This is absolutely my favorite spot in my yard. Most hours of the day it is shady with only a small amount of dappled light and many times a delightful breeze.
It is a wonderful place to put your feet up and think about your day while sipping your morning coffee or in the evening, socialize with friends and bask in the warmth of an open fire.
My goal, in creating this space, was for my children to invite their friends and socialize – at my home – where I could keep an eye on them! It’s what we all want as parents – right?
It turns out that we adults use the space as much as the kids. I love to sit out there any time of the day. I can work on my computer, read a book, or just relax!
The making of my favorite spot:
Privacy – To make it difficult for peering eyes, I planted a hedge around the corner of my yard. I love my neighbors, but sometimes it’s nice to feel alone!
Fire Pit – Mine is constructed of concrete blocks. Go to your local home store and they will be able to set you up with something similar.
After locating the spot for the fire pit, I cleared it of grass, leveled it out and laid out my stone.
Flagstone Area – Because I wanted my fire pit to have it’s own space, an outdoor room if you will. I laid flagstone, encircling the fire pit. Since I already have a “formal patio area” I wanted this to be a casual space so I left 3-4 inches of grass between the stones.
The flagstone I purchased locally and it currently sells for $0.15/pound. Flagstone comes in many colors and I liked all of them so I purchased a little of everything!
Because I have a vehicle capable of hauling stone, my husband and I made a few trips to a natural stone retailer. Our process was to load the stone in the truck, lay out the stone as we unloaded it , decide more stone was required and go get another load! It took 3 trips to carry enough flagstone. Yes – I could have had it delivered, but this way I was able to pick the colors of the stone and build muscle…lots of muscle!
For this project I used over a ton of stone and it’s not that difficult. Only the really big flagstones are hard to move and I only had a few of them! Plus – it is kind of fun to say “I moved a ton of stone today!”
Starting at the fire pit, I placed stones that “fit” around the concrete blocks, leaving a couple of inches between the flagstones for grass. After laying the stone in place, I used a knife to cut it’s outline in the grass, moved the flagstone and removed the grass with a flat shovel and garden trowel. I also had sand on hand to help level the space the stone was to lay in and a rubber mallet to pound it into place. Getting the stones to lay flat meant moving the stone in and out of place a few times, but it was well worth it.
From this spot I can gaze across to the rest of my beautiful yard. There is nothing better than appreciating your hard work with your feet up and a refreshing beverage in your hand!
Before you begin a fire pit project, make sure you can legally have a fire pit in your area. Some cities do not allow them. Also, keep it away from any fire hazards. I do have trees in my yard, but we removed any low hanging branches from the area and we never use it in dry weather.
