How to Get the Look of Our Sunken Fire Pit (in Any Size Yard)

There’s just something magical about bringing the best part of camping into your own backyard. We’ve been fire pit people for years now, including a flagstone circle back in our Idaho backyard, a weekend build we did for a family in our neighborhood, and now the sunken brick one off our pool deck here in North Carolina. The first night we broke that one in, we carried a tray out, propped our feet up, and made s’mores until the night wound down and so did we. The kind of ordinary evening you catch yourself missing before it’s even over.

Fire pit outdoors surrounded by black adirondack chairs

Backyard Sources

I get asked about our approach and fire pit dimensions all the time, so today I’m breaking down exactly what makes ours work. And, just as importantly, how to get the same feeling whether you’ve got a tiny patio or a whole backyard to play with.

(And if you want to grab the PDF to use for reference, you can get it here!)

The formula that makes ours work

We worked on the design of our current fire pit with our contractor and landscape designer, but the ideas behind it are ones anyone can borrow:

Sink it, or at least define it. Ours is a step-down, and that one move is what turns a fire ring into a room. The step doubles as extra seating when the kids pile in, and we’re hosting a crowd. You don’t need to excavate to get the effect — even a gravel border or a low seat wall tells your eye “this is the gathering spot.”

Repeat a material you already have. This is the trick to a fire pit that looks built-in instead of bolted on. We laid the surround in the same red brick as our house and retaining walls, in a herringbone pattern — a quiet nod to the herringbone wood floors in our front entry. Pulling one material from your home into the yard is what makes the whole thing feel intentional.

Cap it in a contrasting stone. We topped the rim and steps in the same bluestone coping that runs around our pool deck and along the brick walls. The warm red brick against the cool bluestone is, frankly, chef’s kiss — and it ties the fire pit to everything else out there.

Ring it with seating that invites you to stay. Black Adirondacks in a circle. That reclined angle is basically built for lingering, and a circle keeps everyone in the conversation and in the warmth.

Plan for the weather. Because it’s a step-down and it rains plenty here, our team installed drainage so water never pools. Whatever you build, think about runoff, a safe non-flammable margin around the fire, and clearance from the house before you fall in love with a spot.

Beautiful sunken fire pit behind a red brick traditional home

Our exact plan (steal our numbers)

I had our whole layout drawn up, and I’m sharing the real numbers in case you want to build something similar. Working from the fire outward:

Fire bowl: 4′ across at the center
Coping rim: 14″ of bluestone wrapping the bowl. That brings the whole fire-pit unit to 6′4″ across, and it stands 16″ tall — just the right height to perch on
Lower terrace: 6′ of herringbone red brick, from the coping out to the first step
The step up: an 8″ riser to a 14″ bluestone seat-height ledge, then a second 8″ riser
Border rim: a final 14″ of bluestone
Overall: 23′ across, edge to edge

We ran a 1″ natural gas line to the fire pit for those bigger flames at the flip of a switch, then filled the bowl with about 20 bags of these lava rocks (medium). Not up for the trenching? A wood-burning pit gives you the crackle and coals, and a propane bowl (hidden tank and all) gets you an instant flame instead.

We also drew the whole thing up — every measurement, a section view, the exact materials — as a free printable you can hand straight to a contractor. Grab it here.

Get the look in a smaller space

White adirondack chairs around a stone fire pit with s'mores materials on the side

Our first fire pit in Idaho

You do not need a masonry project to pull this off. Our very first fire pit was a modest 4-foot ring set into a flagstone circle, and it never once felt like it was missing anything. A few ways to scale it down:

Start with a tabletop or compact fire bowl. A Solo Stove or a small propane bowl gives you the flame without the footprint — set it on a little paver pad or a patch of pea gravel, and you’ve got your spot. (When we made over that neighbor’s yard in a weekend, we ran a propane line, filled the pit with black pumice rock, and it looked custom for very little.)
Keep the circle tight. Two Adirondacks and a small side table is genuinely all you need for most nights. Readers with smaller rings tell me they seat six comfortably — proximity is cozy, not cramped.
Borrow the material trick on a mini scale. A single ring of your home’s brick, or a gravel border in a tone that plays off your house, gets you that “belongs here” look without the big install.
Finish with a little green. A couple of potted plants (I lean on faux where I can’t keep things alive) make even a small corner feel like a finished outdoor room.

Scottsdale 40″ Round Stone Propane Fire Pit Table

The look of a built-in stone fire pit but without ever hiring a contractor.

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Get the look with more room

Sunken fire pit with black Adirondack chairs

If you’ve got the space, this is where you can really lean into the built-in, layered version we have:

Go sunken and built-in. A true step-down with a seat-height edge gives you architecture and overflow seating in one move.
Connect it to your other outdoor “rooms.” Ours sits in conversation with the pool deck and outdoor kitchen because they share materials and colors. Repeating brick, coping, and a black-and-white palette across zones makes a big yard read as one cohesive space instead of a bunch of separate projects.
String up the ambiance. Overhead lights — run from a post or the tree line — are what make the whole thing glow after the sun goes down.

Blackberry jam s'mores on graham crackers in hands

Don’t forget the food

A fire pit is really just an excuse to gather, and every good gathering needs an activity. Ours is almost always the same: keep a s’mores basket ready to go so it’s effortless the second someone asks.

Chris’s Blackberry Campfire S’mores — the honey-blackberry jam takes the childhood classic somewhere unforgettable. (Make the jam ahead; swirl the leftovers into yogurt.)
7 S’mores Combinations You Have to Try — for when you want to go beyond the classic. Stock a tray with different cookies, crackers, chocolates, and marshmallows and let everyone build their own.
The Ultimate Hot Dog Bar — the easiest way to turn “hot dogs by the fire” into an actual party is a real toppings spread. Mustards, pickled everything, a good slaw, and you’re the hero of the reunion.

The Marcum family enjoying s'mores around a portable fire pit

Before we redid the backyard, we grabbed a portable fire pit to enjoy our first fall in North Carolina

The prettiest fire pit in the world is only worth it if you’re actually out there using it. So pour the drinks, load the s’mores tray, and pull your chairs in close. That’s the whole point.