Im late to the party but as a former professional installer here are a few tips for circle kits. To start, plan the size accordngly. 12' is small. think about how many people you entertain or how large your family is. youll want plenty of room around the fire pit to sit as well as have the ability to move back away from the fire as needed without sitting in the lawn or tipping over. When it comes to fire rings, size does matter. three or four foot depending on what you want to burn. however, i always told my customers. this is not a brush or couch fire type of fire pit. heat will discolor and ruin the concrete if you arent careful. which brings me to the first thing I always did differently than this install. i reccommend not installing or buying the center of the circle kit. install the pit on gravel first and build the patio around it. no need to buy pavers only to bury them under the pit and burn on top of them. plus a fire on the gravel makes for easy cleanup. This also allows you to "set" the pit in the gravel and glue each course up. Also try to always use a fire ring inside with an air gap to protect the block. as far as the pavers go; on larger patios, longer screed bars of 1" conduit is the go to but we usually use shorter sections. we always set stakes, rest the bar on the stakes and check with a level to make sure we hit whatever pitch or direction we want the patio sloped to. rarely should a patio ever be dead level so that it sheds water. He is spot on. for a patio like this. 4" tamped angular gravel. class 5 limestone is common. and 1" washed sand. Pro tip; dont dig deeper than you have to. for one its useless digging, and two you would then have to fill that void with more tamped gravel. you never refill with loose soil. its easy to start setting circle kits around the fire ring. No matter how many you lay though it rarely ever lays perfect the first time and some times its necessary to cut one in each course to fill a smaller void. A cut paver is better than big/wide gaps. Concrete saw is the way to go. or for a homeowner a concrete blade on an angle grinder may work for a small job with only a few cuts. no need to hammer the pavers individually your sand should be firm and level enough that theyll sit in place. laying usually works best with one person laying and another feeding. once the pavers are laid. Always install a "soldier course" or border. immediately install a paver restraint on the outside border. this will keep them from shifting. typically a plastic stick in an L shape that you nail into the gravel with large spikes, about 8". one spike every foot to two feet apart as needed. youll want to make sure you leave about 4-6" of extra tamped gravel beyond the last paver to allow for this. now you should tamp the pavers into place and add your joint sand. some people tamp then sand, some spread sand then tamp. ive done both. either way i highly recommend a poly sand that will set up like a grout. prevents too much water from washing out the patio. helps a ton with ants and weeds. never install the poly sand on wet or damp pavers. follow the instructions well. last tip is to seal the patio to protect it long term and make it look a ton better, but wait for the patio to cure for a year or so after install before doing so. most pavers arent fully cured when sold and over time and youll most likely see efflorescence. you dont want that sealed in. Last few tips. buy quality pavers and flat shovels work way better than spades for this work and youll regret not renting the plate tamper. good luck.
My favourite thing about this video is that you pointed out how a half inch gap looks stupid. And then went ahead and built without it. This gives me the confidence to do the same when I build mine.
When digging up all that sod & soil, this might be a great time to use them as filling for a thigh-high raised garden bed or two! Put the sod upside-down at the bottom, along with old leaves, twigs, and other yard trimmings--ideally some rotting wood or aged wood chips, too, to act as a hugelkulture fill that will soak up water and help keep the bed from drying out when it hasn't rained enough. You can also layer in some kitchen scraps or partially made compost to help provide nutrients for your plants as they fully compost over time. Then fill in the remaining dug-up soil on top, and when it's full, plant the raised bed with just about whatever you like!
Pro tip: don't use sand, use stone dust. Also, don't fill the cracks with regular sand. Instead use polymeric sand which will last for years and years to come
I use to be the one to do all the stone patio kits for my old Landscaping company. This is the same procedures I did step by step except when I laid my gravel then sand I would give it a 1% slope from the center to the edge so rain could run off towards the sides and not build up on the patio itself. I also used a certain kind of sand for filling in between the stones that when wet turns into an almost concrete type material for extra strength. I kinda miss this work.
It's good to know I am not the only one that makes a few bonehead mistakes during a new project. I like how you took it in stride, corrected the issue, and moved along. Great job.
I'm currently building for my gf who has 0 tools so I've been buying tools or borrowing them as I need them. It's a pain but I'm learning a lot from my mistakes
For those looking to do this, consider installing a 1 inch metal pipe under the fire pit pavers which turns 90 degrees to lead inside the fire pit. try to make it concealed but fire need oxygen to breathe. otherwise all you will get is smoldering embers and smoke. I learned the hard way.
A simple flu opening with a grate inside the pit would suffice. My grandpa built his that way and it was built over 30 years ago and is still going. Needed patchwork but still going.
Yes where I live the bricks that the people that built the house didn’t use dumped in the ground we think because every time we dig a hole it’s soo much rock
They sell landscape adhesive at lowes or home depot that would be great for the top of that fire pit. If someone sits on it or a kid or pet is playing on it they potentially could come off. That helps prevent it.
Yeah. Adding a little cement into the sand being pushed down into the patio will darken the colour so it matches the stone and will help bind it all together, but it is optional. Not adding mortar between the bricks of the firepit is a bad idea.
That patio looks really good and good job on it. When I started working I actually worked for a landscaper specializing in stone work and one thing that I seen him do that works very well is once the patio is in instead of just sand and tamp he used a mixture of silica sand and cement powder. Mixed it dry broomed it into the cracks then plate tamped it in and then when you wash it it hardens the cement sand mix and seals it completelly in
the biggest challenges to these type of projects is approaching the inevitable mistakes and issues that arise as challenges to overcome and not extreme frustrations
I can imagine me and my 5 older brothers doing something like this 30 years ago. Of course there would be about a hundred empty beer cans scattered around the yard!
Save up for a down payment and move out! Most houses you can pay less on a mortgage then you can for rent in apartments nowadays; if you’re smart of course! :)
@@Bunged- I own the apartment, I don't live on rent. Also no, a house with a backyard big enough for such projects would be very expensive in my city. In the future I might think about it, though.
