# Old outdoor fireplace rehab'd to a firepit...



## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

The PA bluestone arrived but I have no way of getting a 3200 pound pallet off the truck, and I certainly don't want to do it by hand, but the delivery truck dumps -- it's just physics -- so there you go:









Each 3' x 2' x 1.5" thick piece of bluestone weighs about 75 pounds:









The little BX is one tough customer, she didn't complain even once:










Now the fall season was in full swing and with so many other things going on I was spending just an hour each night after work on the firepit. Visions of restarting the unfinished project in the spring were in the back of my head:









I enlisted some support from a friend of mine who is a mason. while I was at work one day he poured the underlay slab for the patio surface, and the next day put the PA bluestone down and grouted it in. This is what it looked like at 8pm:









The job of stacking the fieldstone on the walls was split between me and one of his helpers, it takes longer than you would think to get it right. 









In the meantime my mason friend used this "cake decoration" tool thingy to regrout the stove joints in an artistic way, 









The end result actually looked really cool and gave it a nice new look,









This picture was taken the day before Thanksgiving,









But over the next week it finally came all together,


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

The final result was super,









And has turned out to be a great place to have a beer with friends,









It is now a great place to eat outside -- close enough to the house but just the right distance away,


















I used a weak Muriatic acid solution to clean years of weather and grime from the old fireplace, and it is truly beautiful now. The true colors of those old stones are still there.


















----

epilogue:

In the end I'm really happy not to have stuck the BX's FEL into the side of the fireplace, reducing it to rubble. The old fireplace represents something we "saved", and that's a good feeling to me. The newly built firepit is both functional and a nice detail to the yard.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Nice job! It looks like your family will enjoy it for many years to come.


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## no1hustler (Aug 11, 2010)

That is awesome! 

Are you worried about drainage?


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

no1hustler said:


> Are you worried about drainage?


Not at all. With dry stack fieldstone, water flows right though the wall. The bluestone patio surface is pitched a bit, towards the downhill side )), so any water coming in (either from rain or runoff from uphill) goes right out the other side of the pit. There is geotextile (landscape) fabric at the interface of the surrounding soil and the walls, so the soil doesn't migrate into the firepit. You can see the black geotextile in some of the pictures above, and also below. 

This past summer was one of the wettest on record, and there were no problems whatsoever with the firepit capturing water.

wrooster


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## no1hustler (Aug 11, 2010)

Nice, I should have looked closer, I didn't realize it was dry stacked. Nice, thought out project!


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## smithfly114 (Sep 24, 2008)

I do not see any pictures! :-(


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

smithfly114 said:


> I do not see any pictures! :-(


Things seem to be working, perhaps try again?

Wrooster


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Wow, that came out really nice!

Is that a workshop in the background? Garage?


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

CoconutPete said:


> Wow, that came out really nice!
> Is that a workshop in the background? Garage?


workshop...

Wrooster


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Very nice! Both the workshop and the firepit!


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## shumakerscott (Jan 11, 2008)

It seems to me that your open style would allow for more heat to reach your legs and feet than an enclosed one. I like it. dorf dude...


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## jasin (Jan 22, 2012)

Nice work


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## gmhammes (Jan 10, 2010)

House is beautiful!


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

Thanks for all the nice comments! 

I only remember sweating a lot... :thumbsup:

Wrooster


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## cprice12 (Jan 3, 2011)

Very nice.
I agree with the comment about the recessed area allowing for better heat distribution to those enjoying it. Seems like that would work well.
We have a small fire pit that we are going to landscape around sometime in the future...no plans for it yet though. I like what you did.

I also like what you did with the retaining wall next to your workshop.
That is very similar to what I have going on next to my workshop. The ground is higher on one end of the building than the slab, so I dug it out and will be putting some rock down and putting in some kind of retaining wall.

Looks real nice!


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## jasin (Jan 22, 2012)

I hope you use green (i.e. environmentally friendly) fire logs because burning regular wood straight up will create pollution.

see: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/green-fire-logs-roundup-135950


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

jasin said:


> I hope you use green (i.e. environmentally friendly) fire logs because burning regular wood straight up will create pollution.
> see: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/green-fire-logs-roundup-135950


Not to worry, I don't burn wood at all. I only burn old tires, discarded plastic bottles that are too numerous to carry to the recycling center, and of course used motor oil.

