Fire Pit Trends: Should You Make Your Own?

Fire pits are a huge trend right now and people are starting to come up with their own creative ideas. Some people buy traditional fire pits and modify the metal by engraving or cutting designs, but many people create their own fire pits from the ground up.

If you’re looking at fire pits wondering if you should buy a pre-made pit or build your own, there are pros and cons to each option.

Buying a pre-made fire pit: Pros and cons

When you buy anything pre-made, your choices will be limited. However, unlike some appliances, manufacturers make fire pits in a variety of styles.

Some of the coolest looking fire pits include:

·  Fire columns

·  Fire pits with waterfalls or fountains

·  Fire bowl

·  Fire tables

·  Fire urns

·  Chimeneas

For smaller fires, there are also fire rings that basically contain a small fire in a ring of metal. Fire rings are more for looks than warmth.

Most people will be perfectly content with existing pre-made options on the market. If you’re not content with existing options, you can get customized metal work if you find the right person. For instance, you can buy a pre-made fire pit and have it customized with your design. However, that only works with units you can take apart that will allow working with the metal pieces.

If you’re not satisfied with the options on the market and you want to try your hand at creating a custom fire pit, take your inspiration from existing models and let your imagination run wild.

Building your own fire pit from scratch: Pros and cons

The biggest benefit to building your own fire pit is being able to start from scratch and build it exactly the way you want. You can build a fire pit in any shape and contain it within a larger structure made of brick or stone if you want to get even more fancy.

The downside to building your own custom fire pit is that you need to be able to work with a variety of materials like metal, stone, and maybe even concrete. If you don’t have the tools or space, you’ll need to hire out some of the work.

You also need to understand exactly how to build a fire pit that burns properly and uses the right materials. For example, regular bricks and concrete will explode when subjected to high heat. If you want to build your fire pit with brick, you’ll need to use fire brick wherever the unit will become hot.

What is your main purpose for owning a fire pit?

To determine whether you should buy a pre-made unit or build your own, consider your fire pit’s main purpose:

·  Strictly decoration for the yard

·  To use several times a year for birthday parties and holidays

·  To use regularly or even nightly

·  For ambiance

·  For cooking/heating water

If you plan on using your fire pit strictly for decoration, building your own will give you exactly what you want. Although, if you can find one you like, it’s easier to just buy a pre-made pit.

If you plan on using your fire pit regularly for personal use or to entertain guests and you aren’t attached to having a personalized design, then you’ll be better off buying a pre-made pit.

Do you plan on cooking with your fire pit?

If you want your fire pit to double as a way to boil water or cook food, you might need to build your own pit. Most commercial fire pits aren’t designed to cook food. While the flames would be a good source of heat, most pre-made fire pits don’t come with a way to support a pot over the fire.

To cook over your bonfire in a fire pit, you’ll need to use camping methods and possibly some camping equipment you already have on hand. You can use your camping equipment to cook the old-fashioned way, but that’s really only an option when you’re using it for personal use.

If you plan on entertaining clients or colleagues, you probably don’t want to tie camping kettles to a makeshift tee-pee of sticks over your fire pit.

Conclusion: make your own fire pit if you enjoy making things

At the end of the day, making your own fire pit is a huge project. If you enjoy making things by hand, it’s the perfect project. If you are particular about custom designs, you need a custom fire pit. However, if you just need functionality, pre-made fire pits come in enough variety that you’ll be sure to find your perfect match.