You need to get out of the city in order tto have such lot and to be allowed to have open fire. In few years open fire will be banned anyway. At least here in Canada.
Hell getting the house and affording it’s not the hard part for something like this, the hard part is finding a home that’s decent and also has actual flat ground near it. My house came with an acre of land, only 750 a month for what we paid on it. Unfortunately 80% of my yard is hill of some sort(the worst hill is great for sledding, to bad it doesn’t snow), 10% of it is two separate ditches which form a moat around the backyard when it rains(so I have a moat like 160 days a year thanks Chattanooga)and the 5% flat ground, 5% concrete slab at the top of one of aforementioned hills. I’d love a project like this but first I need to learn the art of earth bending Forgot to mention none of my yard digs up in strips of carpet like patches. Everything comes up like the layer under sod in the video
Really great build, but I want to give you a tip: build a flu slot on the bottom layer as well as a grate for ashes to fall down to the flu area. My grandpa built a fire pit with stones and concrete, but the flu allows air to get in under the fire, requiring less poking, as well as preventing the ash from slowly smothering your fire. He also built a custom tool, basically just a broom handle with a piece of wood on the end to scrape out old ashes that will eventuality restrict airflow from the flu. It might mess up your patio but it's a lot better than having to shovel out the ashes every so often.
@@ChiefJudge Makes it safer to have fires at cottages etc. Building the high sides is safer for children and pets. That, and they can burn better than on the ground because air can get underneath. A bigger, hotter fire with less wood, and good, fine ash to add to compost.
Nothing like when all's said and done drinking a nice cold one after finishing a project. Kudos on this fire pit I hope you and your family and friends make many awesome memories.
Three suggestion for this project. First, skip the center of the patio and build the fire ring first. Besides saving materials, the paver bricks degrade from the heat from the coal bed. That’s why the fire ring ships with a metal insert. Plus you won’t see the pattern anyway once the ring is in. Just leave bare stone base at the bottom of the fire ring. Backfill with more base or course gravel. Second suggestion, dig the base out deeper where the fire ring is. Dig the diameter of the ring about 3 to 4 inches deeper and base as normal. It will act like a sump and prevent your ring from flooding. Third, use polymeric sand to finish. It will hold the pavers better and cut down on weeds.
I think it's called polymeric sand that you should use between pavers. You sweep it in between and you add water and it acts like a sort of bond for pavers.
Used this video as a guide. Did a 16’ diameter patio kit. Worked well. Only tip: make sure your sand layer is consistently level or the pavers won’t be as perfect. Also 16 foot might be a little aggressive for a first timer.
I'd recommend renting a roller compactor, or using a rubber tamp on your papers. And I'd also recommend polysand to fill in your joints. I don't know if it makes a massive difference in stability, but I think it looks a little bit nicer. And it doesn't wash away, and weeds down grow through it.
@@tuck232 I've always used it for a final layer. Don't know what you're supposed to do but that's what I've always done. Just make sure you have all the excess swept of before you water it though cause it gets real hard and messy.
I'm no paver expert, but in my area sand is definitely not recommended. The thought is that water will slowly erode away the sand. Whereas 21a stone or pea gravel will stay in place. Only use polymeric sand at the very end to sweep in the cracks before misting with water.
PNW paver sales rep here, sand is used to level pavers above aggregate base. Compaction is absolutely key in making sure the aggregate base, joint sand, and sand leveling layer do not wash away or settle. So long as everything is adequately compacted, there should be no movement or erosion.
@Dan Bertucci My comment on philosophies is probably more in regard to heavy commercial applications. I'm a General Contractor, so I see lots of applications but don't necessarily have the intimate knowledge my subcontractor or you would have. That being said, I've never seen a paver job at my local university that wasn't set in .5" sand on a 7" concrete slab with 18" wide concrete curbs. So there certainly are different philosophies. But in general I imagine 21a sub base with sand or gravel dust top under pavers is immensely more popular. In my area they typically just use a gravel dust and only minimal as required to level the 21a.
@Dan Bertucci Thanks for the info Dan. I've had clients request 30+ feet deep pits in the middle of an operational factory, request rock blasting an ADA entrance into a famous operational cavern, drop MRI's through mutiple stories of an operational hospital, spend more than $70k on a crane just to set a single tank.... spending money on a 7" slab is not a huge deal if you need what you need. I've got pavers at my house and the installer indeed used something to level the sub base so didn't mean to imply like it was 100% incorrect application like I originally did. I definitely should have worded it differently. Minimizing that layer is preferable to me though.
I do this for a living so itll be interesting to watch (posted before waching) First thoughts were dont hammer your bricks in til the end then just use the hand tamp and hit it flat also the reason for the gap is to put sand between the pavers to lock them in place without them moving and after that you tamp it then put more sand on while spraying it with water so it will soak into the cracks preventing the pavers from sinking and sand dispersing.
Dude, being honest about your mistakes is seriously huge. Sets you apart from all the other TH-cam diy channels. In the trades, that's how you learn how to do it right.if you only get one try, you need someone to tell you where you're gonna go wrong.
I built a fire ring for my Eagle project. We used a lot of the same tactics that you did. We got a donation of 1.2 tons of flagstone so we decided to use that around the fire ring. And filled the gaps with a different type of gravel. It turned out super well and I’m very proud of what we got done.
We have 6 guy big close friends group and every time someone needs help they call everyone. We all like to build stuff so we get sometimes over 30 men(other friends, fathers, even people from work etc.) to do pretty small things(once we had over 20 for a pavement that was 2 meters by 2 meters, we finished it in 3 hours from nothing). We all bring beer and food(so the host does not have to pay for it all and if someone unexpectedly joins he brings something to the table as well) and just finish first and relax with everyone eating and drinking. Seeing as everyone helps everybody(we remodeled few houses when we were all moving out from parents homes) with anything, no one feels guilty and we never have to hire contractors. Having friends who all like to build things is really helpful. I really appreciate having friend's like this.
