After using it for seven years, we decided that it was time to do something with the fire pit. The concrete ring around the old one was cracked and in bad need of repair. After giving it a little thought, we decided that instead of simply fixing the old fire pit, we would make a new one. First we needed a plan...

The Plan

We wanted the new fire pit patio to be the "entertainment hub" of the yard, so the bar was going to be moved for the fourth and hopefully the last time. We also wanted to have built in seating this time, so we included that in the plans too.

Of course there is no level ground whatsoever anywhere in our yard, so the plans would have to include new retaining walls. We dug it into the hillside so that part of the patio would be below grade and half would need to be built up. To set off the bar patio, we decided to raise that up a step above the fire pit area.

All of the steps will be made with the same retaining wall blocks as the walls, but we will use boulders as edging. We also will use rocks to define the edges of the new flower beds. For continuity, we have decided to use the same concrete "rocks" for the pavers that we had used on the other patios in our yard.