A simple fireplace in your own garden is quickly bricked up - even by people with little manual experience. However, there is careful planning before construction, because open fires are not readily permitted in all cities or communities. In addition, the location of the planned fireplace must be carefully selected: Neighbors and potentially flammable objects such as trees, hedges, bushes or wooden huts should be at least 50 meters away.

Building a fireplace yourself is not a big challenge

This is what you need to build a fireplace

To build a brick fireplace you will need these materials:

  • Bricks or chamotte plates for the underground
  • Halfway refractory stones for the border of your choice (bricks, clinker, natural stones…)
  • gravel
  • and cement.

In terms of tools you will need:

  • a spade and a shovel
  • Sticks and a piece of string for measuring
  • a trowel
  • as well as hand brushes and brushes

In order for the mortar to dry quickly, you should carry out the construction on a dry and sunny day.

Preparation of a refractory substrate

For the fireproof base, first of all use the sticks and the cord to mark out the desired dimensions of the fireplace. The shape and size are entirely up to you: Although fireplaces are mostly round, they can also be square or oval. Cut out the sod and dig a hole about four to eight inches deep - about halfway up the blade of the spade. Tamp the soil firmly and fill in the hole with gravel. You can lay fireclay tiles on top, but this is basically not necessary, especially for smaller fireplaces.

Placing and fastening the stones - Instructions for bricklaying a border

If the ground is fixed, you can set the stones of the border. To do this, proceed as follows:

  • Place the first row of stones around the fire pit.
  • Mortar the resulting joints.
  • Drive straight stakes into the ground at regular intervals.
  • Stretch a string along it.
  • This tool will help you straighten the wall more easily.
  • Raise the wall by staggering each layer of bricks to the others.
  • Carefully mortar joints and crevices.
  • Finally, rework the mortar well with a bricklayer's trowel, brush and hand brush.
  • You should have a smooth, straight surface with no protrusions.

The freshly bricked fireplace should not be used until the mortar has dried.

Which stones are best for a fire pit?

Brick or clinker are the best materials to build a brick fireplace, with the latter in particular coming in a range of pretty colors. Both types of rock were produced under great heat and are therefore very heat-resistant. Natural stones such as granite, sandstone or basalt, on the other hand, tend to burst and therefore have no place in the fire. Fireproof special concrete is suitable for concrete hearths.

tips

You should always cover fireplaces that are not in use, ideally with rainproof material. This saves you unnecessary cleaning work before each use, and it also keeps the fireplace dry.

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Care tips