Much appreciated, I'm not building a fire pit but I had built a pad for my trash can to sit on out of spare pavers and have had some issues with them not getting locked in. I added layer after layer of sand between them, but I never thought to tamp the sand into the gaps! I'll be doing that after it gets warmer outside
To really lock it in, use polymeric sand. It'll harden like concrete in the gaps. I didn't use it because I wanted more drainage through the pavers but especially if you have a small pad, polymeric will hold it all together and drainage won't really be an issue.
Great video, fun and informative my one criticism is for the fire pit hole itself building up the outer walls for the fire pit I would have used cement as a morter/insulator/glue to keep it all together just in case if kids come over and want to well do what kids do best. Haha anyway. Muchly enjoyed this video.
@@BroBuilds you'd get less smoke in your fire though if you left gaps in the side wall every so often. You want airflow into the fire so that it burns cleaner.
Bros, this was the first video I watched of y’all’s. I’m pretty sure I subscribed within the first 60 seconds because I loved the energy of the video and knew I would love the other videos. I was 100% right. Congrats on 100K subs! Can’t wait to see y’all in the next build🤙🏼
Pro tip, don't use gravel for base. Use 304 limestone mix for base. Then instead of sand use #9s limestone (crushed limestone) for your leveler. Then when you get the patio laid, sweep in polymeric sand and tamp in the patio. Then sand it in again and wet it down. Give it a few days for the poly sand to set Then I recommend sealing the patio. I like a wet look sealer.
WOW! That's fabulous! Really enjoyed this wonderful video. Hubby and I are retired now and would love to be able to attempt such a project. We were once very strong and athletic, but ... well ... -- If we do this slowly, however, and have our strong young sons give us a hand, it would make us so happy to finally spruce up our backyard. Thank you for posting such an informative video!
This is a great build the only thing I would recommend is to use polymeric sand for locking the pavers in better, metal edging just because once the grass grows a weedeater will chew through the plastic edging over time and they also warp after a while in the heat, some liquid nail would help keep the firepit stones from moving over time and then just personal preference but some low gloss wet sealer really brings out the color in pavers.
@@BroBuilds Obviously you finished your build so its mainly for other people trying it out😂 I used to build custom outdoor kitchens for a landscaping company so Ive built tons of outdoor patios, I like the kinda "go with the flow" attitude though and its a great looking patio, got a sub from me for sure👍
@@GarrettMusic I appreciate it! I'll be building a bigger one attached to my house later on, so I'm definitely gonna be using all the good suggestions in the comments. 🙂 Welcome to the channel!
At the end i was like "soo you're just gonna let those stones piled up there?" where i live everything is cemented. Well houses here are bricks and cement, much different from most USA
If they cimented just the outer ring made from the bigger pavers, shifting from the pavers inside would be minimized by a lot. Here in portugal we use a ton of cobblestone on sidewalks and most historical or old streets and we cement the limits were the sidewalk ends, and the cobblestone is held in place by a mix of stone dust and some other stuff. And it stays for years.
It’s called Polymeric sand. Comes in different colours and locks pavers in, reduces weed growth, and is generally a lot less maintenance in the long run.
Nice work, I'm doing the same. You did some of it the hard way, but the result is near perfection: It's not smokeless and has no airflow for your fire. I'll add that on mine. All you need to make it smokeless is a gap between the ring & blocks. You leave out 2 blocks on the bottom row and space them for air entry gaps. The air is heated by the ring and comes out at drilled holes in the top of the ring...EASY Smokeless.
If you are a DIYer you should do a trial run of laying the pavers on a flat surface like a driveway so that you can get a feel for how the concentric circles fit together before you layout the actual pavers. I think that you should have used a paver locking sand which had finer texture to fit down between the pavers and contains some cement so that when you wet it down it locks everything in place. Otherwise nice job!
@@ozzyo99 just take the hilti when you need holes for air. i learned this from my bad habit to build stuff and thinking about those small details when i am done. 😁
I spent the last 3 summers building patios, sidewalks, fire pits etc, really impressed by your work! Only think I could reccomend is using polymeric sand to fill in the gaps and using glue in between each layer of the fire pit blocks, both suggestions for a bit more stability, still really really impressed by your work though
Great video. Pro tip, when filling the joints with sand, make sure you use kilborn dried polymeric sand. It’ll take 15 min to fill those joints as opposed to the couple hours it probably took you!
Just use a plate compactor with a pad. Plenty of things are wrong and inefficient here, and I would bet this will be terribly uneven after one winter. The hand tamper was funny, but it did little to nothing for their base, joint aggregate, or setting the pavers into the bedding layer. The edging is pretty funny, too. That will not last.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Should have posted this video before you built it so that you could have taken advantage of all the comment suggestions.
Ha ha best comment ever 😂
Ye
Bro that’s not possible I know you know but your just a legend
Yeah
@@sylvaindemeulenaere you’re *
This dude is literally the “i don’t know the answer, lets find out together” type of person and I love it
Thanks man, I appreciate it!
@@BroBuilds you are a legend
i wish my coworkers operated that way.