Wrooster


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## jasin (Jan 22, 2012)

wrooster said:


> Not to worry, I don't burn wood at all. I only burn old tires, discarded plastic bottles that are too numerous to carry to the recycling center, and of course used motor oil.
> 
> Wrooster


:thumbdown:


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## <*(((>< (Mar 6, 2009)

jasin said:


> I hope you use green (i.e. environmentally friendly) fire logs because burning regular wood straight up will create pollution.
> 
> see: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/green-fire-logs-roundup-135950


:no:

:icon_rolleyes:

I'm sure wrooster only burns his wood horizontally, its easier to stack, so he is ok.


WROOSTER: Nice place you got there, feels secluded with all the mature landscape.


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## jasin (Jan 22, 2012)

<*(((>< said:


> :no:
> 
> :icon_rolleyes:
> 
> ...


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

<*(((>< said:


> WROOSTER: Nice place you got there, feels secluded with all the mature landscape.


Thanks, appreciate the positive feedback. It's a work-in-constant-progress. 

Wrooster


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## cprice12 (Jan 3, 2011)

jasin said:


> I hope you use green (i.e. environmentally friendly) fire logs because burning regular wood straight up will create pollution.
> 
> see: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/green-fire-logs-roundup-135950


Hmmm...I looked this up.
Every article/site that talks about this states the minor concern with burning non-environmentally friendly wood and causing pollution pertains to BURING WOOD INSIDE THE HOME IN A FIREPLACE OR STOVE.

Insisting someone burn environmentally friendly wood in a small, backyard outdoor fire pit becaue of pollution concerns, is pretty ridiculous.

Do you drive an electric car?


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## mgp roofing (Aug 15, 2011)

Nice work!


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## scotzilla (Mar 1, 2011)

awesome- thats gotta be the sweetest outdoor fireplace ive seen


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## Dinggus (Jul 22, 2010)

jasin said:


> I hope you use green (i.e. environmentally friendly) fire logs because burning regular wood straight up will create pollution.
> 
> see: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/green-fire-logs-roundup-135950


What doesn't pollute the air? I'm sure him burning regular wood wouldn't matter.


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## cprice12 (Jan 3, 2011)

Dinggus said:


> What doesn't pollute the air? I'm sure him burning regular wood wouldn't matter.


He's not burning acres of wood. It's a few split logs every now and then I'm sure.

And the concern from the links the gentleman posted earlier refers to burning logs inside the home and releasing toxins inside the home. It says nothing about burning logs outside.

Nobody says you can't run a generator to power your house when the power goes out...just don't run it in the garage. Same thing.


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## scotzilla (Mar 1, 2011)

everybody stop breathing, you are using up oxygen


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Thats one beautiful looking piece of real estate


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## Double (Feb 15, 2012)

Looking very nice...on a side not, I love the doors to the workshop, they are nearly identical to my front door.

What does the bluestone sell for by the pallet?


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

Double said:


> What does the bluestone sell for by the pallet?


You may want to be more specific. PA bluestone can be specified many ways -- cut, stand-up, variegated, true blue, lilac, 1", 1.5", 2" thick, etc. 

See, for example, this page:
http://paquarriedbluestone.com/productFlagstone.php

The upside down pallet shown in my picture earlier in this thread is a load of random size 1.5" thick stand-up bluestone. Cut stone pricing is higher. I live quite near the NE PA area, so bulk transportation of the stone from the quarry to the distribution point is less costly than say if you lived in TX. 

But a rough cost for such as pallet FOB is about $200 -- note though that some stone places sell by the pallet, and other by weight. The pallet you see in my driveway was $250 "dropped off". If you have a truck and a way to offload the load at home, you can pick up pallets of bluestone at the distribution point for around $150-$175 pallet. Some companies also charge a pallet fee, which can be recovered by returning the empty pallets.

I will point out here that the installation effort (and therefore the final cost) of any random size flagstone installation (including PA bluestone) is entirely dependent on how tight you want the joints. You can go broke (by paying someone) and/or dead (from stone dust inhalation) trying to get 1/4" gaps on large areas of irregular flagstone. For this reason, if you want tight gaps and you are on a budget, you may want to use cut bluestone (square or ractangular shapes). 

Otherwise I would suggest that you pick your battles. In my case I specified tight joints for the driveway apron, where aesthetically it looks more refined. But the rest of the bluestone on the property is "lay down" style -- you puzzle it until it "mostly fits" and don't worry about cutting lots of stone to make consistent joints. By the way, cutting the apron took 3 days and a bunch of diamond blades. I DO NOT SUGGEST DOING THIS YOURSELF as the stone dust is really, really bad for your lungs. 

Wrooster



















































































compare the above with...


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## <*(((>< (Mar 6, 2009)

Wrooster, you held out on the first batch of pics regarding the apron!

Nice job on the apron, man that all looks schweet!

When's the BBQ, I'm there?


