Good point about evergreens—I learned that the hard way when my neighbor's juniper hedge caught a stray ember. Thankfully, nothing serious happened, but it was a wake-up call. As for bricks, kiln-fired ones definitely hold up better in my experience. Have you thought about adding a metal liner inside the pit to protect the bricks from direct heat? Might help prolong their life and ease your mind a bit.
"Have you thought about adding a metal liner inside the pit to protect the bricks from direct heat?"
Definitely agree with this—metal liners are a solid choice. I'd recommend stainless steel if you can swing it; it's pricier but holds up better against rust and heat stress. Also, make sure there's a small gap (about half an inch or so) between the liner and bricks. This air gap helps dissipate heat, further protecting your bricks from cracking or weakening over time. Learned this trick after rebuilding my own pit twice...
I went with regular steel for mine since stainless was way out of my budget. It's held up pretty well so far—just gotta keep an eye on rust spots and sand them down occasionally. The air gap tip is spot-on though, wish I'd known that earlier...
Good call on the regular steel—I did the same and it's been decent. Curious though, have you tried any rust-resistant sprays or coatings? Wondering if they're worth the extra few bucks or just hype...