@@BroBuilds this is the first vid i watched from you and i just subbed
@@hpaarlil same
Im late to the party but as a former professional installer here are a few tips for circle kits. To start, plan the size accordngly. 12' is small. think about how many people you entertain or how large your family is. youll want plenty of room around the fire pit to sit as well as have the ability to move back away from the fire as needed without sitting in the lawn or tipping over. When it comes to fire rings, size does matter. three or four foot depending on what you want to burn. however, i always told my customers. this is not a brush or couch fire type of fire pit. heat will discolor and ruin the concrete if you arent careful. which brings me to the first thing I always did differently than this install. i reccommend not installing or buying the center of the circle kit. install the pit on gravel first and build the patio around it. no need to buy pavers only to bury them under the pit and burn on top of them. plus a fire on the gravel makes for easy cleanup. This also allows you to "set" the pit in the gravel and glue each course up. Also try to always use a fire ring inside with an air gap to protect the block. as far as the pavers go; on larger patios, longer screed bars of 1" conduit is the go to but we usually use shorter sections. we always set stakes, rest the bar on the stakes and check with a level to make sure we hit whatever pitch or direction we want the patio sloped to. rarely should a patio ever be dead level so that it sheds water. He is spot on. for a patio like this. 4" tamped angular gravel. class 5 limestone is common. and 1" washed sand. Pro tip; dont dig deeper than you have to. for one its useless digging, and two you would then have to fill that void with more tamped gravel. you never refill with loose soil. its easy to start setting circle kits around the fire ring. No matter how many you lay though it rarely ever lays perfect the first time and some times its necessary to cut one in each course to fill a smaller void. A cut paver is better than big/wide gaps. Concrete saw is the way to go. or for a homeowner a concrete blade on an angle grinder may work for a small job with only a few cuts. no need to hammer the pavers individually your sand should be firm and level enough that theyll sit in place. laying usually works best with one person laying and another feeding. once the pavers are laid. Always install a "soldier course" or border. immediately install a paver restraint on the outside border. this will keep them from shifting. typically a plastic stick in an L shape that you nail into the gravel with large spikes, about 8". one spike every foot to two feet apart as needed. youll want to make sure you leave about 4-6" of extra tamped gravel beyond the last paver to allow for this. now you should tamp the pavers into place and add your joint sand. some people tamp then sand, some spread sand then tamp. ive done both. either way i highly recommend a poly sand that will set up like a grout. prevents too much water from washing out the patio. helps a ton with ants and weeds. never install the poly sand on wet or damp pavers. follow the instructions well. last tip is to seal the patio to protect it long term and make it look a ton better, but wait for the patio to cure for a year or so after install before doing so. most pavers arent fully cured when sold and over time and youll most likely see efflorescence. you dont want that sealed in. Last few tips. buy quality pavers and flat shovels work way better than spades for this work and youll regret not renting the plate tamper. good luck.
@ PolkCoAngler - 👍🤩💝 Excellent comment & info. Thank you.
My favourite thing about this video is that you pointed out how a half inch gap looks stupid. And then went ahead and built without it. This gives me the confidence to do the same when I build mine.
@@ayushgiri6868 qqq
i did interlock for a summer and thought the same thing at first but when the sand hardens it looks really good with the proper sized gap
not to mention the extra space makes it much easier when it comes to sanding and resanding
When digging up all that sod & soil, this might be a great time to use them as filling for a thigh-high raised garden bed or two! Put the sod upside-down at the bottom, along with old leaves, twigs, and other yard trimmings--ideally some rotting wood or aged wood chips, too, to act as a hugelkulture fill that will soak up water and help keep the bed from drying out when it hasn't rained enough. You can also layer in some kitchen scraps or partially made compost to help provide nutrients for your plants as they fully compost over time. Then fill in the remaining dug-up soil on top, and when it's full, plant the raised bed with just about whatever you like!
Great idea! I think it’s smart for us all to become more food independent, and that’s a good opportunity for reusing the soul and grass.
Pro tip: don't use sand, use stone dust. Also, don't fill the cracks with regular sand. Instead use polymeric sand which will last for years and years to come
And put weed cloth below the fines. Came here to say this, they're gonna have weed issues in the cracks later
Yeah without the polymeric, all that sand is just gonna wash out in the rain.
Also brush the polymeric then tamp, fill in the new gaps, brush again, tamp again, then leaf blower, then water
@@mr.spradify5470 poly-sand prevents weeds
@@ericm8504 yes, this
I use to be the one to do all the stone patio kits for my old Landscaping company. This is the same procedures I did step by step except when I laid my gravel then sand I would give it a 1% slope from the center to the edge so rain could run off towards the sides and not build up on the patio itself. I also used a certain kind of sand for filling in between the stones that when wet turns into an almost concrete type material for extra strength. I kinda miss this work.
Polymeric sand
wow, the fact that this video has 20 million views and you still actively respond to comments is amazing
🙂 We just think it's great people are still watching!
It's good to know I am not the only one that makes a few bonehead mistakes during a new project. I like how you took it in stride, corrected the issue, and moved along. Great job.
Thanks man. 🙂 Appreciate it!
@XD ok
@OwO(Aka Error) ?
I'm currently building for my gf who has 0 tools so I've been buying tools or borrowing them as I need them. It's a pain but I'm learning a lot from my mistakes
For those looking to do this, consider installing a 1 inch metal pipe under the fire pit pavers which turns 90 degrees to lead inside the fire pit. try to make it concealed but fire need oxygen to breathe. otherwise all you will get is smoldering embers and smoke. I learned the hard way.
A simple flu opening with a grate inside the pit would suffice. My grandpa built his that way and it was built over 30 years ago and is still going. Needed patchwork but still going.
@@davejones9469 what is a flu opening?
@@arturarruda8151 I do not know
I mean he can just do this pretty easily as they're just placed.
@@roguetrader306 not know
Ahh, to live in a place where rocks don't grow like potatoes. Digging anything close to an even hole is a nightmare here.
Yes where I live the bricks that the people that built the house didn’t use dumped in the ground we think because every time we dig a hole it’s soo much rock
Where i live there is a lot of clay And big rocks
Sounds like Pennsylvania. I dig holes by pulling boulders out of the ground
This gets funnier to me every time I read it. Because. . . here in Idaho you're more likely to hit a potato than a rock 😂
@@BroBuilds don’t come to Texas lol digging ain’t fun over here
The best part about this video is your transparency of the mistakes you made. Thank you for the great video!!
My grandparents built almost an identical one in their backyard.
Lovely stuff.
