We Make Fire...

Justin and I have finished another project.

A project 6 months in the making...

Good things take time right?

It all started when we were looking to dress up our backyard. It started with the need to have steps from the original patio to the new patio.

Check. (And maybe another blog post of a cautionary tale that large stones sound like a good idea until you're lifting them.)

Then we were going to have a garden space for some color.

But per usual, a regular garden wouldn't be sufficient. Oh no... we needed some flare... and by "flare" I mean fire pit.

We started the project with some barrels we had in our original patio decor that no longer fit:

We used the Jack Daniels barrel from Home Depot for about $25. 

Justin started by drilling a hole in the bottom of the barrel and then secured a large metal tube over the hole (so the pipe could go from the bottom to the top of the barrel). Then he filled around the tube with cement and let it set.

***Project tip #1***

Make sure you've got your barrel in the general exact vicinity of where you ultimately want it... because once you put that concrete in the only way it's moving is when the new owners of the house decide to do it.

The next step is to plumb a line for propane to the barrel to your propane tank. This actually could be a step you do before the cement but we weren't sure how much the barrel would sink in the ground due to the weight - and blowing up our house because of a crushed pipe was not on my agenda.

Once you've plumbed your line from the barrel to a propane tank, connect with a regulator and check for leaks.

Now, I wish I could give you more detail on the plumbing but I followed tip #2...

***Project tip #2***

For the previous step I highly recommend that you take a nap and find someone else to do this for you. (A big thanks to Justin and my father-in-law for aiding in my napping.)

After you're leak-free secure your fire pit ring. I recommend a double-ring as it makes for a really nice visual plus it's substantial enough for the barrel.

Then, the fun part - add a decorative touch. We did white rock (found at Home Depot) because it was cost-efficient plus a bit of a splurge on fire pit glass. (No seriously... considering you're buying broken glass it is $$$.)

***Project tip #3***

Get yourself a nice bottle of wine... You'll want it to fully appreciate all the hard work you watched (or napped your way through) your husband and father-in-law do.