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Lyndale Drive

07/07/16

Building our backyard fire pit

I don’t know that we could live without our backyard fire pit!  Mike has quite the reputation with his fires – “go big or go home!”  Sometimes I have to remind him that we don’t need one so big that the fire department shows up!  (the police did show up with in minutes of his first fire at the new house!)  << starting his reputation off right I tell you!


One of the many things we loved about our old house was the fire pit.  We spent lots of evenings out there hanging out with friends, drinking beverages and having a great time.  Some times it seemed like Mikes full time job was to cut firewood for the pit!

With all that said, you can imagine what one of our first projects in the new house was…………..YUP!  A fire pit!

It started out small – well small in Mike’s book!  Those of you that know him know that he can’t do SMALL!

I had visions of the fire pit being by the berm and creating a cool rock wall by cutting into the berm to provide privacy and protection against the street traffic and wind!  Problem is, we didn’t think we could “alter” the berm.  We did it anyway, but didn’t want to be too obvious about it!  So we dug in just a little!  UNTIL, we realized that we CAN alter the berm……..Oh BABY – Hang on – I have more plans now!!!

So in the pictures below you can see how the fire pit started out.  Not bad!  Cute little rock wall, nice sized fire pit, plenty of room for seating.  But can you say BORING!

How-to-build-a-firepit

Firepit

 

{this post contains affiliate links}

FYI – if you love a fire and would like a fire ring like ours – you can get one here.  Super simple to put together!  We placed ours in the ground about 5 inches then placed small rocks around the edges to hide the ring.

Over the past month we have been working on a landscaping layout for the area around the fire pit. It is on the west side of our house and there are ZERO trees!  The berm is a beast!  It is probably 6 foot tall………….heck I don’t know, how do you measure one?  I am only five foot and I can’t see a car or a person that is on the street or sidewalk on the other side of it!  Anywho……we needed some trees!  When we moved in my parents gave us a house warming gift to be used towards the purchase of trees……….it finally got put to good use this weekend!

This project is FAR from being finished……..but I thought I would share some “in progress pictures” with you.  I am so super excited on how this is turning out.  It was a lot of work!

firepit-decisions
As you can see in the picture, I worked hard on the visual portion and pointing when needed…………Mike and our son Jacob on the other hand worked up a sweat!

I wish the pictures were better, I had a difficult time photographing how beautiful this is turning out.  To the right of the fire pit we –> Mike, added a two foot rock wall (I bossed him around and told him where to put the rocks, he is such a good sport!) and filled it with dirt, then planted the pine.  I LOVE this spot!!  We (he and Jacob) planted two more pines, three curly willows and three shade trees in the berm.  In a few years, when these trees have a chance to mature a little, it will be beautiful and shady!

Landscape-a-firepit-area

Landscape-a-berm

Mowing the berm is not easy without trees……..it will be a challenge with them!  We will add more rock ledges around the rest of the trees and add mulch to help keep them hydrated. 

Our city allows the residents to take tree branches to the city yard where they grind them up into mulch, which is free for the hauling!  (We love FREE)!!  Speaking of FREE – all of the rocks (some of them could be considered boulders!) came from our son in laws farm fields (thanks Luke!)  Dirt from another friend that had excess and the trees were 75% off the original price at Home Depot!!!  NICE!

To the left of the fire pit I would like to create a water feature.  Mike said that has to wait until after the shed is built……….we will see how that works.  I will keep you posted as we add more layers…..and a water feature *wink**wink*.

Thanks for checking in!  I hope you will check back often, share my site with your friends, leave me a comment and if you want, sign up to receive an email every time I post so you don’t miss a thing.

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4 Comments
DIY// Garden// Landscaping

« Antique Farmhouse Scale
How to organize a mini office space in your pantry »

Trackbacks

  1. Junk Treasures, Making Crap Craptastic says:
    October 4, 2016 at 5:10 am

    […] fire pit for a relaxing fire and a couple of drinks.  Mike and I are pretty proud of our fire pit (you can check it out here) and the fact that Mike has learned to keep his fires under control enough that we haven’t […]

    Reply
  2. Hydrangeas are in the air - Lyndale Drive says:
    January 29, 2017 at 7:16 pm

    […] this chair when he was in high school.  Maybe I can talk him into making me a few more for the fire pit area, or the new She Shed that Mike is […]

    Reply
  3. Spring on Lyndale Drive says:
    April 10, 2017 at 7:30 am

    […] that he loves to burn things in our fire pit!  It’s a really cool place, you can check it out here, but no place for my projects!  The idea of one of them ending up in the fire pit because he is […]

    Reply
  4. Expanding the deck says:
    July 18, 2017 at 9:44 am

    […] you about our latest project.  Well, Mike’s project.  We love to be outside [check out our fire pit area], problem is our 12×12 deck is too SMALL.  It sounds like a nice size until add a table, […]

    Reply

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Hello! I’m Jodi

I'm glad you're here! This is where I make my dreams of DIY projects, home renovations and crafty ideas become reality. {I am serious - I dream of these things} I hope you decide to stick around, and follow along as my husband Mike and I make these dreams a reality.

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  • Home
  • Meet Us
  • Our Home
    • Master
      • Shiplap Shelf
      • How to keep your white sheets white
      • How to upcycle old sweaters into Christmas stockings
      • Dimming the light that shines in the night
      • Master bedroom night stands
      • Our Master “Pinterest” bedroom……
      • Shiplap wall for less than $50
    • Mancave
      • How to build a sliding barn door
      • The Dog’s House
      • A Shiplap Ceiling
      • Painting a Faux Brick Wall
      • Upcycle old frames….I’ll show you how!
      • A bi-fold door in disguise……….
      • A place to call his own……..kind of!
      • how i made industrial lights for the bar
    • Front Porch
      • Hydrangeas are in the air
      • Red, White and Gray-It’s almost Independence Day!
      • Say Hello
      • Holiday Home Tour (Part 1)
    • Kitchen
      • Upholstery 101
      • Harvest Table – Part one
      • Harvest Table – Part Two
      • Holiday Home Tour (Part 2)
      • How to organize a mini office space in your pantry
      • New Bling {Cabinet Hardware} for the Kitchen
      • Transform your dining room table
      • Trays, not just for carrying your lunch in grade school anymore!
    • Living Room
      • Designing a fireplace makeover
    • Garage
      • Got Paint?
  • DIY Projects
    • Painting/Crafts
      • DIY Poster Sized Word Art
      • Fresh Cut Tree Sign
      • Farmers Market….
    • Simple Sewing
      • Add your favorite recipe to a tea towel
      • How to upcycle old sweaters into Christmas stockings
      • Vintage Stockings for $3 or less
      • Upholstery 101
    • Trash to Treasure
      • How to paint on old screens
      • New life for an old brass fixture
    • Miscellaneous
      • How to keep your white sheets white
      • New Bling {Cabinet Hardware} for the Kitchen
    • Electircal
      • how i made industrial lights for the bar
    • Woodworking
      • How to build a sliding barn door
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