24 Best Outdoor Fire Pit Ideas to DIY or Buy

24 backyard outdoor fire pit ideas such as DIY in ground fire pits, best kits & designs for wood burning fire pit tables & grills, concrete fire bowls, etc!

Sitting around an outdoor fire pit with loved ones, gazing at the warm flames under the starry night sky, life is just blissful and magical!

As a home and garden designer, I see fire pit on almost everyone’s wish list. The good news is, you don’t have to spend thousands on a custom built fire feature.

24 backyard outdoor fire pit ideas such as DIY in ground fire pits, best kits & designs for wood burning fire pit tables & grills, concrete fire bowls, etc!

I can’t wait to share with you my favorite backyard fire pit ideas today, from beautiful DIY fire pits in one day, to stylish outdoor fire pits to buy for less than $100. For more, here are 52 Best landscaping ideas & designs for front & backyard garden.

Important design and safety considerations before you buy or build an outdoor fire pit:

*Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here.

  1. The ideal height of a fire pit ranges from ground level to about 20″, for the most warmth and glow.
  2. Provide drainage for outdoor fire pits. It can be a layer of gravel at the bottom of an in ground fire pit, or drain holes in a fire bowl.
  3. Choose the right materials designed for fire pits: such as fire bricks, lava rocks, lava pebbles, or fire glass , because certain concrete or river rocks can explode in high heat.
  4. Always use caution to prevent fire and chemical hazards such as flame sparks and carbon monoxide.

Now the important basics are out of the way, let’s explore some great DIY fire pit ideas!

1. Easy DIY fire pit with stacked stone.

Easy DIY fire pit with stacked stone in backyard

This easy DIY wood burning fire pit is made of stacked flagstone, fire brick interiors, and pea gravel which filled the bottom. A 6 to 12 inch deep gravel layer can provide sufficient drainage for most DIY fire pits.

The secret to this beautiful DIY dry stack stone fire pit is to take the time to select the right shapes and stack the stone in a natural looking pattern without the need for mortar between the joints.

2. In ground fire pit ideas.

In ground fire pit with stacked rocks

These two beautiful variations of in ground fire pits remind me of campfire surrounded with Adirondack chairs. One is made with large boulders, the other is made of stacked stone, which also functions as a low retaining wall, giving the outdoor fire pit an attractive look almost like an outdoor fireplace.

TIP: Before digging into the ground, always call 811, or the “Call Before You Dig Number.” to come to site and mark any underground utility lines.

When you have a beautiful fire pit, think about how to store firewood. Here we have 15 attractive DIY firewood racks & storage ideas for you!

3. Outdoor fire pit grills.

Outdoor fire pit grills with hanging grate

Create a super fun DIY fire pit grill or fire pit BBQ by adding grill grates over wood burning fire pits, and here is a round swing-away grate.  ( Original image source lost. Please let me know if you find the original source, thank you! )

You may also love: Build a simple wood fired pizza oven in one weekend! 

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4 & 5. Outdoor camp style cooking fire pit.

Outdoor cooking fire pit BBQ over camp fire

Love roasting marshmallows around a camp fire? These rustic and simple outdoor cooking fire pits remind us of childhood camping trips and happy summer evenings. Here’s a 16 inch square grill grate, and here’s an over the fire camp grill

6. DIY fire pit table.

modern concrete DIY fire pit table and bench

Board formed concrete and  lava pebbles inside make this outdoor cement fire pit table super attractive. Below are two great DIY tutorials to make your own!

7. Modern DIY concrete fire pit.

DIY concrete fire pit table

My awesome friend Ben is a super talented architect who makes high quality furniture accessible to everyone through his creative DIY projects. Looks at his modern fire pit coffee table, isn’t it stunning? Ben also added a few inches of gravel to create better drainage around the fire pit.

Check out his detailed tutorial at Homemade Modern, and his great youtube video tutorial on how to DIY a square fire pit below-

You can also use this tutorial to build a modern concrete bench which would look really nice too!

8. DIY wood burning fire pit table.

DIY wood burning fire pit table

Here is another wonderful tutorial of DIY wood burning concrete fire pit table, using a per-made fire bowl at center. Tip:lava pebbles look great and are safer than river rocks when used near high heat.

9. Propane outdoor fire pit coffee table.

metal Propane fire pit coffee table

At 26 inch diameter by 19h,  this chic propane fire pit coffee table has beautiful metalwork details, and powerful heating abilities. The included side table / bench offers room to conceal a standard 20-pound propane tank! Available at $160 here.

