How Do I Build a Patio Barbeque Fire Pit?

Place the fire ring on the patio where the fire pit is being installed and trace the outside with chalk. Remove the fire ring after you draw the circle.

Score the circle into the patio by using a hammer and chisel to chip away along the chalk line. Break up the stone or cement in the patio with a sledgehammer, hammer and chisel and remove the debris until you reach the soil underneath the patio.

Place the stones for the fire pit around the perimeter of the hole. Score the ground inside the circle by driving an edging shovel into the ground next to the stones.

Remove the stones and dig a trench 12 inches deep between the score line and the edge of the patio. Flatten the soil in the bottom and tamp it down.

Pour 6 inches of gravel into the trench, raking it level and tamping it down.

Place the first stone into the trench. Check it for level, tamping it down with a rubber mallet if necessary to level it out.

Place a second stone next to the first stone. Lay a level across both stones and tap the second stone down with the mallet to even them out, if necessary. Continue installing the stones, using this method, until you complete the first course.

Apply a thick bead of masonry adhesive across the top of two stones in a zig-zag pattern. Start in the middle of one stone and finish in the middle of the second stone. Place a stone on top of the masonry adhesive, straddling two stones in the first course.

Finish installing the second course of stones, using the same method.

Pour a 6-inch layer of gravel into the center of the stones, then rake it smooth.

Slide the fire ring into the circle, pressing it down until it's even with the top of the stones.

Pour gravel into the gap between the fire ring and the stones.

Continue building the walls until you reach the desired height. Alternate the stones in each course to strengthen the walls.

Mix a batch of mortar, following the instructions on the packaging.

Add the mortar to the top of the stones with a trowel. Set the metal braces to hold the grill into the cement.

Set the capstones into the mortar on top of the stones. Allow the mortar to set for the time specified on the packaging.

Place firewood into the center of the fire pit and then place the grill on top of the metal braces.