Outdoor fireplace ideas/plans

[a***nc83]

Hey guys, so i got quite a bit of bricks from my mom whom is building her house, about 1000, so i started wondering what i could do with them, i already have a stone patio, so i thought i could do an outdoor fireplace.

I did a bit of a searching, and can't seem to find plans, or anything, besides pictures of outdoor fireplaces...i mean i already know the mechanics of what needs to be done, just wanted to have a plan to go by... So i thought i would check in to see if anyone has built an outdoor fireplace on here, or if anyone has any plans, or any suggestions and friendly pointers for me...

As is always...any help is greatly appreciated...

 

[little d]

A***,
plans are going to be determined by the dimensions of the brick, if ya know the mechanics of what ya need to do, I'd say dry lay a starter course for a reference and go for it.

One other thought is the footer, bricks add up in weight real quickly!

 

[a***nc83]

For the foundation, i plan on drilling down holes 48" deep (below the frost line for us here in Toronto), and then doing a 4" pad with re-bar? Overkill?

I guess what i'm hoping for are ideas on dimensions, like should it at least be a certain depth to a certain height...with that in turn determining the chimney height...and should the firepit/firebox be of certain dimensions.....and if anyone had any "nice" design ideas...after all i have to do it please my fiance...soo it does need to look "nice"..lolol

 

[mikeyr]

pizza oven... nothing else needed.

Forno Bravo has plans for free, they will make you go through the checkout as if buying something but its FREE.

http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_oven.html

mmmm pizza... me go make fire now...

 

[speadphreak]

Check Lowes and or Home Depot in their book section. I do believe they both have a couple of books that include plans and technical specs for sizing the chimney to your firebox to get the draw you need for a functioning fireplace.

 

[a***nc83]

Is there any structure i can add to the firebox to make it a pizza oven or are there special tiles to use in the firebox?

 

[Zeke]

Oh yeah, you'll have to line the oven with firebrick or have an major calamity.

 

[havi]

Is there any structure i can add to the firebox to make it a pizza oven or are there special tiles to use in the firebox?

The workings of a proper wood fired pizza oven is in how the brick keeps an even heat all around it. Not as easy as one may think.

i started looking into this, too.

 

[a***nc83]

Ahh... i see...alright, well i will stick to just the fireplace...and yea i need the refractory fire bricks and use refractory mortar...the thing that is stumping me, is calculating the dimensions of the firebox, and smoke shelf and chimney....can't seem to find a calculator...

 

[akdiesel]

We were looking into an outdoor fireplace also but came up with fact that a fire pit is more entertaining since you can seethe people you are talking with and everyone can enjoy it 360 deg around. So we came up with this and did it in about a week minus waiting for parts.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164118

 

[a***nc83]

We were looking into an outdoor fireplace also but came up with fact that a fire pit is more entertaining since you can seethe people you are talking with and everyone can enjoy it 360 deg around. So we came up with this and did it in about a week minus waiting for parts.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164118

Oh wow..that looks great, i would certainly do that...i doubt that would make use of all the bricks that i have though...lol that's partially why i figured a fireplace would work...quick question...if you don't mind, could you break down, the propane setup that you mentioned was done at your cottage?

 

[richtersrodz]

I was given about 3-4 full pickup loads of brick that I built a fireplace out of in my back yard, at my old house. You can see part of it here, in this picture.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1190&pictureid=9864

I can "maybe" dig up some more pictures of it, if I can find them. I used the bricks to map out the area of how big I wanted it, and then dug out the ground, and laid myself a slab, with rebar and a footer around the outside edge. (13 bags of cement) Then started building. I filled in the middle with big concrete blocks, and used fire brick around the inside. I was told this was a must, for the heat, and that also required fire brick mortar. I used flag stone for the hearth?, so that you could sit down on the fireplace and use it as a seat. It turned out really well, but it took me like 2 years to build it. Working on it, little by little, when I had a chance. I finished it right before we sold the house, and only got to use it like 3 times. I also worked in a pipe, that protruded out the side, (hidden) so that I could wash out the ashes with a water hose, and all of the water would run out of the side of the fireplace. Made it real easy to clean out. Good luck with yours..

 

[akdiesel]

Oh wow..that looks great, i would certainly do that...i doubt that would make use of all the bricks that i have though...lol that's partially why i figured a fireplace would work...quick question...if you don't mind, could you break down, the propane setup that you mentioned was done at your cottage?

Final results with propane were by taking out the ball check in the regulator hose. Reason for this is when opening the gas valve the ball check will seat due to much flow. The regulator does its job fine by keeping the pressure down low enough but you need flow (volume) to be able to increase your flame. A 1/2" galvanized line was buried in a small trench (dug by hand) to conceal and relocate the tank away from the fire pit.
Research showed the use of a brass fitting to get the air/fuel mixture correct to eliminate the black smoke. I tried to to make my own brass fitting (venturie), but could not keep it from lighting off so I simply removed it and drilled the holes on the fire tube at 1/16" each every 2" and for what ever reason no black smoke.
Don't forget to install the gas valve at the fire pit to control the flame. When done close all valves to eliminate leaks.
I'm heading out there today and I will take some more pics.