10, 11 & 12. Backyard wood burning fire bowls.

Here are some simple fire pit ideas! The 30 inch round cast iron wood burning fire bowl will nicely complement any existing décor with its deep black finish and simple design.  Available here at $89. 

Backyard wood burning metal fire bowls.

The steel cauldron fire bowl with cover shield looks great in a naturalistic setting. Choose from 2 models at 34″ or 23.5″ diameter , 9″ or 12” height. Available here at $80.   Tip: bring extra fun and enjoyments to your fire bowls by adding matching size grill grates to these fire bowls. 

metal fire fits

This 36 inch by 18in wood burning fire bowl BBQ comes with a grill grate! Available here .

13. Easy DIY fire pit kits.

make a fire pit with DIY fire pit kits

A fire pit kit with metal fire ring and circular precast stones or cinder block makes it so much easier to build your own fire feature. Below is the video tutorial from Lowes Youtube channel.

You can use the same technique to make a brick fire pit. Because bricks have different shapes than these retaining wall blocks, you may need mortar to help fill the pace in between the bricks.

14. Create an attractive backyard fire pit patio space.

An outdoor fire pit can become the center of a gathering space.

an attractive landscaped backyard fire pit patio space

This circular seating area is just perfect and so easy to DIY using concrete blocks or pavers ( or stone ) and gravel! Check out the video tutorial from Your House a Home TV on Youtube:

 15. Simple and elegant outdoor fire ring.

outdoor metal fire ring

Another beautiful wood-burning fire ring. At 30L x 30W x 16H in.,  it’s a great size for family and friends to gather around. Available here at $72.

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16 & 17. Propane fire pit table.

Propane fire pit table

At 30L x 30W x 24.15H in. Both fire pit tables have stylish porcelain-tile table top and cover to shield the pit when not in use. The base panels hide the gas tank. Here is the light grey table, and dark grey table.

Tip: a tempered glass wind guard will help with flickering flames when windy, like this one- American Fireglass Wind Guard

18. Re-purposed outdoor fire pit.

A recycled washing machine drum made into a firepit

A recycled washing machine drum (found at a used appliance store for $10) is made into a gorgeous DIY fire pit in this tutorial!

19 & 20. Beautiful fire pit tables.

This 28″ round fire pit table with a decorative rock base is great for a small space. Both iiquid propane or natural gas models available here .

round fire pit table with a decorative rock base

The charcoal gray wood burning fire table is so stylish, and beautiful as an outdoor coffee table at 36.75L x 36.75W x 19.5H. Available here .

21 & 22. DIY fire bowl.

DIY concrete fire bowl

Here are two great DIY fire pit bowl tutorials, both using gel fuel. , first one using fire safe decorative pebbles , second one using fire glass. Video tutorial below from DIY Creators on Youtube.

DIY small table top fire bowl

These fire bowls are great tabletop fire pit ideas when you have a small space.

Tip: always use lava rocks, lava pebbles, or fire glass  made for high heat.

DIY fire bowl with glass pebbles

Here is another DIY concrete fire bowl tutorial using fire glass and low-heat gel fuel cans .

23. DIY Tabletop fire pit.

small DIY Table top fire pit

Video tutorial from DIY Creators on Youtube.

Tip: choose lava rocks, lava pebbles, or fire glass  , because river pebbles or concrete pieces can possibly explode when used over high heat flames.

24. Small table top fire pit.

Small concrete table top fire pit

The 10″x10” tabletop fire feature includes a fuel canister, and uses clean burning liquid parrafin fuel with citronella for repelling insects.  Available here for $39.

You can also DIY a similar fire pit, you can check out the video tutorial above from DIY Creators on Youtube.

diy concrete and glass fire bowl

Love outdoor garden and landscape projects? Come visit our outdoor room makeover here, all with pallets!

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Check out the AFTER here- our outdoor room makeover here, all with pallets!

Happy creating! See you next week!

7 Comments

  1. With regard to 3. OUTDOOR FIRE PIT GRILLS. Has the original source for the “Swing-Out Grill” been located? That one appears to be of substantial construction compared to others. Thank you.

      • Thank you ananda, the ones I’ve been able to locate on Amazon are not as substantial as the on shown in your original post. I guess I’ll keep searching.

  2. Hello, do you also have a video or description for making the fire pit in the second photo under point two?
    This fire pit is semi-circular.

    • hi Angelien, that one does not come with video tutorial, but if you search “how to make stacked stone wall” or “stacked stone fire pit” you will fine helpful tutorials! 🙂

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