build an outdoor fireplace

I would have liked to build an actual “brick oven,” of course, but for my current purposes a circle of stones or bricks would probably suffice. It’s just a place to put a small fire occasionally, around which to kick back and talk story or, you know, whatever.

I ended up restacking the remaining cinder blocks of the original fireplace, moved in a foot or two from the embankment where the previous one was undermined when the bank fell away. The new one is smaller by one block in each horizontal direction, and is only three tiers high instead of five. This scale is much more appropriate to the small yard.

At present the blocks are merely stacked, but not mortared or cemented. I shall see how this works. Also, I didn’t want to cement them in case the footing settles. I’ll try it like this for a few months and see if it works. If it remains in place, perhaps I’ll consider mortaring the joints, which would definitely help the aesthetics; altho’ in this setting, the somewhat “rustic” appearance is acceptable.

Wood for the first fire is stacked in place. If the wind subsides this evening I hope to “break in” the new enclosure with a little blaze.

There was a brick, or more accurately a cement block, fireplace in the yard. Initially, after moving into the house, I wanted to tear it down, as it was quite large and blocked the view. Over time, however, I became accustomed to it.

It finally collapsed on its own. The concrete slab beneath it settled and the bricks cracked. A couple of weekends ago I attempted to shore it up and the bricks began to crumble, so I partly dismantled it before it could collapse and hurt someone (probably me).

I’m trying to decide whether to attempt to build another outdoor fireplace. If I do, I’d like it to be smaller than the old one and much lower in height. I should look online for some plans or ideas.

Then again, I only used the previous one maybe three or four times a year, if that. Perhaps it’s not worth the trouble.