“We’re bros, not pros”!!! My new catch phrase!!! 🤣🤣🤣
that's the phrase that made me click the subscribe button 🤣
@@nataliakozie6045 Hahahaha same! Right after I clicked it I read this comment even weirder
And if they were female, we're ho's, not pros...
Remember when 2x4s were so cheap that we used them to level sand instead of keeping them in a bank vault? Good times. ;)
Hahaha, truth
This could not be more accurate!
Just paid $14.55 per 2x4 here in Alaska. J Grade 2x4x10
@@AkJohnny jeez I thought I had it bad in California at about 7 dollars a 2x4
What is a 2*4 can you explain please
They sell landscape adhesive at lowes or home depot that would be great for the top of that fire pit. If someone sits on it or a kid or pet is playing on it they potentially could come off. That helps prevent it.
and maybe tint the cap stones black so they dont show scorch marks after the first few fires.
I was wondering about that! Seemed weird there was nothing binding stones together on the fire pit itself!
That's what I use as a landscaper. Works great 👍
Yeah. Adding a little cement into the sand being pushed down into the patio will darken the colour so it matches the stone and will help bind it all together, but it is optional.
Not adding mortar between the bricks of the firepit is a bad idea.
How much was the final cost?
One of the best how-to videos on TH-cam that’s aimed for the average man. I like how you pointed out the potential mistakes to watch out for. Thanks.
Or Woman!
That patio looks really good and good job on it. When I started working I actually worked for a landscaper specializing in stone work and one thing that I seen him do that works very well is once the patio is in instead of just sand and tamp he used a mixture of silica sand and cement powder. Mixed it dry broomed it into the cracks then plate tamped it in and then when you wash it it hardens the cement sand mix and seals it completelly in
We use polymeric sand..
@@ozz7602 that's basically what's he's saying they used. Pretty sure polymeric is made from silica
the biggest challenges to these type of projects is approaching the inevitable mistakes and issues that arise as challenges to overcome and not extreme frustrations
I can imagine me and my 5 older brothers doing something like this 30 years ago. Of course there would be about a hundred empty beer cans scattered around the yard!
I misread this and was wondering how the hell a five year old can drink that much beer
@@vintyprod same
@@vintyprod same
@@vintyprod same
I like your cat
Got so good at tamping by the third layer of gravel, that he was able to do it in a single tamp. Impressive.
ha, yep!
This makes me wish I didn't live in an apartment, it looks amazing. Maybe one day I'll be able to get a house where I can make something like this.
Save up for a down payment and move out! Most houses you can pay less on a mortgage then you can for rent in apartments nowadays; if you’re smart of course! :)
@@Bunged- I own the apartment, I don't live on rent. Also no, a house with a backyard big enough for such projects would be very expensive in my city. In the future I might think about it, though.
You need to get out of the city in order tto have such lot and to be allowed to have open fire. In few years open fire will be banned anyway. At least here in Canada.
In this economy? Lmao
Hell getting the house and affording it’s not the hard part for something like this, the hard part is finding a home that’s decent and also has actual flat ground near it. My house came with an acre of land, only 750 a month for what we paid on it. Unfortunately 80% of my yard is hill of some sort(the worst hill is great for sledding, to bad it doesn’t snow), 10% of it is two separate ditches which form a moat around the backyard when it rains(so I have a moat like 160 days a year thanks Chattanooga)and the 5% flat ground, 5% concrete slab at the top of one of aforementioned hills.
I’d love a project like this but first I need to learn the art of earth bending
Forgot to mention none of my yard digs up in strips of carpet like patches. Everything comes up like the layer under sod in the video
Idk what the algorithm liked about this video and not your others, but I dig this channel.
Thanks!
Big thumbs up for providing cost in the description. Hate it when people don't tell you that like it's some big secret or something.
"He'll watch anything at this point, just give him firepit DIYs." -TH-cam
Haha, that's the truth
Your not wrong
@@mysticdemigod3495 you're*
@@leosiqueira87 so?
Get out of my head , u match my thinking !
so much respect for being honest about your mistakes, thankyou.
I bought a $60 Ryobi tiller to loosen the soil. Made all the digging a little easier 👍🏼
Nice job dude!
Really great build, but I want to give you a tip: build a flu slot on the bottom layer as well as a grate for ashes to fall down to the flu area. My grandpa built a fire pit with stones and concrete, but the flu allows air to get in under the fire, requiring less poking, as well as preventing the ash from slowly smothering your fire.
He also built a custom tool, basically just a broom handle with a piece of wood on the end to scrape out old ashes that will eventuality restrict airflow from the flu. It might mess up your patio but it's a lot better than having to shovel out the ashes every so often.
Your grandfather is amazing
Awesome. For the record, it’s spelled flue.
But what's the use od fire pit
@@ChiefJudge Makes it safer to have fires at cottages etc. Building the high sides is safer for children and pets.
That, and they can burn better than on the ground because air can get underneath. A bigger, hotter fire with less wood, and good, fine ash to add to compost.
@@davejones9469 thanks
"We're bros, not pros." Subscribed.
SAME LMAO
Your voice over made me feel like I was being read a bed time story. Needless to say I enjoyed this video
:) High praise. Glad you enjoyed it!
I feel jigsaw should have had this guys voice. It would make you feel more comfortable before getting killed.
Cool Mustang.
@@michaelblakemore3712 thank you!
Nothing like when all's said and done drinking a nice cold one after finishing a project. Kudos on this fire pit I hope you and your family and friends make many awesome memories.
Nothing more satisfying than accomplishing a huge project and learning your way thru it to success.
Three suggestion for this project. First, skip the center of the patio and build the fire ring first. Besides saving materials, the paver bricks degrade from the heat from the coal bed. That’s why the fire ring ships with a metal insert. Plus you won’t see the pattern anyway once the ring is in. Just leave bare stone base at the bottom of the fire ring. Backfill with more base or course gravel. Second suggestion, dig the base out deeper where the fire ring is. Dig the diameter of the ring about 3 to 4 inches deeper and base as normal. It will act like a sump and prevent your ring from flooding. Third, use polymeric sand to finish. It will hold the pavers better and cut down on weeds.
