Fire Pits

Fire pits are a great way to heat up your landscaping project. They are great for barbecues or staying warm on cool nights. Fire pits come in many manufactured models from smaller, mobile chimineas and fire bowls to larger, stationary stone structures and outdoor fireplaces and include gas and wood burning models of each. If one were so inclined to do so, a fire pit could be easily and inexpensively without the help of a professional.

Just recently I built my own fire pit and would like to go thru the steps involved. First you will need to decide where to construct your fire pit, and make sure that you comply with all burn codes and limitations in your area. Pick a spot that is pretty open, and away from burnable structures. Remember, when playing with fire, common sense goes a long way.

After you have your landscaping design and are ready to begin building your fire pit, you will need to lay out your bricks or stones so you can mark the outline of your trench. Take a shovel or spade and mark the outside of your perimeter all the way around. Mark the inside as well. Now dig a trench where the bricks would go about a foot deep. Then you will need to dig a good 6 to 8 inches for the actual pit. Fill your trench up to the rest of the pit with gravel or concrete, so that you have an even layer of filler material and dirt in your pit.

Now you are ready to start laying your bricks. Make sure they lay flat and level, and that you put them end to end tightly with no gaps. Apply a good amount of adhesive material (masonry caulk works very nicely) to the top of the first layer. On every other layer of brick, start by centering your first brick over where the 2 bricks below join together. Continue until desired height is reached. You may cover your top layer with some kind of capstones if desired.

Fill your pit about a a third to half way with gravel. For safety measures it is wise to place a metal campire ring in your pit to help reduce the heat on your stone structure to increase its lifespan. Make sure it does not stick out the top of your stone wall, or go too far down. You may have to adjust your gravel to achieve the right depth. Fill any gaps between the ring and the wall with additional gravel. Once this is all done give your fire pit a couple of days to dry, most of the adhesives and things used are most likely flammable after all.

For the final step (the most important if you ask me) build a fire, have a beer, and congratulate yourself on another landscaping victory!

Landscaping Ideas and Designs

Landscaping is an excellent way to improve both the look and value of your property. Many people feel they lack either the knowledge or skill necessary to accomplish desired outdoor landscaping projects. There is no need to hire expensive outdoor designers or gardeners, when you can find all the information needed to design and construct your own landscape for free on the internet. You can easily find landscaping designs and ideas for everything from simple flower gardens to elaborate decks and patios, as well as everything in between. With proper planning and preparation, you can create the landscape of your dreams and enjoy your piece of the outdoors for years to come.

A common and easy to do outdoor landscaping design is flower gardens. Flower gardens add color and life to any landscaping project and are almost limitless in terms of design. Everything from traditional rose gardens to more modern rock gardens are used widely today in landscaping. You could make a flower garden almost anywhere on your propety and incorpate different shapes and patterns using various kinds of edging such as cut-to-fit plastic and stone to define the area of your flower garden.

Fountain and waterfall landscaping is also a great way to add elegance to any lawn and garden project. Fountains and waterfalls provide a calm and soothing vibe from sights and sounds they produce. Fountains range from outdoor wall mounted models to garden centerpieces. Waterfalls can be built just about anywhere, and some plans do not require having a small pond to operate.

The most important aspect of any landscaping project is the lawn. As the backbone of your landscape, the lawn should always be kept neat and healthy. Feeding and watering your lawn is inexpensive and goes a long way as far as looks are concerned. Small accents such as lighting and faux outdoor rocks (to cover unsightly meters, valves, and pumps) can also add tremendous improvement to the look of your lawn. Remember, it doesnt matter about the awesome deck you and your buddy built, or the beautiful flower garden you slaved away caring for, if the lawn surrounding it looks like a wasteland.

There are so many outdoor projects and landscaping designs that pages and pages could be written about them. For now though, here are a few ideas to get you started, or to inspire you to put your own ideas to work.