Tips on Building a Brick BBQ

So, you’ve spent a lot of time, effort and money sprucing up your garden and making it look presentable, and now you want the opportunity to be able to use it and enjoy it. A brick barbecue is a great solution to this. They don’t have to be expensive to make, and can actually be more durable than expensive ones bought in garden centres. However, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to begin with building a BBQ and how to make it look interesting. This guide could help you.

Consider the Available Space

Of course, you’ll want to position your bbq in an area that’s easy to access in order that you can be sociable and entertain guests simultaneously. However, it is important that you take into account all of the aspects of the bbq, is your space suitable? Think about how thick you want the walls, as more will obviously mean less space for the grill itself. You should also consider the potential amount of smoke as a result of the barbecue and ensure that you position your bbq away from anywhere that the smoke may be a problem.
Top tip: Mark out the space your bbq will take up (including the brick walls) and leave it for a few days to get a feel for its practicality.

Experiment with Colour and Design

While you may want a traditional red brick bbq, you may want to consider using a more interesting colour to make your bbq stand out. Alternatively, you could use a mix of red and different coloured bricks to make a pattern. Small mosaic patterns with tile or glass pebbles will also add more interest to your brick bbq. This will also give your bbq a more personal feel, rather than being plain brick. Getting the children involved in designing the pattern would also be a nice touch and make a durable keepsake.  Check out our range of pebbles here.
Top tip: Save money by using old broken tiles to make your mosaic.

Dry-fit Bricks Before Laying them in Mortar

This will mean you can move them around and ensure you are perfectly happy with the shape and size of your bbq before anything is made permanent. You should ensure that the corners are perfectly square and that there is around half an inch between each brick to allow space for mortar. Ensure you use a mortar suitable for the bricks and material you are using and for the purpose of a bbq, check out our range of cement and mortar here .
Top tip: Hose down the bricks with water half an hour before you lay them. This will prevent the bricks from soaking up excess moisture from the mortar.

If you have any more tips and advice on what to do when building a brick bbq, let us know in the comments below!

[Photo Credit: combust]