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

<*(((>< said:


> Wrooster, you held out on the first batch of pics regarding the apron!


The title of this forum is "DIY" -- and the apron shown above is not "DIY" in the sense that i understand the term "DIY". :laughing: 

A good friend of mine is a mason, and he "has people". And if "those people" constructed the apron (including the ungodly task of cutting the stone to fit), and all I did was stand there, specify what the end result should be, say "looks good to me", and then write a check to cover the stone, labor and beer, well that is not DIY in my book. I have that full time job thing on the side, so I have to go to work every day -- although I would rather do DIY projects... :thumbsup:



<*(((>< said:


> Nice job on the apron, man that all looks schweet!


I will tell the mason. 

I have met some folks with really nice classic cars, and they say proudly "I just finished this restoration, she's a beauty, ain't she!" -- and later you find out what they really meant is that they just wrote the last check to the shop that restored the vehicle from the axles up. Not to say that there is anything wrong with that particular approach, but at least tell it like it is. 



<*(((>< said:


> When's the BBQ, I'm there?


:drink:

Wrooster


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## Jim F (Mar 4, 2010)

Are you still going to burn fires in the fireplace and put chairs in the pit area? Or are you going to have fires in that pit area and sit around the perimeter? In other words is that a firepit or a patio in front of the old fireplace?


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

Jim F said:


> Are you still going to burn fires in the fireplace and put chairs in the pit area? Or are you going to have fires in that pit area and sit around the perimeter? In other words is that a firepit or a patio in front of the old fireplace?


LoL, I never imagined building a fire the size of the firepit itself. The county and local fire departments would be here in minutes... they would probably call in an air drop unit to help out. :laughing:

The fire goes in the fireplace, and people go in //and// on the firepit. The drystack walls for the firepit were sized (height-wise) to sit on. 

Wrooster


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## Jim F (Mar 4, 2010)

So then it's a patio, not a firepit or I guess you could even call it a really big hearth. That answers my question thanks.


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

Jim F said:


> So then it's a patio, not a firepit or I guess you could even call it a really big hearth. That answers my question thanks.


Yes, correct, it is a patio area suitable for chairs, a small table, or simply folks sitting on the stone wall. There *may* be alcohol involved at times.

n.b.
In no case, however, is any Real Wood burned in the fireplace. I made the "action picture" I posted above using Photoshop.

Wrooster


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## no1hustler (Aug 11, 2010)

Lol, so life like! You should work in Hollywood doing special effects!


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## Jim F (Mar 4, 2010)

wrooster said:


> Yes, correct, it is a patio area suitable for chairs, a small table, or simply folks sitting on the stone wall. There *may* be alcohol involved at times.
> 
> n.b.
> In no case, however, is any Real Wood burned in the fireplace. I made the "action picture" I posted above using Photoshop.
> ...


So it's not functional then? It looks almost like a throne. You could sit there and hold court.:thumbup:


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

Jim F said:


> So it's not functional then?


Correct. I was warned earlier in this thread that burning wood in an open firepit creates pollution. As I subsequently pointed out, I have not been burning wood, but instead have been burning old tires, plastic bottles, and used motor oil. I hope everyone is happy now.

So everyone, please, just continue thinking that I am not responsible for screwing up the Earth's environment by burning actual wood in my firepit. Any pictures demonstrating otherwise are simply high tech simulations.

By the way, does anyone have any ideas on how to get rid of the stuff pictured below? It's everywhere...

Wrooster :icon_cheesygrin:


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

I guess you're going to have to haul it off to the dump. Don't forget that leaner. It looks dangerously close to smashing all that hard work.
I love your property


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## Jim F (Mar 4, 2010)

I missed all that I guess. It didn't seem to make much sense to build a fireplace and not burn wood. I am so not worried about the environmental impact of burning firewood in a backyard pit.


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## wrooster (Apr 16, 2010)

Jim F said:


> I missed all that I guess. It didn't seem to make much sense to build a fireplace and not burn wood. I am so not worried about the environmental impact of burning firewood in a backyard pit.


Neither am I. 

Wrooster


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## btyking (Jun 17, 2011)

jasin said:


> I hope you use green (i.e. environmentally friendly) fire logs because burning regular wood straight up will create pollution.
> 
> see: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/green-fire-logs-roundup-135950



Does anyone have a spare fist to thrust straight up into my face? 

Great job on your new space bro. It looks beast. The bomb.com . It's sweeter than Christmas morning. It's sweeter than Santa's chimney chow. It rocks not only my face, but every other part of my body off. Right off. It rocks more than a Quikrete factory.

Bk


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