Building A Brick BBQ - Part One

So the next project is to build a brick Barbecue. I actually wanted to start on this project about a year ago. I ended up buying 400 bricks off a guy on eBay for £40. It turns out he had had the same idea only his misses had got pissed off with the bricks sitting in their garden. Well, his loss is my gain.

As I like a little bit of pressure I decided to start the project two weeks before our annual BBQ. So with the clock ticking down it was time to get started.

Digging Out For The BBQ Foundations — Digging Out The Foundations For The Barbecue.

First off I had to dig out some foundations.

Most Of The Base Area Has Been Dug — Got Quite A Bit Dugout For The Barbecue Base. This was probably the most taxing job of the whole build.

Concrete Fence Post Holder Removed — Removed The Old Concrete Fence Post Supports.

So there were two concrete fence posts holders that needed to be removed. Once these are out I can fit in some new metal fence post holders.

The Base Has Been Dug Out Of The BBQ — Completely Dug Out The The Foundation For The Barbecue.

Now The foundations have been dug out I framed it with some old floorboards So that I can pour in some concrete.

Filled The Dug Out BBQ Area With Rubble Before Pouring In The Concrete — Laid Some Hardcore /Broken Rubble In The Pit Before Pouring The Concrete.

Laid in some hardcore rubble in the base before I pour the concrete to make the foundation.

Fitted The New Metal Fence Post Spikes. — The New Metal Fence Post Spikes Fitted Before The Concrete In Poured.

Fitted in the two new metal fence post spikes as I want to have a fence panel behind the barbecue.

Smoothed Over The New Concrete Barbecue Base — The Concrete Base Poured And Smoothed Over.

So I have poured in some concrete a mix of and then skimmed over the top with a cement and sand mix to finish with a flat surface to build on.

Some Of The Parts To Be Used For The BBQ — These Are The Bits And Pieces I Will Be Using For The BBQ.

So these are some of the parts I will be using to build the barbecue. The beer keg and the pallets I managed to acquire from the loading bay at work. I will be using the Grills from some old barbecues.

So with The Sam being Vegan, I wanted to have two grills, one for meat and one for vegetarian/vegan food. Hence why there is such a big base. I also want to have a couple of worktops. The middle section I havent decided yet. Either another small grill or another worktop. I guess only time will tell.

Setting Out The BBQ Positioning — Measuring Out The BBQ Placement.

So I have laid out some bricks with the grills and tables to see how the barbecue is going to come together.

First Rows Of Bricks Laid For The Barbecue — First Rows Of Bricks Going Down.

Now that I have framed the BBQ it is time to start laying bricks.

The First Few Row Of Bricks For The New BBQ — A Few Rows Of Bricks Going Down, Starting To Look Good.

The first couple of row of bricks have gone down, now it is starting to take shape.

A few rows down now. I’m making good progress doing a couple of hours work each night when I get home from work.

The BBQ Is Taking Shape — The Barbecue Is Taking Shape, It Looks Pretty Big.

Four rows of bricks laid and the barbecue is starting to look quite large. With a week to go until the party we are going camping for the bank holiday weekend so time to stop work and have a few days of rest. This pile of bricks will still be here when I come back next week.

Another Evenings Work And Another Row Of Bricks — Another Row Of Bricks In The BBQ.

Six rows of bricks, I would say about halfway there. Now time to start on the beer keg.

Measured And Taped The Keg For Cutting — Beer Keg Taped And Ready For Cutting.

So I have measured down the centre of the barrel and applied some masking tape to stop some of the sparks when I start cutting with the angle grinder.

Two Halves Of The Beer Keg After Cutting — The Beer Keg Now Cut In Two.

The beer keg has been cut in half, these will be the charcoal holders. This ate through at least 8 cutting disks but it was well worth it.

Fitting The Bricks To Hold The Kegs And Grills — Starting To Get Complicated Now.

Now putting in some bricks sideway to support the beer kegs.

For An Amateur Pretty Happy With The Level — It’s Looking Pretty Good For An Amateur.

Everything is looking pretty level. I’m happy so far. Now to finish it off.

Having A Quick Break Before Finishing The Brick BBQ. — A Quick Break And Then Finish Off The Last Of The Bricks. Only A Couple Of Days To The Party.

Taking a little break for a ham roll and a cigarette, and then it’s time to lay the rest of the bricks. With only two days until the party, I am really cutting it fine with this one.

Last Of The Mortar For Building The BBQ — Last Batch Of Muck For This Season!

Just wheelbarrow of muck for the year! This should be enough for the rest of the bricks.

BBQ Finished For This Year — Nothing More Can Be Done Now, Just Have To Wait For The Mortar To Set.

So I have actually run out of bricks, there is enough done to have a useable BBQ for the party. Now let the mortar set and we can start grilling.

Fitted The Grills And Wooden Worktop — The BBQ With Grills And Kegs Fitted.

Now the kegs and grills have been fitted Also slotted in one of the worktops.

Barbecue Ready To Use For The Party. — Grills On The BBQ And Beer Kegs Fitted.

BBQ Ready For The Party — The BBQ, Not Completely Finished But Good To Go.

2019 BBQ Finished. — That The Barbecue Finished For This Year At Least.

So that’s the work finished for this year. Next year I will finish the brickwork. Do all cleaning of the bricks and pointing. Fit all the worktops. Make it look nice and maybe add a couple of doors. So finally just a couple of pictures of The BBQ in use.