 

[Zeke]

Ahh... i see...alright, well i will stick to just the fireplace...and yea i need the refractory fire bricks and use refractory mortar...the thing that is stumping me, is calculating the dimensions of the firebox, and smoke shelf and chimney....can't seem to find a calculator...

When you buy the damper, the info is sometimes printed on the label.

Or here ya go:
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/chimney_and_fireplace_sizing/

From another site:

http://www.maconline.org/tech/design/fireplace1/fireplace10/fireplace10.html

Stay Googling, my friend

 

[High Desert]

I installed on of the kits and surrounded it with a block shell later. I wanted to be sure that it would draft well, so I stayed away from attempting the from-scratch construction. We use it all the time, especially when we have friends over.

http://earthcore.co/index.php/products/view/outdoor_fireplace_applications/1

 

[richtersrodz]

The tricky part for my fireplace (no prebuilt box) was getting the part done, over the top of the hole. The main part, right below the mantel area. I wound up cementing in two pieces of 1" angle iron, to create a shelf, for the brick to sit on. I did a straight across design, instead of trying to do an arch. If I would have known about the prebuilt fire boxes like the link above ^^^^ I might have looked into going that route, but I was out for doing it for as little cost as possible.

I did have a contractor come by the house, and he wanted $4,500 to do it, and that was with me supplying my own brick!! Geesh!!

 

[a***nc83]

I was given about 3-4 full pickup loads of brick that I built a fireplace out of in my back yard, at my old house. You can see part of it here, in this picture.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1190&pictureid=9864

I can "maybe" dig up some more pictures of it, if I can find them. I used the bricks to map out the area of how big I wanted it, and then dug out the ground, and laid myself a slab, with rebar and a footer around the outside edge. (13 bags of cement) Then started building. I filled in the middle with big concrete blocks, and used fire brick around the inside. I was told this was a must, for the heat, and that also required fire brick mortar. I used flag stone for the hearth?, so that you could sit down on the fireplace and use it as a seat. It turned out really well, but it took me like 2 years to build it. Working on it, little by little, when I had a chance. I finished it right before we sold the house, and only got to use it like 3 times. I also worked in a pipe, that protruded out the side, (hidden) so that I could wash out the ashes with a water hose, and all of the water would run out of the side of the fireplace. Made it real easy to clean out. Good luck with yours..

Thanks so much, any pictures would be great, the pipe for cleaning is a great idea, will look into putting one in. That seems like a decent price compared to the quote i got today, with my own bricks, i was quoted 12,000...soo yeah i'm doing it myself

 

[a***nc83]

When you buy the damper, the info is sometimes printed on the label.

Or here ya go:
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/chimney_and_fireplace_sizing/

From another site:

http://www.maconline.org/tech/design/fireplace1/fireplace10/fireplace10.html

Stay Googling, my friend

Thanks, that's just what i was looking for

 

[camarotoolman]

Buy a pre made metal fire place, them cover it with your bricks. I got mine cheap at a yard sale!

 

[BWS]

Folks in the building biz love to throw around the "R" word(Rumford)....but sad to say its usually just lip service.They are in fact the de riguer in old house world.Could write a novel on the subject....with a loooong azz chapter on how their original design/intent differs from modern homes.Pretty neat subject really.See if linky works.......pay particular attention to the herring bone patterns on the backs.


https://www.google.com/search?q=rum...vHbOz0QG9x4GgDA&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=809


Edit to add,spraybomb those dang firebricks flat black.Yes,even after you lay the herringbone.....and lay them on their edge,not like its done in link pics.Now once you build a fire.....the cheap paint gets burnt off.What you're left with is a gorgeous pattern on the back where the brickwork then shows.Good luck with your out door FP.It'll take awhile but,one day...maybe 5 years from now you'll be sitting there enjoying your toddy,and it'll click."Dang,that mo-fo looks good"....and so it always has been with fine architecture.

 

[a***nc83]

Folks in the building biz love to throw around the "R" word(Rumford)....but sad to say its usually just lip service.They are in fact the de riguer in old house world.Could write a novel on the subject....with a loooong azz chapter on how their original design/intent differs from modern homes.Pretty neat subject really.See if linky works.......pay particular attention to the herring bone patterns on the backs.


https://www.google.com/search?q=rum...vHbOz0QG9x4GgDA&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=809


Edit to add,spraybomb those dang firebricks flat black.Yes,even after you lay the herringbone.....and lay them on their edge,not like its done in link pics.Now once you build a fire.....the cheap paint gets burnt off.What you're left with is a gorgeous pattern on the back where the brickwork then shows.Good luck with your out door FP.It'll take awhile but,one day...maybe 5 years from now you'll be sitting there enjoying your toddy,and it'll click."Dang,that mo-fo looks good"....and so it always has been with fine architecture.

Oh i have to admit that herringbone pattern is special stuff, thanks for the tip of bombspraying the fire brick in the firebox flat black...is the effect that is created similar to some in the pics of the link you sent?


I'm pretty excited, dug the four holes, put down the sonar tubes, and rebar and poured the cement.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions...you guys are great...make a noob feel like he can do something

 

[havi]

http://www.ozarkdreams.com/BrickOven.htm Here's the link to the one I was looking at doing.....found it on my zip drive, knew I had it somewhere, lol.