If you’ve been dreaming of cozy evenings by a fire, roasting marshmallows, or just unwinding after a long day, a backyard fire pit is the perfect addition. I’m Brad from Fix This Build That, and today I’m going to walk you through exactly how to build your own stone fire pit—from choosing the right stones and fire insert to preparing the site and stacking it all together.

Let’s get building!

 Why Build a Fire Pit?

Fire pits add warmth, ambiance, and style to any backyard. They’re great for gatherings, extend your outdoor living season, and honestly… they just look awesome.

We’ve done a lot of upgrades to our backyard, but our old fire pit was an eyesore. So we’re finally giving it the upgrade it deserves—a permanent stone fire pit that looks good and lasts.

Choosing the Right Stones

Retaining Wall Bricks

First up, I headed to Home Depot and checked out their selection. I picked up 12-inch retaining wall bricks—they’re wedge-shaped, which makes them perfect for forming a circle. These cost $2.18 per brick, so for a three-tiered pit with 12 bricks per layer, that’s just under $80.

However, these bricks have a lip on the bottom designed for retaining walls. If you're using them for a fire pit, you might need to knock that off so they sit properly.

Using 10 of these makes a circle that’s about 25 inches in diameter, which felt a little small. So I added two more bricks (12 total), spacing them out slightly to reach 33 inches across. This was the sweet spot for our space.

⚠️ Heads up: Spacing the bricks out creates gaps that can show at the top, which isn't ideal if you're skipping a capstone.

Tumbled Wall Stone (Our Pick)

I ended up going with tumbled wall stones. These have a nice organic, aged look with a flat edge and a rugged face. At $2.48 per brick, 36 of these cost us around $90. I love how tight they fit together, and they gave us that clean, circular shape without unsightly gaps.

Picking the Right Fire Ring Insert

You don’t need a fire ring insert, but I definitely recommend it. It protects your stones from heat damage, gives a cleaner look, and helps keep everything in place.

Option 1: Galvanized Steel Ring

At around $90, the galvanized ring is tall and budget-friendly but has no top flange and is often misshapen. Ours measured 32" x 34", and it didn’t even fit inside our stone circle. Not recommended.

Option 2: One-Piece Powder Coated Ring

This solid steel ring with a flange costs about $110 and fits perfectly. Lowe’s sells this same insert in a $248 kit with stones—but you can buy it separately and save nearly $50. Only downside? It’s shallow at just 6 inches deep.

Option 3: Four-Piece Ring from Amazon (Our Pick)

This insert came as a 10-inch deep, four-piece bolt-together ring, which fits our three-layer fire pit perfectly. It’s not as sleek as the one-piece version, but it holds everything together well and adds durability.

 Planning the Perfect Fire Pit Location

You’ll want to place your fire pit:

In our case, 15 feet landed us in the perfect spot. Always check your local regulations—they typically range from 10 to 20 feet of clearance.

 Prepping the Site

Instead of using spray paint to mark the circle, I just laid the stones in a ring and used a flat shovel to outline it. Then I dug out about 2–3 inches of soil, with a 12-inch-deep pit in the center for drainage.

📞 Pro Tip: Always call 811 before digging to avoid hitting buried utilities. It's a free service and can save you from dangerous mistakes.

We filled the drainage pit with river rock (gravel works too), then tamped it down.

Leveling the Base

For a solid foundation, we used paver base, the same stuff I’ve used in my retaining walls. It drains well and compacts into a super stable surface.

• Tamp it down thoroughly
• Use a 2x4 to screed the surface
• Check level across multiple angles with a 2- or 4-foot level
• Adjust base as needed—add more where it’s low, remove where it’s high

Building the Fire Pit

Once level, it was time to start stacking bricks. Since I had already laid them out, I just rolled them back into place and checked level as I went.

Use a dead blow mallet to tap them into place—it won’t bounce off like a rubber mallet. The first row should be snug and level, since it sets the tone for everything above it.

For the second and third rows, stagger the bricks over the seams of the row beneath for strength and aesthetics.

🔧 Optional: You can use landscape adhesive between layers for added stability. I skipped this step since I may upgrade to a smokeless fire pit later.

 Installing the Fire Ring & Final Touches

With three layers of stone stacked, it was time to drop in the 10-inch steel ring. It fit perfectly and helped lock in the top layer of stones, even without adhesive.

Around the outside, I added river stones (same as in our garden bed) for a polished look. Inside the ring, I used lava rocks for airflow and better drainage.

Cost Breakdown

 Final Thoughts

Despite some surprise rain and muddy digging, this fire pit turned out awesome. It looks clean, feels sturdy, and cost less than $250. Best of all, it adds so much character to the backyard.

If I could change one thing, I’d try to find a deeper one-piece fire ring. But for now, this setup is perfect—and I can always upgrade later.

Thinking of going smokeless? Let me know in the comments if you'd like a tutorial on that conversion!

Until next time, get out there and build something awesome!