Build a brick grill yourself - DIY garden grill

As soon as spring lures in the first rays of sunshine, the barbecue enthusiasts are drawn to the garden. It's nice who now owns a great grill. Instead of buying a new device every year, you can easily build your own fireplace in the garden. With a self-made grill you have all the freedom. It is only a small challenge in terms of craftsmanship. With our tips and tricks you can create your own barbecue in the garden.

content

• Build a brick grill yourself
  • Wall challenge
  • planning
  • Materials and tools
  • Garden grill | minimum equipment
  • measure up
  • foundation
  • stonewall

Build a brick grill yourself

Wall challenge

Grills are always bricked in exposed masonry. Use hole-free fireclay or clinker bricks and fireproof mortar. Used bricks are also very suitable for this. They give the finished grill a rustic look. Nevertheless, masonry is only as good as its execution. Equally large setting and butt joints, full-joint design without holes and lubrication points and an absolutely straight design are also decisive for a brick grill.

The correct overlap of the stones is also important for the look and statics of the building. Walling looks easy, but can drive the layperson to despair. That is why you approach this work with respect and very good preparation . Then you will also succeed in the brick grill.

planning

DIY garden grill | Well planned is half built

The most important thing in any construction project is planning . Especially when it comes to bricklaying, "Simply on it" never works. That is why you plan exactly in advance by answering the following questions.

• Where should the DIY garden grill be ">

  A grill takes up a lot of space. In the winter months and when not in use, it often stands around uselessly. In operation, it is a source of sparks, open flames and smoke. This is another reason to set up the grill as far away from the house as possible. All in all, a brick grill is an ideal project to make a useful use of an unused corner of the garden.

  

  Grill Variations

  Brick grills come in many variations. The simplest variant is a grill station, into which you can insert a gas grill. Basically, all you need is two socks that you can use as extended tables. But you can also build a comprehensive grill, smoke and baking station where you can combine an open grill with a smoker and a stone oven. The project is a bit more demanding, but it will then become a real highlight in your garden, with which you can prepare the best dishes.

  Grill-form

  For simple, open grills, you can choose from the E-shape, the S-shape, the X-circle and many other variants . Take a look around first and find the optimal shape of the grill for your garden.

  Grill extensions

  You don't have to put the big project in the garden right away. Brick grills are good for expanding them modularly piece by piece. To do this, the overall concept must be in place from the start. Do it generously. The latest trend in garden design is, for example, the “ruin corner”. This is a somewhat larger construction project.

  If you can imagine such a project for the next or the following summer, then include it in the planning of your brick barbecue today. This way you avoid having to tear down the grill that was actually built to last.

  

  Materials and tools

  Build a brick grill yourself Off to the hardware store

  For your DIY garden grill you need the following materials and tools.

  material	Tool
  cover	skip float
  Basalt stone slab	personal protective equipment: work gloves, safety glasses, helmet and safety shoes
  mortar bucket	Concrete mixing machine (for smaller projects, drill with agitator)
  steel mesh	cutter
  screed concrete	Joint-iron
  refractory mortar	rubber hammer
  nails	trowel
  a few slats and boards for shuttering	smoothing tool
  guide	straightedge
  Sand-gravel mixture	Circular saw, circular hand saw or jigsaw
  Clinker or facing bricks as solid bricks (no holes)	around shovel
  	spade
  	masher
  	garden hose
  	wheelbarrow
  	spirit level
  	Angle grinder with iron cutting disc
  	Ruler / tape measure
  	stone Breaker
  	Painters Quast
  	10 mm reinforcing iron

  

  Garden grill | minimum equipment

  Find out what the DIY garden grill should have at least now. As a minimum, your garden grill should include the following elements.

  • Fireplace
  • Storage space for charcoal or firewood
  • Storage table for pre-grilled dishes

  If you plan these elements in from the start, you will have a good start for a great barbecue area.

  measure up

  Brick grill Measure three times - build once

  A plan is the prerequisite for building. Then it depends on the exact execution. The next step is therefore the exact measurement of the batter board. Check each measurement several times before you continue working.

