Chim Cheroo

Chim cheroo, I finally have my chiminea up and running. I wrote not long ago about getting myself a chiminea, but first I needed to sort out the garden. It’s not a very big space and most of it is covered in concrete. There’s no way I could dig all of that out down to a level of soil, so I had to put on my thinking cap.

The Wife’s Idea

My wife came up with the idea of wood chippings to hide the concrete. Looking around on the internet, it seems wood chippings covering an area bigger than a footpath can become soggy and worn out after a couple of years. That means replacing them every so often, which I didn’t really fancy doing.

Any Colour You Want

Eventually, we came across several companies that make a wood chip look alike from old tyres! Not only that, they can supply them in a variety of colours, so you have a nice choice. I like the idea of recycling the tyres as they must be a nightmare to dispose of. Moving on and my wife chose the ‘fire brick red’ colour, so I measured up and we put the order in.

All The Way From Yorkshire

There are quite a few companies supplying this stuff, but we found one we really liked who is based in Yorkshire. I think it was about 8 days before the huge builder’s bag arrived by lorry. The driver said to me, ‘you won’t believe how much of this stuff I deliver every week!’ It was a typical wet and cold day, well not typical, but typical because I was having a delivery. I had to handball it into the garden, which was bloody hard work!

Strength Of A Dandelion

We laid one of those black mat things first, to stop any weeds from pushing up through the concrete. How do little weeds do that? Concrete is solid and even drilling it can take ages, yet a Dandelion can make its way through without the slightest problem! As you can see in the photo, we got it all laid and nice and level, leaving a space for the chiminea.

Lovely Neighbours

One of our lovely neighbours heard we were looking for a chiminea and said we could have the one in her back garden which she never uses anymore. How lovely was that? I gave it a brush down and a lick of heat resistant paint plus I sent for a protective rain cover for it. I have plenty of old dried out bits and pieces of wood, so it didn’t take long before we were sitting comfortably, nice and toasty on a Spring evening. We were both surprised by how much heat the chiminea gives off.

If anyone is interested in these decorative recycled chippings as they’re also great for children’s play areas too, then I can recommend the company we got these from. Ecochippings

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36 Comments
  • conniejjasperson
    May 18, 2022

    I loved our chiminea, when we lived on the lake. But I’m not familiar with the term “handballing it in.” Could you explain to this Pacific Northwesterner?

    • Trev
      May 18, 2022

      Hi Connie, yes, handballing is basically moving it all by hand without any help like a wheelbarrow etc. 🙂

  • Lauren
    May 18, 2022

    I love my chiminea. It comes in three pieces, so moving it is a little less awful. I buy my rubber tire bits and pieces from the big box home improvement stores here. The bags are way easier than having to do it by hand. At least I imagine it would be. Your set up looks great. Enjoy your time basking in the warmth.

    • Trev
      May 18, 2022

      Thank you, Lauren. I could have had 10kg bags, but I didn’t think it through properly and hence why I ended up with the huge builders bag. 🙂

  • Peter's pondering
    May 18, 2022

    Fire brick red was an excellent choice by Debbie, as I’m sure you’ve told her. Just had a look at the Ecochippings site. They are very well organised!

    • Trev
      May 18, 2022

      Thank you, Peter, I shall let her know. They seem a good company and we wouldn’t have any reservations in recommending them. 🙂

  • Jim Flanigan
    May 18, 2022

    Really looks nice. Enjoy!

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, Jim and it is 🙂

  • Rosaliene Bacchus
    May 18, 2022

    Good for you, Trev! Looks great. I’ve never heard about rubber bark chips. While it may look like wood chips, they probably feel different underfoot.

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, Rosliene. It does feel like you’re walking on sponge. 🙂

  • Yetismith
    May 19, 2022

    So glad you were able to work your little project out and support recycling at the same time. There are some very creative people around and may God bless them!

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, Yeti, I appreciate your kind words. 😊

  • SusanR
    May 19, 2022

    Oh that looks so inviting! Can’t do it here in Denver right now. Very high fire danger. Even a spark could be a disaster. I don’t imagine drought has ever been a problem in your part of the world.

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, Susan. You’re right, drought has never been a problem although flooding has. 😊

  • derrickjknight
    May 19, 2022

    Very well done. Just beware of sparks 🙂

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, Derrick. Yes, fortunately the fire always seemed contained in the bottom of the chiminea. There’s always the hose pipe on standby too. 😊

  • harmonykentonline
    May 19, 2022

    Looks lovely, Trev. Great work! 💕🙂

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, that’s very kind of you. 😊

  • Going Batty in Wales
    May 19, 2022

    Those tyre chips seem a good idea. Enjoy your al fresco evenings.

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, they are fabulous. 😊

  • Crystal Byers
    May 19, 2022

    I would’ve never guessed about the tires! I scored a chiminea from a neighbor once. Then we moved, and I can’t remember how we lost it. 🤷‍♀️ Love yours!

    • Trev
      May 19, 2022

      Thank you, Crystal. Yes, the faux wood chippings are excellent. 😊

  • Cindy Georgakas
    May 20, 2022

    oh I have to build a concrete pad to build a pizza oven on but I’m not a fan of the concrete. Can you put them on top of the pad? Great idea!
    👏👏

    • Trev
      May 21, 2022

      Hi Cindy. You can’t really put it on top of the rubber chippings. Although they’re fireproof, it wouldn’t be very stable. I’ve used a concrete paver. Thank you 😊

  • MythRider
    May 25, 2022

    I never heard of a chiminea until your post.
    It’s been a cold and chilly spring here. An outside sit by a chiminea sounds cozy.
    May you have many happy memories by the fire.

    • Trev
      May 25, 2022

      Thank you, Phyllis. It certainly is a cozy experience, and the same here, it’s been a cool Spring so I’m even more grateful for the chiminea. 🙂

  • luisa zambrotta
    May 26, 2022

    The result is truly remarkable!😉

    • Trev
      May 26, 2022

      Thank you as always, Luisa. 🤗😉😊

  • markbierman
    June 11, 2022

    I really like the look of chimineas.

    • Trev
      June 11, 2022

      Thank you, Mark, I love it. 🙂

  • sustainabilitea
    June 19, 2022

    Sounds like a big project but I’m sure you’re enjoying it. I had to chuckle a few days ago while shopping at Aldi where they had fire pits for sale. Nothing sounds much less inviting than outdoor fire in Arizona in the summer when the temperature in the evening might still be well over 100F! 🥵

    janet

    • Trev
      June 19, 2022

      Thank you, Janet. Yes, I agree about fire-pits outside in those temperatures. 😊

  • Baydreamer
    June 22, 2022

    Looks very nice and inviting, Trev. And thanks for your visits to my blog. 🙂
    ~Lauren

    • Trev
      June 22, 2022

      Thank you, Lauren and you’re very welcome. 😊

  • marlagro
    September 21, 2022

    Your articles are so interesting!

    • Trev
      September 21, 2022

      Thank you, that’s very kind of you. 😊