They Stacked 48 Cinder Blocks in an Empty Backyard Corner: Now There’s a Fire Pit and Room for Friends
Forty-eight cinder blocks sound more like a delivery for a building site than the start of a place to spend an evening with friends. Add six lengths of timber, though, and those hollow blocks become bench supports as well as the walls of a square fire pit.
After a friend moved into a new house, Imgur user aroll10 helped turn a neglected gravel corner into a seating area. Inspired by a project seen online, the builder decided to “wing it to make our own,” placing the benches first and fitting the pit into the ground in front.
The materials list included 48 blocks, 32 red caps, and six pieces of 4×4 timber, with a reported building-material cost of about $220 in April 2017. Two benches follow the fence lines, leaving the front open for people to approach and join the group.
Gravel Was Already There, but Weeds Had Taken Hold
A timber border separated the gravel patch from the lawn, and two wooden fence runs enclosed its back corner. Weeds grew along the front edge, with scattered debris across the surface.
The builder thought the section might once have been a children’s play area, although its former use was uncertain. Clearing the trash, removing weeds, and raking the existing stone gave the project a starting surface without replacing the whole patch.
Six Timbers Supplied Both Bench Seats
Long square timbers leaned against the fence while loose blocks waited beside a barrel in the corner. The materials had separate jobs: wood would span the seats, and concrete would form their end supports.
According to the post, each block weighed 28 pounds, putting the combined block weight at 1,344 pounds before counting the caps or timber. The modest materials bill still came with substantial lifting.
The First Bench Established the Level
Blocks set into shallow excavations marked the two ends of the first bench, with gravel filling several exposed cavities. The builder described digging down a couple of inches and using the first support as the leveling reference.
Starting with the seating also let the pair judge where they wanted the pit in relation to the benches, rather than building the center feature and fitting seats around whatever space remained.
Hollow Blocks Held the Timber Above the Ground
Three parallel timbers passed through openings in the upper blocks, creating a slatted seat between the stacked supports. Their ends projected beyond the concrete, exposing the construction instead of hiding it behind cladding.
Without a backrest, the bench kept its profile below the fence rails. Gaps beneath and between the timbers left the seat as an open structure rather than a solid concrete platform.
A Second Bench Turned the Seating Around the Corner
Another pair of low block bases established the bench along the adjoining fence. Once its supports and timbers were in place, the two seats formed an L-shaped arrangement with the barrel between their inner ends.
That position left a broad approach from the lawn side and directed both benches toward the open gravel. The corner gained seating without placing a row of chairs across the entrance.
Red Caps Introduced a Finish Before the Pit Went Up
Red caps covered the tops of the bench supports, adding flat surfaces above the gray blocks. A water bottle resting on one showed how the wider ends could also hold an object beside the timber seat.
In front, disturbed gravel and exposed soil marked the next work area. The benches were already standing while the central structure remained a few loose blocks on the ground.
A Square Footprint Took Shape Between the Seats
An L-shaped block course outlined two sides of the pit, with a small spirit level resting across a corner block. The close view shows the gravel pulled back around parts of the footprint as the pieces were positioned.
One raised section previews the combination of gray blocks and red caps that would continue around the finished square.
Matching Bands Connected the Pit to the Benches
Construction views show two gray block courses separated by a red band, with the upper cavities still exposed along much of the perimeter. Openings in the lower course face outward near ground level.
The red strip repeats the caps on the bench ends, giving the separate structures a shared detail. These photos document the assembly before the final top row of caps covered the exposed openings.
String Lights Finished the Setting, but No Fire Is Shown
A continuous red rim surrounds the completed pit, and string lights hang in loose arcs along the fence. Both benches face the square from adjoining sides, with the foreground left clear.
The photographs show no lit fire or firebrick lining, and the supplied post does not establish heat performance or fire-safe clearances from the wooden seating and fence. The finished image records the backyard transformation rather than a tested fire-pit design.
The Layout Gives the Corner a Reason to Be Used
Would you keep the benches along the fence or place one across the open side to bring guests face-to-face? Leaving that side open makes arrival easier, while an extra seat would change how the group gathers around the center.
Cushions could make the timber benches more inviting, and planting in the barrel could bring greenery into the gap behind them. Neither requires covering the gravel or adding another large structure to the corner.
Images and project details: Imgur user aroll10.