  

  TIP: You can easily check the angles of rectangles by measuring and comparing the diagonals. In squares and rectangles, the diagonals must always be the same length. If they are of different lengths, you have a parallelogram and the base plate will skew.

  foundation

  A brick barbecue needs a solid foundation

  Even if it is a lot of work, you cannot do it without a solid and frost-free foundation . Frost-free means: excavate at least 80 cm deep. If you are planning a larger project, you'd better take a mini excavator . Even if you only need it for half an hour, your arms will thank you. Also think of the overburden: Solid soil increases by 1/3 when it is excavated and thus loosened. You will be amazed at how high the hill can get when you have finished digging the foundation.

  

  shuttering

  After excavation, it is time to formwork . To do this, attach continuous formwork boards around your pit and support them well. Important: the formwork boards must all have exactly the same height and be absolutely straight. At best, you can install a gradient of 2%, then the rain runs reliably to one side. In addition, the supports must not protrude beyond the upper edge of the formwork boards. After concreting, you can easily remove the concrete from the side formwork.

  Before concreting, cover the bottom of the pit with foil. This will prevent rising damp and frost damage.

  

  Concrete

  You can use normal Portland cement and concrete gravel. Work with the concrete mixer, that saves you a lot of energy.

  Mix in the following ratio: 1 part cement to 4 parts gravel.

  The mix is ​​really very simple. If you are not sure, use ready-mixed concrete as sacked goods. So you get a permanent and highly resilient foundation. If you mix the concrete quite fluidly, it will distribute itself better in the formwork. After you have poured a handful of concrete, put the reinforcing steel mat in it. As an alternative, you can also place the structural steel mat on a few paving stones before concreting. It is important that the lower mat is not completely on the floor.

  When you have filled the formwork with concrete up to a hand's breadth to the upper edge, insert the second structural steel mat. If you have to divide, make sure there is an overlap of at least three stitches. Now fill the formwork to the top. Tap the formwork a few times with the rubber mallet . This allows the concrete to settle and compact.

  

  However, work with liquid concrete to avoid the formation of bubbles. When the formwork is filled and tapped, pull the concrete off the edge of the formwork with the crossbar. Now smoothen carefully with the smoothing chip and cover the concrete with foil. Make sure that nobody walks around the formwork for the next 48 hours. In very hot weather, moisten the concrete a little with the garden hose. This prevents the concrete from cracking. After two days you can remove the formwork and the film.

  

  stonewall

  Build a brick grill yourself Now it is bricked up!

  When the foundation is in place, the walls are built. A brick grill needs full stones, half stones, three-quarter stones and quarter stones . Use the stone cracker to separate. This is much quieter, more precise, safer and dust-free than the stone saw or the cut-off machine.

  TIP: For larger DIY garden grill projects, wall the corners first. Measure the grill exactly again. A stone plus a joint has a length of 25 cm. With the bricked and pre-tied corners, clamping a mason cord is particularly easy.

  For smaller barbecues, you can use a spirit level. This is a bit tedious, but with patience and concentration you can achieve your goal. When laying the walls, always make sure that at least ¼ of the layers overlap. The layers after next should always be just one above the other. So you get a decent result.

  You can either immediately build full walls or scrape out the joints and re-grout. If you prefer a rustic, Mexican style, then work with thinner mortar and immediately. Wipe the masonry every two layers with the wet painter's brush . This creates an interesting structure and keeps the masonry clean from the start.

  If you prefer the neat style, scrape out the joints every five layers to a depth of approx. 2 cm. When the grill is finished and has set, re-grout with the joint iron . So you get a perfect, clean result.

  Cut two pieces of the 10 mm reinforcing iron to size using the power cutter. If you have bricked up to the waist, place the iron in the setting joint so that the grillage then lies securely and wobble-free. Wall the reinforcement inside firmly. But remember to always cover the grill. This will prevent the irons from rusting too quickly. After grilling, always rub the iron with oil. This also prevents corrosion.

  

  A brick grill is a challenge, but it gives a lot back. If you have a taste for building a brick grill yourself, then take a look at our other building instructions.

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