Backyard Fire Pit Ideas for Any Size Yard | Rockin W Homestead (2024)

Try one of these backyard fire pit ideas for any size yard. A fire pit can bring warmth on cold nights, give you a place to cook on hot days and be the centerpiece of your family gatherings.

This weekend we began the planning for our new backyard and one of the items on the list is a backyard fire pit. While that may seem crazy in Texas, when we have 100 degree days for months on end, we feel that adding a fire pit to our deck will give us more versatility for using the space. It will also be a terrific centerpiece for gathering our friends and family.

Decide on the Reason for your Fire Pit

It’s not necessary to dig up your backyard to have a fire pit. Before you even turn a shovel of dirt, consider how you will be using your fire pit. This will help you decide on one of many fire pit designs.

Fire fit ideas for those who want to simply to light a few logs and roast a few hot dogs outside.

Then a small round steel or copper cauldron pit will work quite well. These fire pit designs are made of metal pans on wheels that can often be easily rolled from one part of the yard to another. This is the type that we have chosen for our backyard.

They will typically have a heavy metal screen surrounding the upper portion and a steel top to keep sparks from flying out into the air. They are made to burn wood and can provide a decent amount of heat from all directions, making them great for outdoor entertaining.

A variation on the cauldron type pit is the stone pit. These are easily constructed from brick and stone found at your local home improvement store. While they use the same concept as a cauldron pit, they are usually built in a permanent place. These can be made with or without a fire pit bowl.

Fire pit ideas if you the outdoor cooking type and plan to roast meat over an open spit.

There may be a more elaborate fire pit designs that will work better for your needs. For the family that uses a fire pit frequently, in-ground fire pit designs are essentially a hole dug into the ground with rocks or bricks lining the sides, extending above ground level.

It’s My Sustainable Life recently built a fire pit area in their back yard. I really like the design. This fire pit has been constructed in a raised area of their year and has plenty of room for chairs to circle the pit and even incorporates beds for herbs or shrubs.

Digging the pit into the ground provides a place for a wood fire and protects the fire from the wind. With this built-in fire pit, they can easily add metal rods each side to hold another steel rod on which chicken, beef or pork can be roasted over the fire.

Chiminea fire pits may be for you if you want to be able to do some light cooking and have a fireside chat with friends.

Consider the popular fire pit designs called a chiminea. This had a round base with a tapering chimney and stands above the ground.

It provides limited warmth to a small patio or the back yard. Marshmallows can also be roasted over these fire pit designs, although with limited access.

Chimineas are easy to find here in Texas and they can be purchased in the traditional models made of clay or consider purchasing one made of metal. If you live in a hot climate, a model made of metal may give you better longevity.

Don’t want to bother with chopping wood for a fire pit?

More permanent fire pit designs can be connected to a natural gas line instead of using a wood-burning pit, with the gas working much like a propane grill for cooking. It can be similar in design to the chimineas or the pan-style fire pit. The drawback is they are not portable.

With a little bit of knowledge and inspiration, an in-ground fire pit can also be connected to a gas line, although to connect the gas line safely it is advised the connections be done by a qualified plumber. Of all the fire pit designs to choose from, portable and stationary, there is one to fit your need.