How to make a brazier with your own hands from bricks
A modern cottage cannot be imagined without a barbecue area, where you can spend time with family and friends, cook aromatic barbecue and grilled vegetables. Build a brazier with your own hands from bricks is not at all difficult if you follow the instructions on the technology for building a hearth. Products cooked over an open fire are much tastier and more flavorful than any other food.
Choosing a place to build
Brazier - a device for cooking meat, fish, vegetables in the fresh air. The heat in the stove comes from a fire that is kindled with wood or coal. The brick structure is being built for more than one year, so it is recommended to take into account the technology of masonry and the conditions of fire safety. An important condition for the successful implementation of the project can be considered the choice of the location of the future garden building.
An important condition for the successful implementation of the project is the choice of the location of the future garden building. The brazier should be installed close enough to the recreation area so that the process of cooking and communicating with guests is as comfortable as possible, and the transportation of ready-made meals to the table does not take time. It is good if there is a secluded place or a special shed in the garden or on the lawn, where the device will not interfere with everyday life.
Fire safety rules require to exclude starting a fire near a residential building, wooden buildings and playgrounds... The crown of a tree should not hang over the hearth; shrubs should not be planted near.
During construction, it is important to take into account the peculiarity of the landscape of the site and the direction of the wind.
Determination of the optimal dimensions
An important condition is the choice of the dimensions of the future structure. If you wish, you can add a Russian stove, sink, smokehouse, desktop. Before starting, it is recommended to draw a schematic drawing that will help take into account the smallest details, correctly calculate consumables. You can draw the project yourself by hand.
It is worth foreseeing in advance a compartment for ash, air blowing, a chimney, a place for storing coal and firewood. It is good to equip an outdoor grill with a canopy to protect the hearth from getting wet. You should choose the size of the metal grill for cooking, think over where the skewers will be stored.
To maintain the fire in the hearth, it is possible to provide for laying firewood not on top, but on the side of the barbecue.
When choosing the dimensions of the structure, you must first of all decide on the height of the barbecue. To make the cooking process as comfortable as possible, the grill should not be higher than the kitchen table. The length is usually not much greater than the size of the furnace (up to 1 meter). These dimensions will be enough to accommodate a large number of skewers or a wire rack.
Most ready-made schemes for building a brazier with your own hands from bricks offer the following parameters: 600 mm / 1400 mm. Material consumption is about 300 bricks.
Required tools and materials
For a stationary barbecue, you will need a solid foundation, so you need to purchase materials for installing the foundation:
- boards and fittings for formwork;
- ceresite;
- sand;
- a rock;
- crushed stone.
To ensure the progress of construction work, special tools will be required:
- shovel;
- metal buckets;
- wooden level;
- container for mixing cement;
- plumb line, tape measure;
- reinforcing mesh;
- pegs.
For the preparation of masonry mortar, clay with sand is used. The clay is pre-soaked in water for two days.
After erecting the brick base, you will need to install gratings, valves. If desired, you can set aside space for a work table with a stone or metal surface.
How to choose a brick
High-quality and durable materials will guarantee a long service life. Before construction, it is important to determine which brick is better to purchase and in what quantity. The barbecue area is usually used all year round, so you shouldn't skimp on materials for work. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the brick heats up from fire to high temperatures, and then cools down. When buying, you must choose a heat-resistant type of brick, since not all types of materials can withstand sudden changes in temperature. It should have a dark color, light-colored blocks do not comply with GOST standards and are less durable.
It is best to buy kiln (fireclay) bricks that can withstand extremely high temperatures. A mixture of sand and clay is suitable for masonry.
Pouring the foundation
The do-it-yourself brick barbecue area is a rather weighty structure, so it is recommended to pour a monolithic concrete base under it.
Installation of the foundation is carried out as follows:
- Dig a hole in accordance with the dimensions of the project, about 30 cm deep, compact the soil well.
- Cover the bottom with crushed stone or gravel (15 cm). Moisten with water.
- Construct formwork from boards around the pit perimeter.
- A reinforced mesh is laid at the bottom.
- Next, the pit is poured with a concrete solution of cement and sand in a proportional ratio of 1: 3, with layers and laying of a reinforcing metal mesh.
- The finished foundation should be covered with a thick plastic wrap.
The base plate should be above the ground level. The poured concrete mix fully sets and hardens for about 2 weeks. During hot weather, the foundation is sprayed with water to avoid cracking. The start of brick laying work begins only after the slab has completely solidified.
If the future brazier is of modest size, you can do without the installation of formwork. Align the edges of the dug hole well enough.
Do-it-yourself grill made of brick: construction technology
While the foundation slab solidifies, it is necessary to mix the clay masonry mortar. The clay is soaked in water for several days, when it dries, water is added, the mixture is periodically stirred. After that, sand is added. The finished solution should not crack in your hands.
The day before starting work, a brick should be prepared. To make it better set and not take moisture from the solution, it is poured abundantly with water.
Every two layers, it is advisable to lay the masonry with a metal mesh for greater strength of the structure. Overlap is performed after seven levels. Then the laying continues in three more rows. The last rows are for organizing the grill area. Small gaps should be left in the structure to allow combustion air to flow.
If the project involves a chimney, then an ordinary cast iron pipe can be used. The minimum height is 150 cm. To prevent atmospheric precipitation from destroying the chimney over time, a visor, canopy or miniature roof is attached on top.
The outer walls of the building can be simply plastered, tiled or ennobled with natural stone.
An elementary calculation of the number of skewers that will be used at a time will help to determine the size of the brazier. The distance between them should be approximately 10 cm.
Additional elements
The construction of a brazier with your own hands from a brick aims, first of all, to create a solid structure that will last more than one year.
Therefore, it is so important to equip it with such functional devices as:
- Canopy.
- Forged lattices.
- Dampers.
- Plate.
- Built-in wardrobes.
- Shelves.
- Mini fridge.
For a canopy, you need to install poles that can be reinforced with concrete bases or attached to a plinth. Supports can be made of metal or wood. When using wooden poles, it should be remembered that they must be at least 20 cm away from the barbecue, and they must also be treated with special refractory agents.
A canopy roof can be made of absolutely any material. But if its color is combined with the roof of the house and outbuildings, then the brick grill will harmoniously fit into the overall landscape of the site.
The structure can be left as it is, only slightly passing the grinder. However, if the appearance is not very presentable, then the outer surfaces can be decorated with tiles or other non-combustible material. The walls can be coated with special paints for brick ovens. The decoration made of decorative stone looks interesting. You can also use a special refractory plaster.
A niche for storing firewood and coal is often left under the barbecue. For convenience, the brazier area is equipped with additional worktops made of specially treated wood or stone, and a galvanized metal sheet is also suitable. This design will resemble a kitchen, which is very comfortable and modern. There is space under the countertop for cupboards. It is also important to think over ways of lighting and shelter from bad weather.
Do-it-yourself grill made of bricks - an economical option
If it is not possible to allocate a large area for construction or you need to save money, an inexpensive barbecue made of modest masonry, which consists only of a hearth, will do.
The easiest way is to install a brick plinth and brazier. To save money, it is allowed to lay fireclay bricks only for the combustion part. For other areas, you can take a regular brick that was used earlier.
The compact design does not take up much lawn space and the purchase of materials will cost a small amount. This is a great option for organizing summer picnics for a modest company of no more than six people. If smoke is to be avoided, a chimney can be added.