How to Make a Cinder Block Fire Pit

A breeze block fire pit is an inexpensive outdoor project that can add hours of enjoyment to staying home. Heavy, sturdy breeze blocks don't require mortar to be secure and stable, and provide an adequate wall between you and your blazing fire. A mesh or wire cage can add a decorative touch. Place a sturdy wire grill across the breeze blocks when you want to use your fire pit as a barbecue.

Select a convenient and safe location, at least 20 feet away from your home, for your breeze block fire pit. Use a garden hose to mark out a rough circumference.

Scrape away the surface grass or sod inside your proposed fire pit circle. Dig down between two to 12 inches depending on how deep you want your fire pit to be.

Place your breeze blocks in a circle at the edge of your fire pit. Lay the blocks down with their holes facing up. Nudge the blocks together so that their corners touch.

Install a second layer of breeze blocks on top of the first layer. Straddle the first block of the second layer on the crease where the corners of two blocks on the bottom layer meet. Continue building the second level until the circle is complete.

Determine if you need or want a third level of breeze blocks. Sit in a chair of the type you'll use around the fire pit and be sure you can see the fire while sitting down. A fire pit that is too high will be inconvenient for those who use it.

Spread a two-inch layer of pea gravel or crushed stone inside the fire pit. Fill the rest of the pit with lava rock, leaving a space in the centre for a pile of kindling to ignite the fire. Cover the fire pit with a metal mesh cage or a metal grill.