Uploaded September 2015 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
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I want to show you how I built my Dueling Fire Pits. In my video, I discuss the construction of a new fire pit in addition to the repair of my old fire pit. The original fire pit has been awesome. I burned three pine trees 18” in diameter. A tree fell across the fire pit, and I continued using it. Several summers ago I started the process to get our backyard foliage under control. This process generated lots of firewood, and I decided to build a real fire pit after I damaged my wife Chiminea. I just wanted to see what kind of heat that bulbous terracotta chimney could handle and frankly it wasn't much. So I headed down to Home Depot in the old F150 and loaded it up with retaining wall bricks that were about $1.50 each. When I was done I had made a fire pit for just around $68 that I could actually burn some wood in. Over about three years, the fire pit has started to show some wear due to the high mileage I put on the fire pit. The typical failure mode seems to be the retaining blocks crack in half. Despite the expected wear on the original fire pit and considering the simplicity of repairs, I decided to build another. Dueling fire pits is the way to go!
Below you'll find my affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, I receive a commission. You can read my full disclosure policy here- makercise.com/privacy-policy
Chisel: amzn.to/2inKlHU
Level: amzn.to/2jf9xEZ
Comically expensive blocks similar to mine: amzn.to/2isgEZH note that amazon has some, but they are very expensive to ship relative to a local store. Like I mentioned above, I bought mine for $1.50. This fire pit will cost a different amount in different geographical locations due to the shipping cost of this material.
Check out the full build article on my blog for additional details: makercise.com/dueling-fire-pits
In case you want my wife's perspective here is a write-up she did:
thriftylittlemom.com/2013/06/28/easy-diy-inexpensive-firepit-for-backyard-fun
Also checkout a great article how to host a proper fire pit party:
thriftylittlemom.com/2013/10/16/tips-for-hosting-a-fall-firepit-gathering
Sign-up for early access to project videos:
makercise.com/signup
I want to show you how I built my Dueling Fire Pits. In my video, I discuss the construction of a new fire pit in addition to the repair of my old fire pit. The original fire pit has been awesome. I burned three pine trees 18” in diameter. A tree fell across the fire pit, and I continued using it. Several summers ago I started the process to get our backyard foliage under control. This process generated lots of firewood, and I decided to build a real fire pit after I damaged my wife Chiminea. I just wanted to see what kind of heat that bulbous terracotta chimney could handle and frankly it wasn't much. So I headed down to Home Depot in the old F150 and loaded it up with retaining wall bricks that were about $1.50 each. When I was done I had made a fire pit for just around $68 that I could actually burn some wood in. Over about three years, the fire pit has started to show some wear due to the high mileage I put on the fire pit. The typical failure mode seems to be the retaining blocks crack in half. Despite the expected wear on the original fire pit and considering the simplicity of repairs, I decided to build another. Dueling fire pits is the way to go!
Below you'll find my affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, I receive a commission. You can read my full disclosure policy here- makercise.com/privacy-policy
Chisel: amzn.to/2inKlHU
Level: amzn.to/2jf9xEZ
Comically expensive blocks similar to mine: amzn.to/2isgEZH note that amazon has some, but they are very expensive to ship relative to a local store. Like I mentioned above, I bought mine for $1.50. This fire pit will cost a different amount in different geographical locations due to the shipping cost of this material.
Check out the full build article on my blog for additional details: makercise.com/dueling-fire-pits
In case you want my wife's perspective here is a write-up she did:
thriftylittlemom.com/2013/06/28/easy-diy-inexpensive-firepit-for-backyard-fun
Also checkout a great article how to host a proper fire pit party:
thriftylittlemom.com/2013/10/16/tips-for-hosting-a-fall-firepit-gathering
