How to Build a Fire Pit: 5 Steps and When to Buy

Learn how to build a fire pit in 5 steps, from preparing the base to adding the steel ring. We cover placement, a technique to reduce smoke, and when buying makes more sense.

If you’ve wanted to build a backyard fire pit, this guide explains how to build a fire pit with blocks or stone. You need a gravel foundation and an afternoon of work to bring a campfire to your own space. Our easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions walk you through a classic paver project so you can build a DIY fire pit. We’ll cover the smokeless air flow technique and safety rules for enjoying a fire outdoors. We’ll also help you choose the right fire pit by explaining when buying makes more sense than building one.

Before You Build: Placement & Local Codes

Place your fire pit at least 10 feet away from your house, fences, sheds and every overhanging tree. Some municipalities require 20–25 feet, so check your local fire code before you dig. Choose level ground away from grass that dries out in summer. Never build over buried utility lines. Call 811 first.

What You’ll Need

Retaining-wall blocks, natural stone or fire-rated brick. Plan on about 30–45 blocks for a 4-foot diameter circle, 3 rows tall. Square-edged blocks fit together tighter than tumbled ones.
Paver base gravel and a bag of leveling sand.
Construction adhesive rated for high heat.
A steel fire pit ring insert to protect the block from direct flame.
A shovel, tamper, level and rubber mallet.

Plan Your Fuel Before You Build

If you want a gas fire pit, choose natural gas or propane before you dig. For natural gas, the trench and buried line must go in before the gravel base and first row of blocks. The line comes up inside the pit as a riser about 10 inches above the ground. Have a licensed contractor or your local gas company make the natural gas connection. The shut-off valve must be outside the pit, where you can easily reach it.

With propane, the tank sits outside the enclosure unless the unit has an access door made for a tank. The hose runs in through the vent opening, and the tank needs a regulator.

Your enclosure needs vents near the base. Never block them, so leaked gas cannot build up inside. Use a pan and burner instead of the steel fire pit ring shown in the steps below. Never burn wood in a gas setup.

How to Build a Fire Pit in 5 Steps

Step 1: Mark the shape

Lay out your first row of blocks in a circle, or a square if that suits your patio. Trace the outline in the grass. An inside diameter of 36–44 inches gives you room for a real fire while keeping the heat close.

Step 2: Dig and level the base

Remove the sod and dig down about 6 inches into the soil inside your outline. Fill the hole with 4–5 inches of paver base gravel. Tamp it flat and check that it’s level in every direction. This foundation keeps the structure from shifting upward and cracking as the ground freezes and thaws.

Step 3: Lay the first row

Set the bottom row of blocks on the gravel. Tap each block level with the mallet. Take your time with this step because every row above follows the first one.

Step 4: Stack and glue

Stagger the second row over the joints of the first, as you would with brickwork. Bond each block with high-heat construction adhesive. Repeat for the third row. Three rows, 12–15 inches tall, is the standard height.

Step 5: Drop in the ring and finish

Set the steel fire pit ring inside of the fire pit walls. Add a couple of inches of gravel or lava rock to the bottom of the fire pit for drainage, then stack your first logs. Keep firewood loosely arranged so air flow reaches the top of the fire pit. Shovel out ash after every few burns. A choked firepit smokes twice as much.

How to Make a Smokeless DIY Fire Pit

For this DIY technique, leave a gap between an inner steel ring and the outer wall. Drill a ring of holes near the bottom of the inner wall. Heated air rises through the gap and feeds the top of the fire. This reduces smoke, but it won’t match engineered double-wall designs. Our guide to how smokeless fire pits work explains why the shape and spacing matter.

When Buying Beats Building

A block build suits a garden corner and a landscape budget, but it burns only wood. Gas gives you instant ignition, no smoke and no ash. Sizing the burner, planning ventilation and testing for leaks are not DIY work. For that, choose a certified gas fire pit for your outdoor space.

We sell The Outdoor Plus fire pit burners for enclosures you build yourself. Each insert gives you a stainless steel pan and burner made to work together. The pan rests on or hangs inside your enclosure’s opening and holds lava rock or fire glass. You order it for natural gas or propane. Running the gas line, ventilation and leak testing are still not DIY work.

The same maker offers a middle path with ready to finish fire pit forms. The gas parts arrive built, and you do the finish. Each unfinished gray board shell has straight sides made to take stone, tile or stucco. The stainless pan, burner, hoses and air vent are already inside. You order yours for natural gas or propane. Light it with a match, or add electronic ignition to start it with a button.

If appearance matters most, manufactured pieces offer a designer look a paver kit cannot match. Options include Corten sculptures, GFRC concrete bowls and engineered smokeless designs like The Outdoor Plus Helix Smokeless Wood Burning Fire Pit. Our 2026 fire pit buying guide compares every option. For examples of both built and purchased setups, browse our fire pit ideas gallery.

Choose Whether to Build or Buy

Now you know how to build a fire pit with a gravel foundation, level rows, a steel ring and 10 feet of clearance. It’s a cozy fire pit design you can build yourself. If you’d rather skip the digging, browse our ready-to-light wood burning fire pits. We offer free shipping on most brands (exceptions apply), no sales tax (except WY), and full manufacturer warranties from an authorized dealer. Either choice gives you a place for a backyard fire.