Appreciate the tips!
As a professional landscaper, I approve this message 👍
No problem. The suggestions are purely pro tips to reduce costs and increase the life of the ring. What you did was great and will last for years.
If that was being built in a northern area, wouldn’t the pavers heave after winter?
@@screamingmimi90 I live in Utah and I haven't ever had any problems with pavers heaving as long as the sub-grade was done correctly.
I think it's called polymeric sand that you should use between pavers. You sweep it in between and you add water and it acts like a sort of bond for pavers.
Yup was thinking when's he gonna put the sand glue down lol next year that's gonna be all sorts of wack
It is, and it's better than sand. More time in between maintenance of pavers... if you do the job correctly.
All of us need that nephew bro to show up from times to times...
I'm that nephew lol. I'm always willing to help my dad
U mean time to time?
@@MuggyOne71 u mean... uncle?
@@wendysmcnugget7172 well i should say my grandpa, uncle, and dad
@@MuggyOne71 rip
Used this video as a guide. Did a 16’ diameter patio kit. Worked well. Only tip: make sure your sand layer is consistently level or the pavers won’t be as perfect. Also 16 foot might be a little aggressive for a first timer.
“We’re bro’s not pros”
I like that
I'd recommend renting a roller compactor, or using a rubber tamp on your papers. And I'd also recommend polysand to fill in your joints. I don't know if it makes a massive difference in stability, but I think it looks a little bit nicer. And it doesn't wash away, and weeds down grow through it.
Would you be fine just using the polysand for the final layer, or is it necessary to use it under also? Thanks
@@tuck232 I've always used it for a final layer. Don't know what you're supposed to do but that's what I've always done. Just make sure you have all the excess swept of before you water it though cause it gets real hard and messy.
Don't even own a house but I'm sure someday this will come in handy
SOOOOOOO beautiful!!!! And also love the perfect imperfections of the job. Just like real life. Thank you.
Fast, to the point, good editing, entertaining, useful, informative. Yep, this one's a keeper!
Thanks! Glad you liked it. :)
I'm no paver expert, but in my area sand is definitely not recommended. The thought is that water will slowly erode away the sand. Whereas 21a stone or pea gravel will stay in place. Only use polymeric sand at the very end to sweep in the cracks before misting with water.
PNW paver sales rep here, sand is used to level pavers above aggregate base. Compaction is absolutely key in making sure the aggregate base, joint sand, and sand leveling layer do not wash away or settle. So long as everything is adequately compacted, there should be no movement or erosion.
Pea gravel will never compact
@Dan Bertucci Me or the other guy? Also, I imagine there are tons of philosophies and ideas on paver installation.
@Dan Bertucci My comment on philosophies is probably more in regard to heavy commercial applications. I'm a General Contractor, so I see lots of applications but don't necessarily have the intimate knowledge my subcontractor or you would have. That being said, I've never seen a paver job at my local university that wasn't set in .5" sand on a 7" concrete slab with 18" wide concrete curbs. So there certainly are different philosophies. But in general I imagine 21a sub base with sand or gravel dust top under pavers is immensely more popular. In my area they typically just use a gravel dust and only minimal as required to level the 21a.
@Dan Bertucci Thanks for the info Dan. I've had clients request 30+ feet deep pits in the middle of an operational factory, request rock blasting an ADA entrance into a famous operational cavern, drop MRI's through mutiple stories of an operational hospital, spend more than $70k on a crane just to set a single tank.... spending money on a 7" slab is not a huge deal if you need what you need. I've got pavers at my house and the installer indeed used something to level the sub base so didn't mean to imply like it was 100% incorrect application like I originally did. I definitely should have worded it differently. Minimizing that layer is preferable to me though.
He's digging the grass out block by block like a minecraft character.
Why so many likes but no replies
@@kingsnek7947 becouse is truth, and no one can say otherwise and all agree to this fact ergo sum it requires no comments to it.
You need to get out more...
@@kingsnek7947 you dont need any replies to have likes you know
@@SamuelBenedicic_of_NSK but popular comments r usually filled with replies that are mainly the alphabet and e
I do this for a living so itll be interesting to watch (posted before waching) First thoughts were dont hammer your bricks in til the end then just use the hand tamp and hit it flat also the reason for the gap is to put sand between the pavers to lock them in place without them moving and after that you tamp it then put more sand on while spraying it with water so it will soak into the cracks preventing the pavers from sinking and sand dispersing.
The reason it recommends that little space in between stones is because it allows the polymeric sand to be able to set in and hold correctly
Part I liked the most is no one yelling at each other
Definitely this
Maybe they did... off cam
he did a voiceover because the actual audio was so damn loud and vulgar
@@brownie3454 😂🤣😭
5 minutes trapped on that island and I'd be yelling
I love everything about this video. Well done you "Bro's". Love the channel and subscribed. Keep up the great work.
No apostrophe needed
@@Tejvir7 Suddenly the comment section turned into Grammarly.
@@Tejvir7 .8. 3P🤣😶😐🙄.8. 3P
666 like
th-cam.com/video/btvBqhzb5is/w-d-xo.html have you ever seen this funny video 🤣🤣🤣
Dude, being honest about your mistakes is seriously huge. Sets you apart from all the other TH-cam diy channels. In the trades, that's how you learn how to do it right.if you only get one try, you need someone to tell you where you're gonna go wrong.
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
Best words to say love to your bro: "We are Bros, not pros" i almost cried🥺
I built a fire ring for my Eagle project. We used a lot of the same tactics that you did. We got a donation of 1.2 tons of flagstone so we decided to use that around the fire ring. And filled the gaps with a different type of gravel. It turned out super well and I’m very proud of what we got done.
