26 DIY Fire Pit Ideas for Every Style and Budget

Your dream backyard is in reach, no matter your budget, even for a luxury feature like a fire pit. DIY fire pits are cheaper than purchasing one of the best conventional fire pits or smokeless fire pits, with most of the ideas below costing between $50 and $150.

You can make a DIY fire pit using inexpensive or repurposed materials such as stone, bricks, pavers, concrete, and retaining wall blocks.

Read on to get inspired by these creative DIY fire pit ideas for any style and budget.

DIY concrete fire pit — Credit:
The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

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DIY Easy Fire Pit With Pavers

Credit:
Keeping It Simple

This fire pit from Keeping It Simple can be built in a few hours using retaining wall blocks, sand, and pavers. It's great for DIY beginners because it does not require grout, mortar, or concrete, making it a perfect starter masonry project. It's inexpensive too, costing around $50.
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DIY Curved Fire Pit Bench

Credit:
A Beautiful Mess

Just because you have a smaller yard, doesn't mean you can't have a great entertaining area. A Beautiful Mess complemented a DIY fire pit with a DIY fire pit bench that is still small space-friendly. The curved bench mimics the round shape of the fire pit, making it easy to fit in the corner of your yard.
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Concrete Pavers DIY Fire Pit

Credit:
House Mix

Stacked pavers with a whitewashed brick effect add a modern rustic look to this DIY fire pit from House Mix. Besides the pavers, sand, gravel, and edging stones round out the list of materials. Clocking in at roughly $400 to make, this fire pit's color scheme looks beachy and luxe.
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Repurposed DIY Fire Pit

Credit:
Most Lovely Things

Most Lovely Things made a simple DIY fire pit with a repurposed dye vat from a secondhand store. Tree stump side tables around the fire pit seating area add a nice touch. If you plan on repurposing a second-hand vessel, make sure it's made from fireproof material and never forget to add a fire-resistant coating.

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DIY Koi Pond Fire Pit

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Lucy's Lampshade

Lucy's Lampshades proves that anything can be turned into a fire pit, even an old koi pond. As long as the size is correct, old garden ponds work perfectly as fire pits, since they are usually lined with non-combustible rocks. Make sure the pond has stone or concrete lining, not PVC, EPDM (synthetic rubber), or other flammable pond liners.
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Repurposed Washing Machine Drum

Credit:
HGTV

If you're going for the look of a stylish, pricey fire pit for practically nothing, it helps to get inventive. A stainless-steel washing machine drum is a sleek (and budget-friendly) receptacle perfect for a small-yard fire pit. Stainless steel holds up to heat, and the holes throughout the drum allow for the oxygen flow a fire needs.
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Modern-Style DIY Metal and Glass Fire Pit

Credit:
The Art of Doing Stuff

For less than $25, The Art of Doing Stuff crafted this contemporary fire pit out of glass frame coverings, a metal planter, and a metal grate, with some river rocks for decoration. If you cannot find a metal planter, a terracotta planter will work just as well.
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Salvaged Brick DIY Fire Pit

Credit:
B Vintage Style

B Vintage Style used salvaged bricks to create an in-ground fire pit. This style looks nice in a large backyard since there is an extra ring of bricks around the center one for added visual interest. The minimalist design is easy to mow around, making maintenance a breeze.

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DIY Mini Fire Pit

Credit:
Evansville Living

This mini fire pit from Evansville Living was cast in concrete from a flower pot that dictated its size and shape. This design works well for a small backyard and can also be placed on a tabletop for easy s'mores making.
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DIY Square Fire Pit

Credit:
Deals, Steals, and Heels

Costing well under $100, this square DIY fire pit from the Deals, Steals, and Heels blog is a stylish and simple backyard design element constructed from cement wall blocks in a sand bed. These bricks have a sleek, minimalist shape that still looks natural, and a stately silhouette works well for larger backyards.
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Retaining Wall Blocks DIY Fire Pit

Credit:
The Inspired Room

The Inspired Room combined a do-it-yourself ring of 44 Allen + Roth retaining wall blocks from Lowe's Home Improvement store with a factory-made, ready-to-go metal fire pit kit. The result is a fire pit with a cozy, natural-stone look.
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Easy Four-Step DIY Fire Pit

Credit:
A Beautiful Mess

This easy four-step DIY fire pit from A Beautiful Mess has a clean modern look. The backyard fire pit is made from concrete landscaping stones and a metal fire pit ring. Using a fire pit ring makes this project extremely beginner-friendly, and the concrete is inexpensive and durable.

