Our backyard seems to be a forever project, and I honestly don’t know if/when we’ll ever be fully “done” with it. It’s seen some pretty dramatic changes since we first moved in – including building a massive raised flower bed, putting down a stone patio, adding granite steps up to the pool, and slowly bringing the neglected flower beds back to life. And while we’ve done so much with it, there’s always more I want to do! I want to step out into my backyard and feel like I’m in a hidden secret garden, or like I’m on a tropical vacation, a space that is beautiful and colorful and relaxing…it’s a work in progress, but I think we’re getting there.
The previous owners left us with a very large, very run down swing set, which didn’t really work for us, so we tore it down and set up a trampoline for a few years. When the girls went an entire summer without jumping on it, I started thinking about what we could do in that area, utilizing the existing landscape (aka mulch pit) and layout. At this point we already had finished the patio for “outdoor dining,” and there was plenty of seating/lounging at the pool, so I hopped on Pinterest and searched “DIY backyard projects.”
This was the backyard when we first moved in, where the fire pit now is.
Insert: Fire pit. It made perfect sense – the space is far enough away from the house, there’s zero grass, and I was tired of my husband burning our lawn when he used our existing “fire pit” (aka fire pit set on top of a wood pallet in the center of our nice green lawn) It took us about 2 seasons to get the space right, but it was worth it because we love it, our kids and their friends love it, and I’m one step closer to the tropical-vacation backyard vibe.
Below you can find the steps we took to create this area, along with links to the products used!
How To Create the Perfect Backyard Fire Pit
We were lucky enough to already have the space designated for us, as the previous owners had dug out the grass and laid down a bed of sand and mulch for the swing set, boxed out with 2X4’s. After doing some research on the best materials to use, we went back to the company we ordered our patio stones from and ordered pea gravel and a firepit kit. Since we had done our patio the previous summer, we chose a firepit kit in a similar color to the patio pavers, to tie the 2 areas together.
Before spreading out the pea gravel, we used leftover pavers from the patio to lay down a template of the fire pit. We then dug 4 inches down into the ground, and laid these pavers as the base. We spread the pea stone evenly throughout the area, and my husband assembled the fire pit. We then filled the middle of the pit with about 5″ of the pea gravel, to make sure the ground would never catch on fire.
Note: We chose not to purchase the fire-resistant steel barrel insert, as we wanted a more “natural” look to the pit, and didn’t think it was worth the money.
Brett and my parents laying out the pea gravel Spring 2019
DIY Outdoor Lighting
Since our fire pit is on the far side of the yard, there is no way to have electricity without running an ugly, long extension cord across the whole yard. Here is where my love for DIY projects came in, as we needed to create some type of outdoor post to string up the solar panel bistro lights.
To make the outdoor planter posts, you’ll need the following:
- 4 Outdoor planters (we chose these wooden barrels)
- 4x4x8 ft. treated lumber – 4 posts
- Quikrete concrete mix – we used about 6 of the 50 lb. bags in total
- Cup Hooks
- Potting Soil
- Outdoor Solar Powered Bistro lights (2 strings of lights)
- Optional – 8 corner L brackets, wood stain
The first thing we did was set up the planters in each corner of our fire pit, so we wouldn’t have to worry about dragging them after we filled them with concrete. Next, we attached the treated 4×4’s to the bottom of the barrels using 2 corner braces, using a level to make sure the posts were straight.
NOTE – We chose to secure our 4×4’s with the corner braces for 2 reasons – 1. our wooden barrels each had a drainage hole in the bottom and I didn’t want the concrete to drip out, and 2. we weren’t sure how long the concrete would take to fully dry and didn’t want to risk the posts falling over. I think this step can be optional depending on the type of planters you use and if you have extra hands to help hold the posts up while its drying.
After securing the 4×4’s, we poured the concrete mix directly into the barrels, filling a little at a time and mixing as we went. It took a few tries to get the consistency right, but we thought it would be much easier to do it this way rather than mixing in a separate bucket and pouring. Each barrel needed about 1 1/4 bag of concrete, and we let them sit for a full 24 hours before adding the soil. While the concrete was setting, I quickly applied some Minwax wood stain we had using a sponge brush. Since the wood is weather treated, I’m not sure how the color will hold up over time, but it looks better than the greenish treated tone, so for now I’ll take it.
After the concrete set for 24 hours, I drilled 3 drainage holes through the barrel, right above the concrete line. I then added a layer of rocks to further help with drainage (using the pea stone in our fire pit), filled the rest of the barrel with planting soil, and added some inexpensive annuals. It’s been about a month since we finished this, and the flowers are still holding strong and blooming!
Next, I attached one cup hook to the top of each post, which allowed me to string up the solar lights. I purchased 2 sets of 48ft outdoor bistro lights and connected them. While the ones I purchased are no longer in stock, there are so many similar ones online – best thing to pay attention to is if they can connect to another set, and the distance between the solar panel and the first bulb (the set I went with had 6 feet between the panel and bulb.) I hid the connected area with some Gorilla Glue duct tape, and unless you are really looking for it, you can’t notice it. The lights were easy to string up, and I staked the solar panel into the soil of the planter, wrapping the extra bulbs down the post and securing them with a few more cup hooks.
I purchased all of the furniture around the fire pit last year, including these four folding Adirondack chairs from Wayfair. I got them in the natural wood color while on sale, and opted to put them together myself. This is our second year having them, and so far they’ve held up great. We’ve sealed them twice (at the start of each spring season), and the fact that they fold down to store makes them worth the money. I found the outdoor tables in Michaels last year at the end of the season, when they were 75% off. I’ve linked a similar style here. The bench is a damaged piece from an outdoor dining set I ordered, but we chose to keep it as additional seating if needed.
With all of the social distancing and isolating that has been going on, it’s been really nice to have this outdoor space, a place where we can get out of the house, relax, and enjoy the fresh air and warmer weather. I can’t wait to finally have our friends and family over, to sip on cold wine and make s’mores, and be able to enjoy another summer together.
