Thanks for the compliments, everyone. Mike, you're correct that I couldn't do this for a price than anyone could afford. I work very slowly! However, the before picture is misleading. It was taken a few years ago, I just forgot to take one immediately before starting. The first two pictures are roughly the same shot. The spruce tree to the right and behind the fire pit is the same tree, but with about 6 years of growth. The houses were all there when I started. I began this project last spring so it took me about a year and a half. By the way, Pam, I'm a math teacher with some time on my hands during the summer. Here's a picture from my back door, Pam. The fire pit is above the birdbath in the picture. It shows up a little more in real life.

So your member page says you live in the US, so your zone 8 might be Texas, might be Washington State. Either way you don't really need the crush gravel base, but a little sand is probably a good thing. I don't feel that having landscape fabric underneath is a good idea, but that might just be because I hate the stuff. It might not hurt. Other than that, I think the comments I made on the concurrent thread about laying a flagstone pathway would also apply to you. In addition, however, I would keep the gaps between your stones pretty narrow as placing chair legs can be hazardous with large gaps. You want solid footing with the firepit. Nice quip on the floating deck thread about having flammables handy for the fire if you made a wood deck ... on that note, does landscape fabric burn?

I have been dreaming of a nice pit/patio for a couple years. We have a pit now, but I would like to put in a nice one, and a patio to go with it. Nothing big and fancy, just something to set a few chairs around.... and of most importance, ON A BUDGET! What are your ideas for the most inexpensive way to create a fire pit patio? I don't care as much about looks....I want it to look NEAT, yes, but of course I want chairs to sit well, so not gravel, unless it was compacted down... like in our barn, we use limestone screenings for the floor. The gravel got raked away and just left a hard, compact sandy base. Almost like cement. I could even deal with that....but may get "pothol-ey" with rain. So I'm not considering that idea so much. And...it would need to be edged to keep it all in I'm sure. It wouldn't be right in my back yard, it would be set off a bit.....I have a large country lot. That's why fancy isn't a big deal to me, I do actually like more rustic...but would like some sort of flat sitting area, and not having to mow right up to the pit. And, what size pit is too small? I'm thinking of using landscape blocks. That's what I have now, but they are spaced apart, because when I had them flush together, the pit seemed too small. But it's quite large now. If the pit is smaller and you use blocks, will they split with the heat? Thanks for any opinions!

You can choose a standard UL Listed fire pit table design or even go with a custom fire pit design for your unique space. We also offer unfinished bases and individual gas burners for your DIY project. As for shape, multiple fire pit shapes would work well in that space. Your fire pit size, design, shape, etc. depends on your preferences and purpose for the fire table. A linear or rectangular design would easily accommodate a gathering too. Good luck with your project!