Having grown up spending summers at the lake cabin, one of my favorite memories is evenings around the bonfire roasting marshmallows. Sadly we no longer have the cabin and so I wanted to replicate those memories with a backyard firepit.

Unfortunately, the simple cinder block one that came with our house was situated precariously close to our neighbor's garage. Since it needed to be moved anyway, we decided to do a backyard fire pit refresh with roman pavers.

Urban Wood Burning Fire Pit Update With Roman Pavers

Not only is the wood-burning firepit safer now but it looks much better now too with stone blocks. While we were at it, we decided to increase the circumference of the paving stones around the fire pit so it could comfortably accommodate at least eight chairs.

Pro-Tip

If you're a regular reader then you know how I'm all about budget-friendly DIY. A tip for saving money when creating a firepit zone is to wait until the end of the season. You'd be amazed how much cheaper the roman pavers and stone firepit kits are when they have them on clearance in late summer.

We got our roman pavers on clearance for $1 each. The only problem is they came in a flat of three colors, totally different than our original pavers. For that price, we decided to lay the stones in a random pattern so no one would notice the difference between the new pavers and the old ones.

This is what our cinder block fire pit looked like before. When the tree is fully leafed the fire pit is canopied by hanging branches. Also, you can see in the photo below how close the fire pit is to our neighbor's cedar shake garage roof. Both posing a safety hazard.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to build the urban fire pit with paving stones, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

What You'll Need To Make It

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Supply List

• Garden Bow Rake
• Flat Edge Shovel
• Rubber Mallet
• Level
• Soil Tamper
• Polymeric Sand
• Heavy-duty Push Broom
• Work Gloves
• Mask
• Eye Protection
• Power Compactor (rented at Home Depot)
• Roman Paving Stones
• Stone Fire Pit Kit

Here's How We Did It

Fire Pit Installation

After we moved the firepit we decided to upgrade the existing grey cinder blocks with a stone fire pit kit. This increased the size of our wood-burning fire pit too, which we like. Follow the instructions that come with the kit.

Prep Ground For Paving Stones

1. Remove the grass surrounding the fire pit.
2. Use a garden bow rake to move the soil evenly around the fire pit.
3. Use a soil tamper to flatten the soil and check with a level to ensure it's nice and flat before moving on to laying the stones.

Laying Roman Paver Stones

Now that the ground is level, you'll want to have a handheld garden rake, rubber mallet, and level on hand. As you lay each paver, double-check that it is level as you work. If it is slightly off level just add a little soil where needed and use the rubber mallet to tamp the stone until it's level.

After the fifth row, we were deciding whether to go another two rows to meet up with our flower bed edging. You may be wondering why we extended the stones to the right in the photo below. It leads to the DIY Potting Bench that doubles as a beverage and food table when using the fire pit.

How To Work With Polymeric Sand

To bind the pavers use polymeric sand, it's a little more expensive but much more durable than sand alone. When working with this product a mask and eye protection is a MUST.

First, pour the polymeric sand over the pavers and with a heavy-duty push broom spread the sand to completely fill the joints between each paver.

Next, go over the pavers with a vibratory plate compactor (we rented ours at Home Depot) to tamper and sift the sand between the pavers. Sorry I didn't take any photos of this step because there was way too much dust in the air and so I went indoors.

Once all the crevices are filled with polymeric sand, the top of the pavers needs to be cleaned with a broom. You want the top of the pavers to be completely free of any debris and polymeric sand before moving on to the next step.

Polymeric sand needs water to activate the binding agents and so with a garden hose and the nozzle set to the shower setting spray the pavers to get the polymeric sand wet.

Fire Pit Update

We've since expanded the pavers to complete rows six and seven by taking advantage of the end-of-season clearances. I'm much happier having complete rows around the fire pit as it looks more finished.

We couldn't be more thrilled with our cozy backyard fire pit refresh. We especially love how we can fit eight to ten chairs comfortably around the expanded paving stones surrounding the fire pit.

To complete our cozy fire pit area, I made a cute Firepit Subway Sign to hang on our fence. I also added DIY Solar Fence Lights on the potting bench to add ambiance to the fire pit zone that is so easy to make. For more backyard inspiration visit my DIY Outdoor Living page.

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