When we moved into our house, the original owners had left a very large pile of granite rocks and boulders on one side of the block. Rather than trying to dispose of them, we decided to create a fire pit to add a feature. The garden is on a natural slope, so the boulders formed the retaining wall, and the rocks filled three large gabion baskets to make the seating. We added some plants and a bird bath to make this a year-round feature. No machinery was used to create this area.
Steps
Step 1
The area was just a sandy slope to start with. First we had to move the granite boulders and rocks from the side of the garden to the middle where we wanted the fire pit. We didn't have the budget to hire machinery, so used leverage and brute force to push the boulders into place 🤣 The rocks were transferred to the gabions via wheelbarrow. The 3rd photo below shows the rock pile once most had already been moved.
Step 2
Once the gabion baskets were filled, we made the seats by joining decking boards with flexible brackets so they would fit on top of the gabions.
Step 3
We then completed the rest of the landscaping including crushed limestone for the fire pit area's floor, the fire pit itself, cushions, the bird bath and planting.