This the kinda thing where you really want your friends help but you feel like shit making them stay there and deal with it 😂
We joke around. Now at 50 yrs old, it’s hard to get friends to help with just the promise of pizza and beer 😂
@@jasoncarreiro86 even at 25 lol!
We have 6 guy big close friends group and every time someone needs help they call everyone. We all like to build stuff so we get sometimes over 30 men(other friends, fathers, even people from work etc.) to do pretty small things(once we had over 20 for a pavement that was 2 meters by 2 meters, we finished it in 3 hours from nothing). We all bring beer and food(so the host does not have to pay for it all and if someone unexpectedly joins he brings something to the table as well) and just finish first and relax with everyone eating and drinking. Seeing as everyone helps everybody(we remodeled few houses when we were all moving out from parents homes) with anything, no one feels guilty and we never have to hire contractors. Having friends who all like to build things is really helpful. I really appreciate having friend's like this.
Hahaha this is so true
@@masterdrive4033 This sounds like so much fun.
Much appreciated, I'm not building a fire pit but I had built a pad for my trash can to sit on out of spare pavers and have had some issues with them not getting locked in. I added layer after layer of sand between them, but I never thought to tamp the sand into the gaps! I'll be doing that after it gets warmer outside
To really lock it in, use polymeric sand. It'll harden like concrete in the gaps. I didn't use it because I wanted more drainage through the pavers but especially if you have a small pad, polymeric will hold it all together and drainage won't really be an issue.
@@BroBuilds awesome, thanks! The patio looks great by the way
The edits are sooo smooth. I especially like 2:51 and 2:55. Well done.
Check out 7:20 :) And thanks!
@@BroBuilds Wow, sneaky. I didn't even see that haha. Nice!
@@DannySullivanMusic heh, thanks!
@@BroBuilds I was scrolling down the comments to see if someone noticed it
That's a masterpiece 🤩
Great video, fun and informative my one criticism is for the fire pit hole itself building up the outer walls for the fire pit I would have used cement as a morter/insulator/glue to keep it all together just in case if kids come over and want to well do what kids do best. Haha anyway. Muchly enjoyed this video.
Great tip! We went back and added construction adhesive for that very reason.
Uhjjj
@@BroBuilds you'd get less smoke in your fire though if you left gaps in the side wall every so often. You want airflow into the fire so that it burns cleaner.
Bros, this was the first video I watched of y’all’s. I’m pretty sure I subscribed within the first 60 seconds because I loved the energy of the video and knew I would love the other videos. I was 100% right. Congrats on 100K subs! Can’t wait to see y’all in the next build🤙🏼
Thanks man!
Very good video because it shows everything including mistakes to not make . The narrative is very helpful as there is reasoning and explanation.
Pro tip, don't use gravel for base. Use 304 limestone mix for base. Then instead of sand use #9s limestone (crushed limestone) for your leveler. Then when you get the patio laid, sweep in polymeric sand and tamp in the patio. Then sand it in again and wet it down. Give it a few days for the poly sand to set Then I recommend sealing the patio. I like a wet look sealer.
yes polymeric sand is a bit pricey but man it works great locking in and you will never see a weed come through
WOW! That's fabulous! Really enjoyed this wonderful video. Hubby and I are retired now and would love to be able to attempt such a project. We were once very strong and athletic, but ... well ... -- If we do this slowly, however, and have our strong young sons give us a hand, it would make us so happy to finally spruce up our backyard. Thank you for posting such an informative video!
This is a great build the only thing I would recommend is to use polymeric sand for locking the pavers in better, metal edging just because once the grass grows a weedeater will chew through the plastic edging over time and they also warp after a while in the heat, some liquid nail would help keep the firepit stones from moving over time and then just personal preference but some low gloss wet sealer really brings out the color in pavers.
Thanks! Good tips
@@BroBuilds Obviously you finished your build so its mainly for other people trying it out😂 I used to build custom outdoor kitchens for a landscaping company so Ive built tons of outdoor patios, I like the kinda "go with the flow" attitude though and its a great looking patio, got a sub from me for sure👍
@@GarrettMusic I appreciate it! I'll be building a bigger one attached to my house later on, so I'm definitely gonna be using all the good suggestions in the comments. 🙂 Welcome to the channel!
Every once in a while, I come and watch this. It's awesome. I love it.
“Want to see us make a fire pit?”
8.4 million people: *Y E S*
😄
it's tempting
@@redegg7530 what did he sayyyyy
@@NoSweatNick nothing, I’m just saying that it’s tempting to click the video
@@redegg7530 oh sorry I didnt mean to tap anyone's name
No idea why this popped in to my recommended but glad it did. Good job gents
Thank you!
"We're bros, not pros"
Instantly subs.
Welcome to the channel man! :)
Nice work, using paver panels now makes this job even easier with no need for gravel
I'll have to check that out!
When we did something a lot like this. The next year we ended up cementing it.
Why
@@voetbal12 flood, earthquake, avalanche, and everything that can move and destroy building is regular things in some places
I was thinking that, bet those stones end up moving around quite a bit with no cement
At the end i was like "soo you're just gonna let those stones piled up there?" where i live everything is cemented. Well houses here are bricks and cement, much different from most USA
If they cimented just the outer ring made from the bigger pavers, shifting from the pavers inside would be minimized by a lot. Here in portugal we use a ton of cobblestone on sidewalks and most historical or old streets and we cement the limits were the sidewalk ends, and the cobblestone is held in place by a mix of stone dust and some other stuff. And it stays for years.
Tip: Have the guy with the youngest knees place all the pavers.
Heh 🙂
Great work. The only thing I would have done differently would have replaced the sand with a special paver sand that doesn’t blow away
It’s called Polymeric sand. Comes in different colours and locks pavers in, reduces weed growth, and is generally a lot less maintenance in the long run.
