I've got an amazing built in fire pit and I truly believe that every Australian should have one too.
There is nothing I enjoy more than hitting Saturday night and lighting up the fire pit, sitting around it with a few mates and throwing back a couple of beers while telling tall stories and smart ass jokes.
It's like a right of passage, it's a stress releasing, a peace inducing activity that has no peer.
Read on to see my 29 firepit ideas that cover the simple and small fire pit ideas to the amazing and extravagant!
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Sunken Fire Pit Ideas
The obvious place to start is at the easiest. Below we have the two easiest sunken fire pit ideas you can build short of just digging a hole or using some old barrel to be your firepit.
Simple Firepit
Beach Firepit
The sunken fire pit on the left is a really simple idea that the teenagers can throw together down in the back yard so they can get away from the olds and have some private space. Dig a whole, throw some gravel in the bottom, make a nice pattern with some old bricks and then build in the sides. Fill the gaps with fine gravel and hey presto, you have your first fire pit.
On the right is a beach pit, one of the best fire pit designs Australia has to offer—after all, we’ve got so many beaches for you to give this a go at!
Good idea to use a shovel or it will take a long time to do. Please just check the local council by-laws as to whether you are allowed to have a fire on the beach. But if you are, this is a terrific way to spend the evening with some friends.
Sleeper Firepits
If you haven't noticed yet I really love railway sleepers and the thicker wood pieces to make things from and add to the vibe of your outdoor space. Great for walls, edging, steps, decks and even fire pits.
Sleeper Firepit
Sleeper Table With Firepit
The idea on the left is a set of seats built from sleepers around a stone fire pit. This works particularly well in a backyard where space is a bit limited and you need to turn a corner into something a bit more usable. On the right we have a sleeper table with a gas fire pit in the middle.
Amphitheater Firepit
The traditional Amphitheatre is a sight to behold.
Built to hold plays and music before we had electric amplification, the amphitheatre used a natural curve in a hill which they hollowed out and then laid pavers in the cut out steps. This rock finish helped with the acoustics and made the amphitheatre last for hundreds (sometimes thousands) of years.
Well we can use this idea to build a great private outdoor space for our family and friends to come around and be together. In the picture below, the landscaper has used large rocks to form the enclosure but you could use pavers or even bricks. If you have a natural curve in the land use that or otherwise just dig down and create a built in fire pit below the surface.
Amphitheater Built Into Hill
Amphitheater Firepit
The Culdesac Firepit
Like the traditional street court or cul de sac this is a rounded end that leads back out the way you came in. Very stylish and easy to make, you can use gravel, stones, bricks or pavers for the floor and make the seats out of rock, pavers or even straight concrete.
The Closed Culdesac Firepit
The Open Culdesac Firepit
Just remember if you are burying the floor below the land's surface, you are going to need drainage to allow water to get out of the pit. If your land slopes away (downhill) you can run a pipe from the bottom of the pit downhill until it is below the level of the firepit floor. If you don't have that option you will need to set up an electric pump to pump water out like a bilge pump in a boat.
Small Backyard Fire Pit Ideas
These are quite simple to put together and can be excellent options if you are looking for small backyard fire pit ideas.
Pavers Firepit Square
Pavers Firepit
Pavers Firepit Round
I particularly like the one in the middle where they have made a convex floor so water all runs away and the chairs sit tight into the surrounding rocks.
The picture far right has a circle design and uses a couple of different pavers to achieve the result. Clean and stylish, this would suit a lot of suburban houses that are lacking room in the backyard.
The picture on the left is another great use of the yard, turning it into a place where you can sit and relax. Don't be afraid to make these areas quite large. They provide a clean line that separates the pavers from the grass.
Gas Firepits
There are a number of ways to build a firepit but there are only two main ways to fuel them, wood and gas. Personally I love a wood fire pit because the sound of the logs crackling and popping with sparks rising up into the sky in the black of night, definitely helps me find the moment. But, I can understand that some people would not like to do the work that goes into keeping a wood fire clean and ready to burn. For these people I suggest a gas fire pit. They are still beautiful to look at, still keep you warm and there is no work to maintain them.
