Today we are giving my pathway and fire pit a makeover! The first step in laying down a pathway of stone or pavers is to ensure you have a level line. We have put a string that will hold the level because we want it to be level from this little landing area. Alfonso has dug down a few inches. We will have two inches of the paver and a little bit of leveling sand. The pavers are uneven, one or two inches. Then we will put poly sand over that.

There is the leveling sand that just got dropped off and the road base. The road base has chunks of stone and rocks in it. Then we also have a pile of Pnyx rock which will go in our pathway from the edge of the property to the backyard. Then we will also put it in this little pathway by the road.

As you come down our stairs, there will be a paver pathway. Then you can see where Alfonso has built the circular landing for the fire pit. He has put down the road gravel, and then we will add e a weed barrier after that.

Then we will do the leveling sand and then the paver. Alfonso has cut into our grass to ensure we have a round area for the fire pit. He came by this morning with this compactor that pounds stuff into the room, so it is nice and firm. Then we will lay down this black weed barrier, leveling sand over that, and pavers.

The stone we chose is called Storm Mountain. It is primarily gray but has some flex of silver in it and is pretty. I am super excited to have this laid down!

This orange string that goes all the way over the landing is, once again, so that the path will be level with the landing. Again, we will make sure the papers hit right at the string, and then it will be level. 

Now we are talking about edging. Again, it is just plastic edging. We are hammering it right next to the grass on one side and then on the other side all the way around. That way the leveling sand does not fall out.

Okay, what we have done now is placed a stake that is in the middle of the circular part. This is 17ft in diameter. So the string we will use to guide us with the edging is 8.5 ft. The nails for the edging go in every 18 in.

We have now put the rock base down, the road gravel, and a black tarp. The pavers will sit on this, and we can add more or less depending on what we need to make it level. This is what leveling sand is for.

We brought the leveling sand over, took a level, and started leveling it. We’re bringing the pavers over and making sure that when we step on them, they don’t wobble at all. If they do, we will add more sand.

We got the whole family to help. So, finally, the fire pit area and the pit are done. I am so excited because I know we will use it all summer and fall.

So after we laid down all the rocks, we put down more leveling sand. Then added the poly sweep, which was leveled. Then you put some water on lightly, and it hardens over a few hours.

Next up, we’re working on the fire pit. This will go in the middle of that, and I’ll show you how to do that as well. First we laid this metal liner down. Then I’ve just got these paver stones from Home Depot. 

So we laid this around and will use adhesive to stick it right on top, then alternate brick and style to spread around the liner. So we’re doing four rows. Then we will take some of the pavers to match and push them around the top to tie in the two styles. 

This, pathway and fire pit, is such an easy project for anyone to do and I know you guys can do it to make your outdoor areas a little bit more enjoyable. 

This is how we brick laid it. And in between every layer, we’re using some landscaping glue and now we are just figuring out what layout we want to do for the top area.  

DoneAnother great DIY project and I am so happy with how the pathway and fire pit turned out!