Have you ever thought of building your own BBQ pit? Or better yet, creating a space where you can enjoy a good barbecue since you’re thinking of remodeling your backyard?

If yes, you‘re looking at the right place.

We present to you our beginner’s guide to building your personal barbecue pit.

Step 1: Stocking All the Required Materials

Before you start off with the building, you should ensure whether you have all the necessary materials required for making a BBQ pit. Here’s a list of a few essential items:

• Shovel
• Cinder blocks
• Hand Tamp
• Gravel
• Mortar
• Trowel
• Metal braces
• Grill top
• Measuring tape
• Leveller
• Carpenters Square
• Plenty of bricks
• A sufficient supply of water

By gathering these materials, you’ll have nearly everything that you may need to make your pit.

Step 2: Selecting the Best Location

You’ll need to find the perfect spot for your BBQ pit before you start digging. We would recommend using your lawn for creating a cozy barbecue space, but you can choose any area you find appropriate – it should only have the extra space required.

For digging your pit, you need around 3 feet by 5 feet or approximately 4.6 meters square. Additionally, we would urge you to ascertain there aren’t any bushes or other things that could act as potential fire hazards. It’s recommended for the pit to be at least 10 feet away from your home for safety and practicality reasons.

Step 3: Digging Your Pit

After marking the area where you want to construct your BBQ pit, start digging up to 8 inches or 20 cm deep. Take out your hand tamp and level the bottom of the fire pits.

You’ll have to soak the bricks in water for boosting mortar strength at this stage.

Step 4: Laying the Gravel Following by Mortar

First, you need to layer your pit with gravel at around 2 inches. For better results, you can use a hand tamp for leveling it further.

Once that is done, mix the dry mortar with water. Remember, you need a moist consistency for building a ceramic construction, so make sure you add enough water. 

Start spreading a 2 inch or 5 cm mortar layer on top of the gravel. Immediately follow this up by using a trowel to level it before the mortar hardens.

Step 5: Start Laying Down the Cinder Blocks

For this step, start laying down the cinder blocks at the edges of the mortar. Keep in mind that you need to leave a small hole (or two) for drainage purposes.

Again, you can use the leveler to ensure that your blocks are even. Check the corners of the pit with a carpenter‘s square as well.

Step 6: Time for Building the Bricks

With the cinder blocks laid down, it’s now time to start the brick laying process.

Place the bricks after spreading some mortar on top of the cinder blocks in a side by side position. We would recommend doing a double brick layer to enhance the durability of the pit’s structure.

While applying the mortar, make sure that you remove any excess material while it’s still moist. Otherwise, it’ll become very difficult to scrape away once it gets hard.

Another tip would be to add the mortar individually to every brick. You can put it on the sides and bottom of each brick using the trowel, and then start making the structure.

Continue with this process until you reach the desired height for your BBQ pit. Keep a check on the structure, ensuring it’s properly leveled with the well-maintained corners.

Step 7: Install the Metal Braces and Grill

Lastly, place the metal braces in the last layer of the mortar while it’s still wet. This will help to hold your grill up, which is why the braces need to be facing inward.

Once the mortar is dry – presumably by the next day – you can then place the grill top on the metal brackets.

Summing up

So this is the beginner’s guide to building a BBQ pit. 

Barbecue parties can be a super fun way to get-together with your loved ones. If you’re someone who frequently hosts them, creating a pit for grilling meat and veggies might just be the wisest decision for you!