@@01AceAlpha thank you! I had a Covid moment and I could not remember the stuff. So much better than pure sand
Silica sand and wacka plate done
Loved the commentary and Straight talk. You really do have a pleasant Tone of voice, I must say.
Currently 3:40am on a school night and I’m watching this rather than sleeping
Invest in yourself with good sleep, bro. It's its own reward and your school work will probably be better for it.
No idea why this was recommended, but I loved it. Subbed!
Looks like I'm going to cancel all my summer plans and do this instead! Looking for a bro to help me :)
Any chance you’re based in London? Bro here!
Now this is what it’s all about!
@@Godsfavouriteidiot_ , I'm in Calgary, Alberta 😀
I'm in Detroit, MI. Have broad axe, will travel. P.S I don't have a broad axe but I will travel for the right price haha
Your Whole Summer??? But He Only Said This Would Take 4days😭😭😔
Nice work, I'm doing the same. You did some of it the hard way, but the result is near perfection: It's not smokeless and has no airflow for your fire. I'll add that on mine. All you need to make it smokeless is a gap between the ring & blocks. You leave out 2 blocks on the bottom row and space them for air entry gaps. The air is heated by the ring and comes out at drilled holes in the top of the ring...EASY Smokeless.
If you are a DIYer you should do a trial run of laying the pavers on a flat surface like a driveway so that you can get a feel for how the concentric circles fit together before you layout the actual pavers. I think that you should have used a paver locking sand which had finer texture to fit down between the pavers and contains some cement so that when you wet it down it locks everything in place. Otherwise nice job!
Imagine having a yard this level
that was more impressive than the build to me. Every lawn around me has a slope of some kind.
Floods easily maybe?
Also a soil that smooth. I need the pickaxe for everything.
Imagine even having a yard
Yard is huge compared to canadian city homes
Bro-tip #5: get knee pads if your going to be kneeling on a hard surface. Learned my lesson very quick when I was pouring concrete for an ADA ramp.
Man, your so down to earth and your voice is soothing while watching these videos. Good job buddy, and tell your friend I said good job too.
Thanks!
Looks good... You should use liquid nail, between 2 top layers of copping stone around the pit, so they don't want to move around...
So … the actual firepit is not cemented together its just loose bricks stacked on ?
That is correct.
Yeah, I'll add masonry adhesive eventually, but I'm still experimenting with air flow (by removing bricks) and I didn't want it to be permanent yet.
Yeah, not sure how well this burns without a way to draw air from beneath it?
@@ozzyo99 just take the hilti when you need holes for air. i learned this from my bad habit to build stuff and thinking about those small details when i am done. 😁
@@thakori what's A "hilti"?!?!
I'm Italian and we have a lot of those sampietrino stones here...great job brother
Thanks man!
bro tip, if you rent the powered tamping machine, you can stake in and old cloth drop cloth across the patio and use the tamper to set the pavers.
Idk why but I love that our Bro Builder calls everybody his bro
Excellent instructional video with excellent production and editing. Kudos Bros.
“We’re bros, not pros” this literally made my day 😭😭
I spent the last 3 summers building patios, sidewalks, fire pits etc, really impressed by your work! Only think I could reccomend is using polymeric sand to fill in the gaps and using glue in between each layer of the fire pit blocks, both suggestions for a bit more stability, still really really impressed by your work though
Thank you! It’s held up really well. No issues at all. We did end up gluing the top layer of stones onto the fire ring.
Great video. Pro tip, when filling the joints with sand, make sure you use kilborn dried polymeric sand. It’ll take 15 min to fill those joints as opposed to the couple hours it probably took you!
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
I don’t know why but your backyard gives me an indescribable feeling. Like a sense of peace of nostalgia.
Cookie cutter neighborhoods give me depression.
I definitely would have put some poly sand to hold the pavers together, but still looks good!
Thanks!
Your dedication is truly inspiring.
I'm suppose to be doing homework but this is more important
I love these builds! They’re so cool and motivate me a little when I see the end product go so well! You just earned a new subscriber 😁👍
Welcome to the channel! :)
me, sitting in the comfort of my studio apartment: "I wanna do that"
Me, with no tools, materials, land, or permission to do this: "I wanna do that..."
Me, probably will never become a home owner “I wanna do that”
Me, a lazy asshole laying in bed at 3 am: “I wanna do that”
If I ever could do it anyway I would immediately give up because my circle is not even 😭
DESPITE THE MINOR MISHAPS YOU GUYS DID A GOOD JOB DIY. LOVE FROM DFW TX
Thanks!
Exactly like what my gf's parents did in their backyard. It looks great. Inspires me to do something along these lines myself.
Suggestion. To tamp down the pavers, use a 2x4 and a real hammer. That way when you hit it it automatically levels the bricks.
Just use a plate compactor with a pad. Plenty of things are wrong and inefficient here, and I would bet this will be terribly uneven after one winter.
The hand tamper was funny, but it did little to nothing for their base, joint aggregate, or setting the pavers into the bedding layer. The edging is pretty funny, too. That will not last.
Those 2 guys who build underwater mansions, pools, and secret hideouts wouldve finished this in 30 min tops
And compact the layers and the pavers with their own feet.
Tony Stark was able to build this in a CAVE... with a bunch of scraps!
@@jhightower well I'm sorry. I'm not Tony stark.
@@jhightower Marvel reference 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
Well, they finished it in 13:41 so they were faster
I clicked the thumbnail suggested. I watched for entertainment purposes and I was entertained. Nice video.
TH-cam on random days:
This video, put it on every recommended and make this dude famous
This reminds me of the videos everyone watches at 2 am of Indian ppl building cool shit
I always watch those 🤣
Can you recommend a few such videos?
@@NikhilWolf look up mr tfue
Fact
Yooo its literally 2:07 right now...😂😂😂😂
“We’re bros not pros” got me😂
This came out amazing! I wish we had a lawn this big to put in a firepit.