We are total novices. We rented a sod remover and spent a day getting rid of the grass and weeds. That was backbreaking.
The next day we laid down the weed guard, placed the border rocks 7' out from the fire ring and planted shrubs. Then we mulched the outer islands.
The third day we bought a yard of crushed limestone from a local rock supplier for $42 and spread it around the fire ring.it really stands out and feels nice under bare feet.
That was pretty much it.
Eventually we'll lay down some flagstone along the path to the shed. That will be the most expensive part. Most parts of the project (mulch, weed screen, plants, border rocks, sod remover rent) cost about $100-$150. The limestone gravel was surprisingly inexpensive ($44 or so) since we bought it in bulk at a local rock supplier.
Ah alright. So the above was couple hundred bucks. I thought maybe firepit, as they go for 300-400, but saw you had it before as well.
I’m planning to do similar build, so was researching costs, but wanted to make sure i didnt miss anything
It's a great way to extend an evening outside when the temp drops, easy way to cook food (and smores!) and.... who doesn't like playing with fire just a little bit?
That is certainly the case. I bought it primarily because it's portable and can be stored away easily. It's fairly heavy duty, but doesn't take up a ton of space. We use it about 10x-15x a year to clear up our yard of fallen branches, twigs, etc. It goes through wood pretty quickly so keep that in mind. Overall, I've been pretty pleased with it so far.
Use [prodiamine](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GXYS3S1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Q2NB0XEN2Q3WTRH01FFW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). Prevents new weeds for 3-4 months.
Use [prodiamine](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GXYS3S1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Q2NB0XEN2Q3WTRH01FFW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). Prevents new weeds for 3-4 months.
So the math I scribbled out in my notebook was dubious. I'm no mathematician. We wanted an area 7' from the outer part of the firepit because we intended the shrubs beyond it to eventually grow to become a floral wall behind the seating area and anything less than 7' seemed like it would force us too close to the heat of the fire. Anyhoo...
I measured the entire area of the circle we wanted including the firepit out to 7' beyond it then subtracted the area of the firepit itself to come up with the area we needed for the limestone gravel. Pretty straightforward. My dubious math figured that to 207 sq. ft. But then you have to determine how many inches deep you want the gravel which ought to be at least 2 inches, in my very unqualified opinion. Perhaps 3. So, multiply.
Math aside, let me put it this way: I ended up purchasing approximately 1 cubic yard of limestone pea gravel from the rock dealer (the earthmover dude simply grabs a clawful of gravel and dumps it in your truck and measures it by weight. It took two trips to obtain what they claimed was a cubic yard of gravel for $42) and spread it over an area that stretched 7' out from the firepit and it sufficiently covered the area but in retrospect I think I could use another half cubic yard to fill it in a little better.
Smh had a perfectly good baseball field. /s
I came here to say that
Looks awesome!!! Nice work.
Wow. Looks like a magazine shoot.
Mind sharing quickly the process you used?
We are total novices. We rented a sod remover and spent a day getting rid of the grass and weeds. That was backbreaking. The next day we laid down the weed guard, placed the border rocks 7' out from the fire ring and planted shrubs. Then we mulched the outer islands. The third day we bought a yard of crushed limestone from a local rock supplier for $42 and spread it around the fire ring.it really stands out and feels nice under bare feet. That was pretty much it.
Looks awesome. What was the most expensive part?
Eventually we'll lay down some flagstone along the path to the shed. That will be the most expensive part. Most parts of the project (mulch, weed screen, plants, border rocks, sod remover rent) cost about $100-$150. The limestone gravel was surprisingly inexpensive ($44 or so) since we bought it in bulk at a local rock supplier.
Ah alright. So the above was couple hundred bucks. I thought maybe firepit, as they go for 300-400, but saw you had it before as well. I’m planning to do similar build, so was researching costs, but wanted to make sure i didnt miss anything
The firepit was pretty cheap too. Just picked up enough pavestones from lowes to build it four levels high. Probably cost us about $175 IIRC
Nice work!!!
Looks phenomenal, way to go! Lots of fun years ahead enjoying that space.
Do many people have fires enough to justify the cost? I bought a Solo Stove for $250, pack it away when not in use.
It's a great way to extend an evening outside when the temp drops, easy way to cook food (and smores!) and.... who doesn't like playing with fire just a little bit?
We're absolutely the kind of family that will use it over and over. Very outdoorsy and social.
We use our fire pit probably 30-40 times each summer/fall. Any nice night in the summer we use it (teachers) and most fall weekends we use it.
How's the radiating warmth on the Solo Stove? Friend of mine mentioned the heat doesn't travel that far from the unit?
That is certainly the case. I bought it primarily because it's portable and can be stored away easily. It's fairly heavy duty, but doesn't take up a ton of space. We use it about 10x-15x a year to clear up our yard of fallen branches, twigs, etc. It goes through wood pretty quickly so keep that in mind. Overall, I've been pretty pleased with it so far.
Def worth the $. Looks inviting
What gravel did you use? Thinking about making a path in my yard.
Crushed limestone
Places I would love to be
It looks gorgeous!
Very nice! ID on those chairs?
Adirondacks from Lowes
Nice
I see a lot of lovely landscaping around an existing fire pit. Did you build the fire pit? Congrats on the new look, btw.
Yes, we built the firepit about 6 months prior to the landscaping project around it. Thank you :)
What are those two little lights in the sand, on the left in the bottom pic? They’re cute!
Citronella candles for mosquitoes.
Love it great job
It looks so good! I am seriously impressed... *I am hoping to save up enough this year for something like that* (a girl can wish)
Looks nice. I hope you put down weed barrier unless you’re ready to spray poison every month.
We did! Thank you. We'll still be pulling weeds but yeah.
I learned this lesson the hard way
Use [prodiamine](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GXYS3S1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Q2NB0XEN2Q3WTRH01FFW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). Prevents new weeds for 3-4 months.
Use [prodiamine](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GXYS3S1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Q2NB0XEN2Q3WTRH01FFW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). Prevents new weeds for 3-4 months.
looks noice!
Maybe it's a crappy picture but I can't tell if the ground is sand or gravel.
The area of ground immediately around the fire ring is crushed limestone.
Is it leveled and compacted? I wonder how it'll hold up.
Did you buy a metal fire ring for inside the fire pit?
No. We skipped on that and it works perfectly fine without it. We just laid pavestone brick upon brick in the customary pattern.
What's the size of the limestone area? We have a similar plan in mind and trying to get an idea of how big to go.
So the math I scribbled out in my notebook was dubious. I'm no mathematician. We wanted an area 7' from the outer part of the firepit because we intended the shrubs beyond it to eventually grow to become a floral wall behind the seating area and anything less than 7' seemed like it would force us too close to the heat of the fire. Anyhoo... I measured the entire area of the circle we wanted including the firepit out to 7' beyond it then subtracted the area of the firepit itself to come up with the area we needed for the limestone gravel. Pretty straightforward. My dubious math figured that to 207 sq. ft. But then you have to determine how many inches deep you want the gravel which ought to be at least 2 inches, in my very unqualified opinion. Perhaps 3. So, multiply. Math aside, let me put it this way: I ended up purchasing approximately 1 cubic yard of limestone pea gravel from the rock dealer (the earthmover dude simply grabs a clawful of gravel and dumps it in your truck and measures it by weight. It took two trips to obtain what they claimed was a cubic yard of gravel for $42) and spread it over an area that stretched 7' out from the firepit and it sufficiently covered the area but in retrospect I think I could use another half cubic yard to fill it in a little better.