Gas Firepit
Gas Firepit With Stone
Gas Firepit With Wood
There are many different designs of gas fire pits, but they all work on the same principles. First, you have the housing that contains a gas line from the house or a portable propane tank that you can store within the structure. At the top of the housing is a large concave heat resistant bowl, normally steel.
One or more burners sprout out of the bowl from below and these are attached to the tank underneath (or pipe from the house), supplying them with combustible gas. The bowl is filled with fake heat resistant logs or coals to hide the burners from view. Some of the more decorative fire pits are filled with fine sand or river stones which makes for a very unique look.
The pit may come with an ignition switch, which, once the gas flow has been turned on, ignites the burners and gives the appearance of a real coal or wood fire. If you have seen some of these in action, they are getting pretty good and it is hard to tell at first glance that it is not a real bed of coals or logs.
A Few Funny Firepits
As in everything, we can have some fun when it comes to entertaining. These creative people have really taken it to the next level when it comes to thinking outside the box.
Toilet Firepit
Minion Firepit
Mini Firepit
Now although I can see the Aussie humour (or is it just pure practicality) in the toilet bowl being used as a fire pit I am drawing the line here. I just don't need the stress from my wife on this one. The Minion fire pit is great. Love it and it would work well as an inside combustion heater too. And what do you say about the mini through the fence BBQ. This is one of my favourites. Well played mate. Well played.
Star Wars Themed Fire Pit
What would a collection of fire pits be if we left out those Star Wars fans who will do anything to get some sort of connection to the films. Here are our favourite star wars fire pit Australia had to offer. Tie fighter on the left. Pretty cool. Death Star I am giving a huge thumbs up to, although the cost of this if you want one is $3750 USD. Which for me sort of wrecks it a little, although it is cool. The droid I love. It looks like the old droid just broke down on some back-planet and the locals made a firepit from it rather than fixing it.
Tie Fighter Firepit
Death Star Firepit
Droid Firepit
If you see some of these and think we should bring them into Manna Gum Building And Garden Supplies then send me a text and I will look into it.
Using Firepits As Art
If you choose to use your fire pit as art rather than a practical source of warmth or food cooking, that is fine with me. When you look at these examples you can achieve some pretty spectacular outcomes.
Garden Feature Firepit
Train Firepit
On the left is a garden feature that is very beautiful. I can see a party happening here and people walking out to the firepit at night and sitting and talking on the edge looking back towards the house. On the right the train is also totally amazing. I have no idea on the cost of this but wow.
Firepits Used For Cooking
Since a firepit is really just a holder for the fire, it can be almost anything. From a brick fire pit to a concrete fire pit, you can get away with a lot—even a washing machine drum if you’re feeling adventurous.
So a barrel is often used to be an upright one but in this case they have made it into a pizza oven. I love the one on the left. Reminds me of a good Teppinyaki place I used to visit occasionally in Chapel St. The one in the middle? Tell me what you think. I think I like it. I would consider getting some of these built if there is a need for them.
Luxury Cooking Firepit
Layered Firepit For Cooking
Barrel Oven Firepit
Firepits That Are Basically A Cool BBQ
Now these three are stretching the firepit name but technically they are. I really like them. The first guy to make these used a huge plough plate to be the top as it was convex and the fats ran off. I really like the one on the left. Being able to throw a flat bread on top would be grand. I also like the idea of having enough space to cook for everyone at once. Very cool.
Circular Cooking Firepit
Circular Cooking Firepit Movable
Cooking Firepit From A Plough
Fire Pit Designs Australia
Well there you go. Fire pits. Lots of them. From small fire pit ideas and built in fire pits to sunken fire pit ideas—we reckon these are fire pit designs Australia would get around.
What do you think?
We stock several different kinds but if you want more just give me a yell.
Cheers for now.