How to build edging for firepit area?

Question

Hi, I'm planning to create a firepit area in the highlighted corner of the backyard.

To make the area appealing I intend to get high garden beds in the corner with the help from our landscapper and install timber bench.

I am looking to diy rest of the work.

I need help in choosing the edging for the area. And the process for it. Something that looks nice and is Diy.

Second, i am thinking to use pea gravel to lay in that section and place firepit and chairs etc there. I would appreciate some advise on DIY alternates for pea gravel AND the process to create that area.

Lastly, i need advise on suggestion for stepping stones to reach that area. Should the stepping stone be a specific thickness?

Thanks for taking time to read the message. Look forward to suggestions from this wonderful community.

Cheers, Satinder

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @Sat05,

Yes, that is correct, you would use H4 treated sleepers for the main frame of the seats and decking boards for the top. These 200 x 50mm 2.4m Treated Pine Sleepers would work well for the frame and some 90 x 19mm Merbau SpecRite Pre-Oiled Decking would work for the seat.

While you could use a nailgun, I'd be more inclined to recommend using screws because a drill is more practical for a variety of uses than a nailgun is. I'd suggest instead of using a nailgun, you grab a drill kit such as this Ryobi 18V ONE+ Drill Driver Starter Kit or this Ozito PXC 18V Cordless Drill Driver Kit, with some drill and driver bits, such as this Ryobi 40 Piece Specialty Metric Drill And Drive Set.

With a drill and your drill and driver bits, you can screw the frame together with batten screws and screw the decking boards to the frame with decking screws.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

Sat05 · Answer

Thanks Eric for your response. It was very helpful. In terms of material and equipment required to create garden beds, I can see i will require mainly H4 treated timber and decking boards. Let me know if my findings are correct and please suggest if I'm missing anything.

I also realise that I would require a nail gun for this project that I currently don't have. Could you please suggest a decent nail gun fit for this project that's easy to use for diy projects.

EricL · Answer

Hello @Sat05

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about installing a firepit area in your backyard.

I'm sorry but your second picture failed to appear on your post. However, your first picture is enough to give us an idea of your backyard layout. I suggest looking at this discussion - Fire pit entertaining area with seating and planter boxes by @raymond265. Your description of your proposed firepit area is very close to what raymond has built. It has timber seating a planting area at the back, pea gravel and pavers with the firepit in the middle.

The discussion also shows you how to build the seat and position it in your garden. I also recommend looking at the Top 10 most popular fire pit projects, you can get more ideas from what other members have put together. I also suggest looking at this discussion - Backyard fire pit with bench seating by @sannear. It is one of my favourites because it is compact and cosy.

Choosing the paver size and colour is a personal choice, it's important that you like the pavers in your firepit area. I suggest visiting your local store and looking at the pavers and see which one suits your needs. I have placed a sample rendered image using AI below to give you an idea of what it can look like with the seats, pavers and fire pit in place.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Eric