Fire Pit Patio — Backyard Fire Pit Built with Pavers
A place in the yard to sit around a fire on a fall night, with pavers under the chairs instead of mud, and a pit that is built to take the heat.
JMB Builders builds fire pit patios across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud: a round or square paver pad on a compacted class 5 base, a block fire pit ring with a steel liner in the middle, and enough pad around it for chairs to sit level. Built on its own or off an existing patio. Priced per project, quoted from your photos; we check your city's fire rules before we build.
- Priced per project, quote from photos
- Paver pad on a compacted base, edge restrained
- Block ring with a steel liner, capped
- Sized so chairs sit level all the way around
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A fire pit area is a small patio with a fire pit in it, and the small patio is what most people get wrong. A ring of block set on the grass is a fire pit; the chairs around it sit on dirt, tip on the slope, and the grass around it dies. A paver pad big enough for the chairs and a walkway behind them, built on a compacted base with an edge restraint, makes it a place you use.
The pit itself is a ring of fire pit block, usually two or three courses, with a steel liner inside that takes the direct heat so the block does not spall, a gravel floor for drainage, and a cap on top. A gap or two low in the ring lets air in. A square pit works the same way. The pad is round or square to match, sized so a chair can be pushed back from the fire without dropping off the edge.
Fire pits are governed by your city's recreational fire rules: how far from the house, fence and trees, what you can burn, and whether a permit is needed. Those distances vary by city, so we look yours up and site the pit to meet them before we dig.
What you supply
- Where in the yard you want it; we check the distances to the house, fence, trees and the neighbor's lot against your city's rules
- The paver and fire pit block style and color, from samples or the supply yard
- Round or square pit, and how many chairs you want to fit around it
- Wood-burning, or a gas insert if you have a gas line; the gas hookup is done by a licensed plumber or gas fitter
What JMB supplies
- Utility locate before we dig; the pit is sited off any buried lines
- Excavation, class 5 compacted in lifts, screeded bedding sand for the pad
- Pavers set in a circular or square pattern, cut at the edges, edge restraint spiked in, polymeric sand
- Fire pit ring built in fire pit block, adhesive between courses, with a steel liner and a gravel floor
- Air gaps in the ring and a cap on top; a screen or cover if you want one
- Grade around the pad so water runs away from the pit and the house
- Sod repair at the edges and cleanup
- Photos of the finished fire pit area in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Diameter of the pad; a pad that seats six is a lot more pavers than one that seats four
- Round pad vs. square: a circle means a cut on every paver at the edge and a circle-pattern kit in the middle
- Pit block choice and the size of the steel liner
- Whether it is a stand-alone pad, an extension of an existing patio, or part of a new patio
- A walkway from the house or patio to the pit, or stepping slabs across the lawn
- Seat wall around part of the pad instead of chairs
- Gas insert, which adds a licensed gas fitter and a trench for the line
- Access for a skid loader and where the excavated soil goes
Send a photo of the spot from the house and one looking back at the house, and say how many people you want around the fire. If the yard is flat, that is enough to quote.
How long it takes
A stand-alone fire pit pad: two to three days. Added to a patio we are building: a day on top of the patio. A walkway to it adds a day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Round paver pad with a block ring
The classic build: a circular pad with a circle-pattern center, a border course, and a round pit in the middle with a steel liner. Sized so the chairs and a path behind them fit on the pavers.
Square pad and square pit
Fewer cuts than a circle and it fits a square yard or the corner of a patio. The pit is built in the same block, with a cap that doubles as a spot for a drink.
Fire pit off an existing patio
A pad added off one corner of a patio we or someone else built, matched or contrasted to the existing pavers, with the base tied into the old edge so there is no lip.
Fire pit with a seat wall
A curved block seat wall around part of the pad, capped, so half the seating is built in and the chairs go on the open side. Also holds the grade on a sloped yard.
Gas fire pit
The same pad and ring with a gas burner insert instead of a wood floor. We build the pit and the trench; the gas line and hookup are done by a licensed gas fitter, and the burner is the customer's choice.
Fire Pit Patio — Backyard Fire Pit Built with Pavers: questions, answered
How big should a fire pit patio be?
Big enough that every chair sits fully on the pavers with room to push back from the fire, plus a path behind the chairs so nobody has to step onto the lawn to get around. That works out to a pad a good deal larger than the pit looks like it needs; most people underestimate it. Tell us how many people you want around the fire and we size the pad from that.
Are backyard fire pits allowed in the Twin Cities?
Most cities allow recreational fires in a contained pit, with rules on how far the pit must be from the house, fences, sheds and trees, what can be burned, and sometimes a permit or a screen requirement. The rules are set city by city, so we look up yours and site the pit to meet them before we dig. If your lot cannot meet the setbacks, a gas fire pit is usually still allowed.
Do I need a steel liner in a block fire pit?
Yes. Concrete landscape block takes the heat of a fire for a while and then cracks and spalls from the inside; a steel liner ring takes the direct heat and the block stays whole. The liner also gives the pit a clean inside edge. A gravel floor under the fire lets rain drain out instead of sitting in the pit.
Can you add a fire pit to my existing patio?
Yes, two ways. A pad can be built off one edge of the patio, with its base tied into the old base so there is no lip at the joint and the pavers matched or contrasted. Or, on a patio with room, a pit can be built on the patio itself, set on a heat-resistant base so the pavers under it do not crack. The first is the usual choice because it keeps the fire away from the house.
Wood-burning or gas fire pit?
Wood is simpler to build and gives a real fire; it needs a place to store wood and it makes smoke, which is what the city rules are about. Gas lights with a switch, makes no smoke, and is often allowed where wood is not, but it needs a gas line trenched to it and hooked up by a licensed gas fitter, and the burner insert is another cost. We build the pad and pit either way.
Will a fire pit crack the pavers around it?
Not when the pit is a lined block ring on its own gravel floor; the heat stays in the ring and the pavers around it just get warm. A portable metal fire bowl set directly on pavers is the thing that scorches them, so if you plan to use a bowl, a gravel or stone inset in the middle of the pad is a better landing spot than the pavers themselves.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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