In almost every garden there is an ideal spot for a self-made fireplace. Such is best located where combustible objects as well as shrubs such as trees, shrubs and other plantings are at least 80 meters away.

Not all natural stones are suitable for the fireplace

Which types of natural stone are suitable for the construction of a fireplace?

Before you start building your fireplace, you must first select suitable materials. Not every rock is suitable for such a project, this is especially true for many natural stones. Above all, so-called soft rock - which includes, for example, sandstone, limestone and slate - and pebbles have no place in a fireplace. They can burst quickly under the influence of great heat, even explode - and throw their splinters up to ten meters, which, if a person is hit, can cause serious injuries. It is better to use hard rock, such as granite or basalt, for fireplace construction. Granite, which is often used for such a purpose, is only suitable for the border.

How to build a fireplace with natural stones

Building a fireplace takes about two to three days. So it is best to plan a weekend with nice weather for this - rainy, damp weather could cause problems later due to the penetrating moisture, and the mortar will then dry more poorly.

materials

You need different natural stones for materials, depending on which one you want to use. For example, a border made of granite steles, some of which are dug into the ground, looks interesting. In these instructions, however, we are working with cut granite stones, each with an edge length of about 10 centimeters. You need about 300 of these. You also need four sacks of refractory cement mortar, each weighing 30 kilograms, and around 100 kilograms of sand or gravel.

This is how it is built

And this is how the natural stone fireplace is built:

  • First measure the dimensions of the fireplace at the desired location.
  • Mark these.
  • Dig a pit about 10 to 15 centimeters deep.
  • Remove the sod.
  • Fill the pit with sand.
  • Tamp this down well.
  • Surround the fireplace with a wall of mortared granite stones.

Do not fill the fire pit with pebbles, as is sometimes recommended. These burst very quickly when exposed to heat and are therefore not suitable for this purpose.

tips

Before you build and use the fireplace, you should first obtain a permit from your local regulatory authority - maintaining an open fire has required a permit in most German communities for many years and is only permitted at certain times of the year.

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