building your own bar-b-q

I bought this ‘barbequick‘ last year. Quick? hmmmm… €20. In December. Bargain. Left it in the shed.

When the sun came out I built it. Did it end up looking like the image above…? not on your nelly… But for good reason….

If you do fancy building your own barbeque – here’s how.

Stone type:

• i tried to get the same brick sizes as per the instructions – but – free bricks are much nicer
• i wanted a ‘looks like its been there for a while…’ kinda finish – it’s also the greatest excuse if you’re not the best brick layer in the world
• don’t use concrete blocks unless you are going to plaster the walls

Location:

• decide where you want it. This is built from stone. Solid stuff. It hasn’t got wheels. So be darned sure it is exactly where you want it.
• Keep it well away from walls… smoke? black? and more important timber fences… fire?
• not right beside the patio – smoke/ guests eyes; flames & grannys new hair do

How I built mine:

• I picked my spot.
• Took the measurements from the instructions and layed a foundation about 4″ deep – to finish just below ground level. Left it for a few weeks day or three…

Materials:

• 300 no. brick
• 2 no. bags cement
• 1 no. bag of gravel
• 3 no. bags of sand
• washing up liquid [substitute for mortisiser - bonds the cement better]
• some paving slabs for the base – for you to stand on

Tools:

• spirit level – a good long one
• a block splitter ‘or’ a good bolster chizel and a mallet
• a trowel
• a wheel barrow to mix cement in

Conundrums:

• I measured the foundation from the instructions but that was based on ‘their’ brick sizes. Mine were smaller & I needed a lot more than they suggested.
• The clips to support the grill are ‘only’ to suit that size of block. They obviously wouldn’t fit ‘my’ barbeque.
• I also wanted an extra, adjoining counter to the side for plates and food so I had a bit more to do.

Don’t Forget:

• To stick a few long screws into the cement while laying to hang your implements on
• Measure twice and cut once rule

My thoughts:

It will take about 2 days to complete. And there is nothing more rewarding than sitting back with a cup of coffee looking at a wall that you built. Sincerely. Especially if you are a man….

If one was to pay to get it built….? In my opinion, it would be cheaper to go and buy one. To approximate the costs briefly; if the bricks costs €1 each; multiplied by 300 bricks – One is already at €300 before it gets built….?

That said, I didn’t want a gas barbeque. I wanted one that I could say in years to come… that ‘I remember building that…’ I also have the ability to barter eggs for materials and so apart from my time – this really didn’t cost me whole lot.

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