Hearth - the personification of family comfort and warmth. The soaring flames and the melodic crackling of logs mesmerizes and soothes, tuning in to relaxation and a pleasant rest. It is pleasant to gather around the bonfire in the evening, enjoying communication with households and friends. To be able to enjoy the magic of open fire on your site, you can equip a special area for recreation, the key element of which will be a fireplace.
A variety of options for outdoor hearths
The street hearth, which until recently performed only a utilitarian function, today has become a fairly popular element of landscape design.
The unusual design of the courtyard zone with the hearth and the original forms of the fireplace itself can transform any area
The fireplace, which does not attract attention in the daytime, with the onset of twilight becomes a "zone of attraction" - the center around which the whole family gathers with pleasure. To make the rest even more comfortable and enjoyable, around the fireplace they arrange a platform with comfortable stationary seats and garden furniture.
The shape of the hearth can be any, suitable for the general style of the house. But from the point of view of simplicity of service and access, most often the centers are given a round shape.
An excellent technique for creating a picturesque place with a bonfire in the courtyard of the house will be the original cover of the site
The area around the bonfire can be tiled, covered with gravel, laid out with stones. The choice of materials and design methods is determined only by the style of the site.
One of the most convenient and interesting ways of zoning a site when the site with a bonfire is lower in relation to the adjacent areas of the yard
It is not at all difficult to equip a cozy multi-level site on the site. It is only necessary to remove the soil layer and level the surface.
No less impressive are the recessed foci, which are located below the level of the platform itself around the campfire
Recessed bonfires are suitable for any courtyards decorated in various styles. The only requirement for the arrangement of a campfire: do not deepen the hearth too much, since the natural combustion process can only be supported by the influx of fresh air. To ensure the necessary air circulation, the firewood in a recessed hearth is folded with a hut, leaving wide gaps between them and stepping back a sufficient distance from the walls.
And in order to not have to carry firewood in your hands, you can make a convenient carrying for firewood. About this in more detail: //diz-cafe.com/tech/perenoska-dlya-drov-svoimi-rukami.html
We suggest considering a couple of options for arranging a fireplace, which, in addition to direct functional significance, will act as a spectacular element of landscape design. A self-made street hearth will be the pride of its owner and a favorite vacation spot of the whole family on cool evenings.
Campfire methods
The hearth inherently represents a pit dug in the ground or above-ground construction, lined with a wall of solid stones. Strong walls help retain heat, maintain the shape of a bonfire and protect the hearth from blowing by gusts of wind.
Option # 1 - Overhead Construction
When planning to equip a fireplace, the first thing to do is to choose a place. The hearth is located far from sprawling trees, farm buildings and the house itself.
The best option when the fireplace is located at a distance of 4-5 meters from the crowns of trees and up to 3 meters from the buildings
A small hill or, conversely, a flooded lowland is far from the best choice for placing a bonfire. There must be a middle ground. It is better if it is a flat area with good viewing.
Having decided on the location of the campfire, we prepare the site: we clear it of the roots of plants and debris, level the surface and plan the place of the future hearth
Traditionally, a bonfire is rounded, for convenience, making it 90-100 cm in diameter. In our case, a metal rim was used to equip the structure.
To equip the campfire, remove the turf layer from the marked area. In the future, the site can be tiled, decorated with filling or equiped as you wish
We take out a ten-centimeter layer of soil along the intended contour of the installation of the rim itself. We level the bottom of the dug pit, install the rim.
Along the outer walls of the rim we lay stones or concrete blocks in several rows, the wall thickness of which is not less than 10-15 centimeters
Too thin walls of the structure are not able to provide sufficient strength, and when a person rests on them, they may not withstand the load at all.
From a decorative point of view, it is better to use purchased concrete blocks, which will simultaneously perform practical and aesthetic functions. On sale, you can find both blocks of cast concrete and natural stone. Alternatively, you can use paving slabs or even real granite cobblestone.
In a good way, for the construction of a bonfire, it is necessary to use only a masonry mortar with refractory additives. It is better to fasten a natural stone at all, using clay oven solution. You can lay out a solid structure, using special glue designed for laying fireplaces and hearths.
The voids and gaps formed between the metal rim and the facing material are filled with sand, earth or clay mortar
Dumping will prevent future accumulation of rainwater and debris, thereby facilitating the care of a bonfire.
The fireplace is ready, it remains only to equip seats, retreating 70-90 centimeters beyond the border of the protective strip, where flying sparks will not reach
So that the equipped street center after heavy rain does not turn into a small pond, it is necessary to make a cover. Cutting it out is not difficult from a sheet metal cut.
Option # 2 - a fireplace buried in the ground
To equip a stationary campfire, another option can also be used - digging a foundation pit. At the site of the arrangement of the future outbreak, we dig a hole about 30-40 cm deep.
To drain storm water, to equip drainage under the walls of the structure under construction, we dig a shallow trench
We cover the bottom of the pit and trench with a gravel cushion of a small fraction of a thickness of 15 cm. To extend the service life and increase the reliability of the structure, the inside of the pit must be encircled with a ring from a sheet metal cut.
Having laid the first row of blocks on a gravel bed, we check them by level and knock out the protruding elements with a rubber hammer
When a ring is assembled from separate blocks, there is always a need to split individual elements. To do this, it is necessary to draw a line on the surface of the block, and then chip along the contour with a hammer and chisel. It is easy to give the desired shape to uneven edges by tapping them with a hammer shank.
The upper edge of the first row is covered with special glue for laying fireplaces and hearths, we spread the second row. The erected structure is filled with gravel
The top edge of the structure is decorated with a suitable decorative stone, which we sit on cement mortar.
By the same principle, we stack the subsequent rows. Along the inner walls of the fire place a sheet of metal. We fill the voids between the inner ring and the blocks with soil or sand.
Option # 3 - a budget outbreak from an old barrel
Another option for arranging a street hearth:
The design of the site around the hearth
Any materials are suitable for lining the surrounding area: gravel, pebbles, tiles for paths. But the most picturesque look flat plates of irregular shape, laid out on a lawn in a fancy pattern. It is convenient to place chairs, benches and other garden furniture on wide flat plates. A circular bench with backs is an ideal option for arranging a site around the campfire.
For comfortable admiring the open flame, the bench can be supplemented with warm rugs and rugs, as well as variegated soft pillows
A retaining wall built of the same stone, 50x40 cm in size, can also be an appropriate addition to the bonfire. It will protect against gusts of wind and serve as a convenient bench.
