How to set up a fireplace at a cottage

A man is probably drawn to the fire from the cave times. If you like to sit by the fire, look at the flames, cook something on, keep reading out article on how to set up a fireplace.

And if a massive structure is not part of your plans – at least for now – you can start with a small: to organize a place for a fire on the site. This is the idea I propose to consider today from different points of view…

How to set up a fireplace from the fire safety point of view

There is nothing about beauty and convenience or romance – and there is something boring right away: about fire safety… But I will tell you this: if you don’t think about it well in time, very soon we may not have a comfortable rest – with the fire jokes are bad.

And in order not to bring any “side effects”, let us remember and apply at least these two simple rules:
The place for the bonfire should be far away from buildings, trees, parking lots and other flammable objects;
the site where the fire is to be made, we separate it from the rest of the territory with any non-combustible material: stones, bricks, iron, concrete – what is there, what is more suitable or easier to use.

By the way, the stone fence of our hearth, among other things, will accumulate the heat of a burning fire, and then gradually give away the heat, even when the fire has already gone out.

Simple, but quite reliable fence can be made of metal sheets and a small amount of sand-gravel mixture. The only thing – in the proposed design, personally I would not make a big fire: still, wooden buildings are located too close. But the idea itself deserves attention, in my opinion:

How to set up a fireplace in terms of simplicity of arrangement

Well, yes – sometimes you do not want to waste time and effort on some complex structures. Perhaps, the idea to sit by the fire in the evening came suddenly – and there is no suitable place… We will arrange it with the help of handy materials.

If a large metal object, reminiscent of a cup or ring in shape, accidentally piled up in the shed, we are very lucky, because almost nothing else is needed. Let’s just do it like this…

… or something like that, for example:

… and there is a safe place for a small cozy fire! Nothing complicated, right?

No iron, but a small stock of bricks (even old ones)? Also great! On the chosen glade we carefully lay out the brick site (you can, of course, and thoroughly prepare: remove the turf, mix cement … but we are now talking about the option of “fast”, remember?).

You can make edges by placing bricks on the edge – so that the coals from our improvised fire site do not scatter on the grass. You should agree that all this, too, will not take much time or extra effort.

Finally, if there are few bricks, but in addition to them there is a shovel and a reserve of energy – dig a small hole of arbitrary shape (at least just remove the turf and rammed the soil under it), framing it with bricks placed on the edge – and build a fire.

How to set up a fireplace: From a culinary point of view

If it is desirable at times instead of all the usual (but for some reason incredibly tasty) baked potatoes, roasted on a fire sausages and fragrant herbal tea “with a smoke”, it means, the place for a fire should be arranged so that it was convenient to cash.

For the simplest garden dishes, nothing special will be needed: the metal grill placed on the bricks will play the role of a grill; to bake potatoes, you need only coals, and for frying sausages, even skewers are not necessary – thin branches are not worse.

Well, if we are going to cook something more serious, – ear, for example, or mushroom soup, or pilaf – you will need a suitable kettle (or cauldron), and the ability to fix it securely over the fire, so as not to tip over with our dacha delicacy).

If there is no tripod, or you plan to cook a three-dish lunch at the campfire for a large company, it can be organized like this, for example:

Well, if the experience of creating culinary masterpieces in camping conditions is not enough, watch the following video. On a cool autumn day at the cottage you will surely need a recipe for cooking pilaf at the campfire.

How to set up a fireplace in terms of convenience and aesthetics

Yes, a place for a fire can be equipped not just with comfort – some of the presented options look luxurious (and require, of course, the appropriate investment of energy, time and money for arrangement)…

Such a corner clearly invites to spend a pleasant evening together with a glass of wine or a cup of fragrant tea. Smooth lines, nothing extra… The aroma of flowers and birds singing in the branches of the trees will create the right mood.

Well, for a big noisy family or friendly parties, it will take more space. What do you think about this patio with a small round hearth?