Many brits will be using this summer temperatures and sunshine as an opportunity to bring their cooking outside and enjoy some barbecued food. However, why settle for the old school BBQ when you can build your very own barbecue pit in the garden.
Join Flogas, which supplies people with LPG storage tanks that can be used to power BBQ pits, as they bring you this guide to build the perfect barbecue pit for your garden and the safety considerations which must be considered:
Tools and equipment
Here is a list of everything you will need to build your barbecue pit:
- Bricks
- Carpenter’s square
- Cinder blocks
- Dry mortar
- Gravel
- Grill top
- Hand tamper
- Measuring tape
- Metal braces
- Metal cylinder or can (if you’re building a metal pit)
- Paving slabs
- Shovel
- Spirit level
- Trowel
- Water
Take time to plan and prepare
You should avoid diving straight into building your barbecue pit as planning is important.
To begin, think about the type of barbecue put that you want for your garden. There are many different types you can choose, here is a handy guide for DIY Cozy Home that will help you find one that is perfect for you and the space you will be working with. Don’t forget to also consider your budget, as you don’t want a half-finished pit just because you realised during the project that you couldn’t afford all the materials.
Once you’ve chosen your barbecue pit, it’s time to choose where you would want to build your barbecue pit in your garden. For convenience, you should be aiming to place it close to your dining room or kitchen so you only need to walk small distances with food and utensils once it’s time to grill on your barbecue. Logistically, you should aim for your pit to be at least 15 feet square (3 feet x 5 feet).
However, safety should be a priority when choosing the location of your barbecue pit. . Avoid building it in a place where it’s likely that smoke is going to blow straight into either your home or one of your neighbour’s properties. It should be placed away from any overhanging trees, buildings and fences which are at risk of been damaged from the smoke or catching fire. If your home’s outdoor space is vulnerable to high winds, aim to build the pit close to a brick or concrete wall which will work to break the force of the wind.
You can also build a gas-powered barbecue but you would need to consider safety. Refrain from ever making your barbecue pit an enclosed space, such as by putting a tent or cabin around it — with this the case whether the barbecue is lit or smouldering. Be aware of the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning once a gas-powered barbecue pit is constructed too. You should stop using a barbecue pit immediately if you begin suffering from a loss of breath, dizziness, headaches or nausea and seek advice from a specialist builder before operating the barbecue again.
Lay your foundations
When you begin constructing your barbecue pit, the foundations come first. After all, the barbecue itself is going to be of substantial weight and will require good foundations to support it.
Start by digging a pit of about eight inches deep and then clear any loose soil and stones that remain once the hole has been created, using a shovel. Your hand tamper should also be used to compact the soil that is at the bottom of the trench and to create a level playing field.
You will next, need to pour a layer of gravel into the trench that is around two to three inches deep and level this off, using your hand tamper. You will then want to mix your dry mortar with some water and spread a two-inch layer of the mixture on top of the gravel. Level this mixture out using a trowel, though do this quickly as mortar tends to dry-off at a rapid rate.
Construct your base
You’re now ready to build the base of your barbecue pit. To do this, start placing cinder blocks around the edges of the mortar. A small hole should remain to drain water and any gaps between the blocks can easily be filled using wet mortar. Just be sure to keep removing any excess mortar while remembering that mortar dries off quickly.
Once you’ve placed the cinder blocks, check that they are all even using your spirit level and use your carpenter’s square to check all the corners.
Once you’re happy with your construction, spread some more wet mortar on top of the cinder blocks and start placing bricks in a side-by-side format on top of them. By using a double layer of bricks, you will instantly strengthen the entire pit. Once again, don’t waste time removing any excess mortar to avoid problems once it’s been given time to dry.
Finishing touches
The difficulty of this step will depend on the type of barbecue pit that you’ve gone for. . If you have decided to go for a metal pit, then all that’s going to be required is for you to install the metal cylinder or can over the layer of bricks you’ve put in place and fit the grill top over the furnace.
Have a desire to create a brick barbecue pit? Then this is the method that you should be working towards:
- Apply more mortar and continue to build additional layers of bricks until you reach the height that you’re happy with.
- Work on each layer by placing bricks in the corners first and work out from these points.
- Once a layer is complete, make sure that you are using your spirit level to ensure the structure is remaining level and your carpenter’s square to check the layout of the corners.
- When you reach the penultimate layer of bricks, be sure to insert metal braces into the mortar so that they face inward before applying the bricks (these braces will be essential for holding the grill top in place).
- Leave the pit overnight so that the mortar can set entirely and then place the grill top onto the metal braces the next day.
- If building a gas-powered barbecue pit, attach the hoses which will supply gas from its supply and seek expert advice to ensure that the gas transfer is operating properly. (As a side note, gas taps must be switched off before you ever change a gas cylinder. Also, only carry out this process in an open-air environment.)
Once this step is complete, you will have successfully created your very own barbecue pit. All what will be left to do is wait for the first sign of summer to fire up the grill and start enjoying some outdoor dining.