It only took 18 months and an impending graduation party to finally finish our backyard firepit. When we first built our house, we knew that we wanted to expand our outdoor living space with a quiet and peaceful retreat. However, after a solid 12 months of building, we were tired….and a little over budget!
The first summer after moving in was all about the trees and shrubs and getting our grass to grow. That, in itself is an entire blog post 😉 I did not know how much work growing grass could be! As we went into the fall and winter last year, we knew we had a large gathering coming up in the early summer with my son’s highschool graduation, so we set out planning the outdoor oasis. Like the house build, I relied A LOT on Pinterest. I often joke that our house is the house that Pinterest built!
When we built the house, we had an amazing landscaper and family friend who created the most beautiful retaining walls out of huge limestone boulders. He tucked in flower beds here and there and after 2 years of planting shrubs and perennials, I think it’s looking really nice. We knew that we wanted the firepit to be a continuation of the limestone so we designed it to tie in to the retaining walls with flat limestone stepping stones.
We drew out the approximate dimensions using spray paint and measuring tape. For reference, our patio is approximately 12 feet in diameter. He started by bringing in some extra dirt to level out the area which would support the multi level firepit. After that he began placing down large, flat pieces of limestone to form the base of the firepit and the pathways leading to the retaining wall stairs and the walk out patio.
He used huge chunks of limestone stacked on top of eachother to add structure and and height to the design. Continuing the style of the rock gardens, he tucked in more flower beds here and there and we filled them with mulch and bright annuals.
We knew we wanted a power source for the outdoor lighting so we ran electrical wiring from the house to the back of the fire pit area. It terminates into a junction box under an oak tree behind the firepit and I hid it with some hosta plants. From there we were able to string the edison bulb lighting and have a power source handy.
We added black adirondack chairs, a beautiful wood burning fire pit, large black planters and that was it! I still want to add some side tables to hold drinks and snacks so if you know of any really cute ones, send them my way!
See below for a link to all the sources.
We could’t be happier with the finished product and are already spending so many hours in our backyard with our family and friends. It has provided the additional living space for the warm summer months where we can enjoy our morning coffee or an evening glass of wine watching the sun set.
Sources:
Serwall Folding Adirondack Chairs