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DIY Backyard Fire Pit

Credit:
Yellow Brick Home

Yellow Brick Home made a DIY backyard fire pit that cost $450 and came together in a single day. Instead of sourcing individual materials, this DIYer used a kit to make the process easy (and great for beginners). A set of matching armchairs and mismatched blankets add coziness that encourages lingering around the fire on chilly nights.
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Tire Rim Tower Fire Pit

Credit:
DIY Joy

As long as you have access to an angle grinder and can get your hands on two old truck or car tire rims that are the same size, you can make an industrial-looking fire pit like this one from DIY Joy. Car rims would be a great choice for a small space, while you can use truck rims for a larger yard.
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DIY Leftover Brick Fire Pit

Credit:
Mimzy & Company

Mimzy & Company used leftover bricks from a fireplace project to build this large round DIY brick fire pit. Leftover bricks are the most budget-friendly bricks you can use since new bricks cost more and reclaimed bricks often are more expensive than new bricks.
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Simple Brick DIY Fire Pit

Credit:
Hammers N Hugs

Leftover bricks from another project were used to make this DIY fire pit from Hammers N Hugs which is the centerpiece of an outdoor gathering space outfitted with seating and decorated with plants and string lights. Laying the bricks with small gaps in between them allows for ventilation.

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Rustic Wheelbarrow Charm

Credit:
Lucy Lambriex / Getty Images

If your home has rustic styling, a French country aesthetic, or a farmhouse look, then an old metal wheelbarrow will fit right in as a fire pit. Make sure it doesn't have any cracks or significant rust. Remove any plastic, rubber, or wooden parts. For lawn protection and safety, center the wheelbarrow on a stone or brick foundation.
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Concrete Tree Rings

Credit:
Instructables

For less than $50, you can stack concrete tree rings into a circle shape, going as high as you like to build a fire pit that looks unique. These rings come in white, beige, orange, and pink, and some have a scalloped edge. Not all concrete is fire-safe, so line the inside of any concrete fire pits with fire brick and fire clay mortar or use a protective fire ring as an inner liner.
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Fire Rings

Credit:
Sarah Lynch / Getty Images

Made for containing a fire pit, galvanized-steel fire rings come in many styles, including lattice patterns, creative cutouts, and even square shapes. Clear a space, put down some sand or a thin layer of pebbles, and put a ring down. Get some firewood and you're all set.
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Cinder Block Cap Fire Pit

Credit:
Delia's Photos

Fire-resistant cinder block caps can be designed into a square, contemporary fire pit with clean lines. Although cinder blocks are fire-resistant, they are not fireproof and, over prolonged use, will eventually crumble. To protect and extend the viability of your fire pit, consider using a fire ring as a liner or fire bricks.

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Asymmetrical Fire Pit

Credit:
Fresh Patio

Experiment with how you stack your bricks or rocks around the fire pit. You can raise up one side or one half or create a teardrop shape around a circular pit with all bricks tapering up to a point on one side. This design also acts as a windbreaker, keeping the fire alive.
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DIY Fire Pit Area Makeover

Credit:
Inspired By Charm

Inspired By Charm gave this backyard fire pit a DIY makeover, surrounding the rustic metal DIY fire pit with painted purple Adirondack chairs that add contrast and give it a modern feel. A mulched area or one with gravel works well with this style of fire pit since the metal ring can sit more comfortably in those more malleable materials.
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DIY Fire Pit Patio

Credit:
Lovely Indeed

Lovely Indeed built a DIY brick patio to create a cozy fire pit area in the corner of the yard. The patio has a rock border, bright blue Adirondack chairs, an affordable fire pit sourced online, and an outdoor firewood holder. Using a corner as a fire pit focal point is a perfect small-yard solution that feels cozy and intentional.
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Steel Sheet Fire Pit

Credit:
Autodesk nstructables

Bending a sheet of steel into a geometric structure will leave you with an ultra-cool, industrial fire pit. In this tutorial, a single steel checker plate is cut using an angle grinder to make four V shapes—one in each corner—then bent to form a central divot. Lastly, the V shapes are closed together to form a 3D shape (and a unique fire pit perfect for a small yard.)

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Tiny Tabletop Fire Bowl

Credit:
Come Stay Awhile

This tiny tabletop fire bowl from Come Stay Awhile is equal parts beginner- and budget-friendly. You can use the blog’s tutorial on how to transform a plastic bowl into a vessel with a faux stone finish or select a stone bow of your own. Sand, rocks, and a fire canister transform this bowl into a tiny space fire pit.
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Retaining Wall Block Fire Pit

Credit:
Remodelaholic

Using the same blocks as a retaining wall in your yard for your DIY fire pit is a great way to achieve a cohesive look in your yard, but you can also just purchase this type of stone to construct your pit. For a fire pit that is 4 feet in diameter overall, materials cost well under $200.

FAQ

What is the cheapest material to make a fire pit with?

The cheapest material to make a fire pit with is anything repurposed or secondhand. For example, salvaged bricks are far more cost-effective than new bricks.
How deep should a DIY fire pit be?

You should aim for a depth of at least 6 inches and preferably 12 inches for an in-ground DIY fire pit, and a depth of 12 to 14 inches.
What should I put in the bottom of a DIY fire pit?

You should put safe and heat resistant material at the bottom of a DIY fire pit, also allowing for ventilation. Sand, fire bricks, or slabs are all appropriate options.

26 DIY Fire Pit Ideas for Every Style and Budget

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