Backyard Fire Pit Area Makeover
Backyard Fire Pit Area Makeover: Before & After
This might be one of my favorite outdoor transformations we have done on our property! Next you will see the before of the space
Our Pond Area Before
This year we completely transformed the area around our pond. What started as a space that needed some serious help slowly turned into one of our favorite places to spend time as a family. Before we started any of this, the pond was beautiful, but the area around it wasn’t somewhere we spent much time.
James was constantly weed whacking, things felt overgrown and there wasn’t really a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the pond. Our goal this year was to change that.
We have been working on simplifying so many areas around our property — less maintenance, less stuff to constantly take care of and more spaces we can actually enjoy.
This was a big one.
We redid the walkway, added new landscaping and plants, planted grass, built a retaining wall and even added a white sandy beach.
But there was still one big piece missing.
We wanted a place where we could actually sit, gather and enjoy everything we had created. We had a firepit area and chairs before, but you can see above it just brought work each time we came down to the pond… who wants to weed whack each time you want to sit and enjoy and move all the chairs and rocks.
So to finish off the entire pond area, it was time to add a backyard fire pit area with a paver patio.
Finishing the Space With a Backyard Fire Pit Area
The final project was creating our backyard fire pit area. This really was the finishing touch that brought the entire pond transformation together. We wanted somewhere we could sit in the evenings, have a fire, look out over the pond and actually enjoy all of the work we had put into this part of our property.
For the hardscape, we used Mutual Materials and created a paver patio using their Slaton® Paving Slabs in Summit Blend. I wanted something that looked like it belonged out here, and I loved the natural flagstone appearance of the Slaton pavers. The random pattern and natural tones work so well next to the pond and all of the new landscaping without feeling too perfect or formal.
I know James did most of the heavy lifting, but this project was such a quick one! The most work was getting the ground ready, and we will have a step by step tutorial for you soon!
Adding the StackStone Fire Pit
Once the paver patio was in, it was time for the best part — the fire pit!
We used StackStone® from Mutual Materials in Summit Blend, the same color blend we chose for the patio.
I love how using Summit Blend for both ties the two together while the different stone textures keep everything from feeling too matched. And seeing the fire pit in place was one of those moments where the entire project finally felt DONE.
After everything we had changed around the pond, this was the piece that gave us a reason to stop working and actually sit down and enjoy it.
The Finished Backyard Fire Pit Area
Looking back at where this space started is kind of crazy. What used to be an area that James was constantly weed whacking is now somewhere we actually want to spend our evenings.
We have a new walkway, landscaping, grass, a retaining wall, a white sandy beach and now a paver patio with a fire pit overlooking it all. But more than anything, we created a place to gather.
That’s what I wanted from this project from the beginning.
I’ve been thinking so much lately about simplifying our property and making the spaces we already have work better for our family. I don’t want to spend all of our time maintaining everything we’ve created. I want us to actually enjoy it. And now we finally can.
Materials We Used for Our Fire Pit Area
For the final part of our pond transformation, we used Mutual Materials.
Paver Patio: Slaton® Paving Slabs in Summit Blend
Fire Pit: StackStone® in Summit Blend
To finish it we used the Polysweep Polymeric joint sand in grey.
I’ll be sharing separate DIY posts showing how we installed the Slaton paver patio and how we built the StackStone fire pit, including the process and everything we learned along the way. For now, I’m just so happy to finally see this entire area finished — and even happier that we have somewhere to sit and enjoy it.
Thank you a.colaphotography for the amazing family photos!
Stay tuned for all the step by step!
For more like this :
Pond dreams came true, even when we least expected it! It is a good story, you wont want to miss so keep reading and see how it transforms!
Big Kid Playhouse - Yes please!! We finally have started it..... this is just the beginning of this Heartland Shed and this whole pond area!
Pond Deck Makeover: Outdoor living with POLYWOOD furniture living our dream, and so much more to come. Let me show you my favorite pieces.
Turning Bubble Gum into Fish food - yes please! This fish food vending machine project was so fun and just what Ollie dreamed of!
