other structures so the sparks and flames will not reach anything or anyone. Then you’re gonna need the following tools and materials:

  • Pavers
  • Shovel
  • Crushed stone
  • Sand
  • Torpedo level
  • Polymeric sand
  • Broom
  • Rubber mallet
  • Pit blocks
  • Fire-proof mortar
  • Steel fire ring
  • Edge restraints
  • 12″ spikes

The patio itself is no different from any paver installation you would have done normally. You can refer to our guide on how to install pavers for further information, but here goes a quick explanation on how to do it.

Step 1: Marking the area and excavation

Start by marking the area you need to dig with wooden stakes or spray paint. Don’t forget to measure it – your paved patio needs to be wide enough for the furniture that will go around the fire pit. 

After all is properly marked, excavate about 10 to 12 inches deep, make the surface leveled and compact the soil. Make sure to excavate 6 to 12 inches beyond the perimeter to install your edge restraints.

Step 2: Adding the base

After digging, add about 5 inches of crushed stone, spread it equally and level the base. If necessary, check the levels with a torpedo level and compact the surface afterwards. 

Step 3: Installing edge restrains

Place the edge restraints around the perimeter and secure them into the ground with 12″ spikes. If the design of your project is rounded, you can cut the restraints to follow the area.

Step 4: Adding sand

Pour 1 or 2 inches layers of sand, spread it equally and level again; make sure everything is right by the looks of the sand bed, which will determine the final look of your patio.

Step 5: Laying the pavers

It’s time to lay the pavers. We all know that there is a variety of styles and types of pavers, but remember to pick the ones with the same color and style of your pit blocks. 

When you start to lay the pavers, pay attention to the direction in which the pavers are laid as to not mess up the sand bed. 

Step 5: Tamping the pavers

While laying the pavers, don’t forget to always check for the level, then tamp the surface with a plate compactor into the sand bed at least 3 times and in different directions.

Step 6: Filling in the gaps with sand

After tamping all the pavers, sweep polymeric sand with a broom into the cracks of the pavers – when there is no sand left on the surface, rinse everything with a garden hose to set the sand, then let it dry completely.

Building the Fire Pit

With your patio done, now it’s finally time to start placing your fire pit. And trust us, with a pre-built fire pit it becomes as easy as playing with Legos.

Start by deciding where you want your fire pit to be. Once again, contact a fire marshal in your area to know the exact guidelines and safety regulations before deciding on a place.

Most pre-built fire pits have a set of instructions that will indicate you exactly how to lay the pavers, so you are completely free to follow that. In case you’re doing it from scratch using pavers, however, know that you’ll have to create four “holes” at the bottom of your installation, leaving a slight space between the pavers at some points.

Then it’s just a matter of staggering the second row of pavers on top of the first, and so it goes until you reach the desired height. This is just a test – the time to make adjustments and plan the height and diameter of your fire pit.

Once everything is to your liking, time to remove everything and put it back. This time, glue the blocks one by one with fire-proof mortar and let them dry. At this point, you can add a steel fire ring to the inside of your fire pit; by doing that, you will protect your pavers from breaking down over time from the intense heat.

Fire pit made of pavers surrounded by a patio and a paver bench in the front of a fence
Building a fire put patio is a great way extend your living space, but the installation is really tricky to do alone

Can I build a fire pit patio with pavers?

You can, but we highly recommend that you hire a pro instead. As you could see throughout the article, there are a lot of details – and on top of that, you also need to plan carefully where you’re gonna place your fire pit. By far, the best choice is having a professional install it to ensure everything is done correctly and up to quality and safety standards. 

S&S Pavers has over 10 years of experience doing that in the counties of Manatee and Sarasota. From the design of your project to its execution, we can handle everything paver-related. And if you worry about the price, no worries – you can get a free estimate for any project! If you live in Florida, don’t hesitate to contact us!


F.A.Q.

What are the best pavers for a fire pit?
Bricks, especially the kiln-fired ones, are the most recommended category of pavers to be used both as base and structure of a fire pit. They can easily withstand temperatures of about 1800ºF.

What should be put in the bottom of a fire pit?
The bottom of a fire pit should consist of a layer of sand filled with gravel or lava rocks. If your pavers are not fire-resistant, we recommend placing fire bricks before laying the sand base.

What is the best height for a fire pit?
The usual height of fire pits is around 12 and 14 inches tall.

What is a good diameter for a fire pit?
Most fire pits range between 36 and 44 inches. Anything shorter can become a safety hazard, as there might not be enough space for the fire to breathe.

How far away from the house should a fire pit be?
Safety regulations usually indicate that fire pits should be 25 feet away from any structure or tree, in all directions.

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