# Knocking down a decaying brick barbecue pit took way too much sledgehammer work **URL:** \ **Category:** Homeowners\ **Tags:** demolition\ **Created:** [May 16, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946 "2026-05-16T19:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defizyn](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/defizyn/32/12468_2.png) [@Defizyn](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Defizyn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/1 "2026-05-16T19:53:40Z")
A massive, crumbling brick barbecue pit in the corner of the yard has been leaning dangerously toward the neighbor’s fence line for years, so I finally decided to tear the whole thing down to the ground today. The original mortar was completely washed away from decades of rain exposure, so I figured a few quick swings with a ten-pound sledgehammer would instantly shatter the structure into a neat pile of loose bricks. That was a ridiculous assumption because whoever built the thing used solid firebrick and heavy iron reinforcing rods right through the center core. The demolition phase started out easy enough with the top chimney cap, but the second I hit the main burner box, the sledgehammer just bounced right off the masonry without even chipping the glaze. The heat from years of cooking had basically baked the interior bricks into a solid, vitrified mass that was tough as granite. I spent two straight hours standing in the weeds swinging the heavy mallet with everything I had, and my shoulders were vibrating so bad from the impact that I could barely keep my grip on the fiberglass handle. A massive cloud of red brick dust settled all over my hair and got inside my safety glasses within ten minutes. The real structural nightmare came when I tried to pull out the heavy cast iron grill grates embedded deep inside the lower masonry layers. The metal flanges were completely fused into the surrounding brickwork from years of baked on grease and rust scale. Trying to pry them loose with a crowbar did absolutely nothing except snap the tip of my tool right off. I had to go find an angle grinder with a diamond cutoff wheel, lay flat on the grass, and spark cut the thick iron hinges out section by section while a steady shower of hot metal flakes burned into my work shirt. The main chimney stack and the cooking box are finally smashed flat now, leaving a giant jagged pile of red debris right in the middle of the lawn. The solid concrete foundation pad underneath the bricks is completely intact, but the surface is covered in a thick layer of oily black soot that smells intensely like old charcoal whenever the evening breeze hits the yard. ![1000149777](https://renovation-reviews.storage.googleapis.com/original/2X/0/034928311d7b410cd039384d1195d7b79ecfce98.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Abdul\_Rahman](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/abdul_rahman/32/832_2.png) [@Abdul\_Rahman](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Abdul_Rahman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/2 "2026-05-16T20:07:07Z")
I can imagine what that Black soot smells like. ---
**Author:** ![Richard](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Richard](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Richard)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 4:31am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/3 "2026-05-17T04:31:54Z")
Vitrified firebrick is basically armor plating. Vibrating your shoulders to pieces with a sledge only to snap your crowbar is peak DIY frustration, but you finally won that battle ---
**Author:** ![Treasure](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Treasure](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Treasure)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 4:35am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/4 "2026-05-17T04:35:43Z")
Thanks for posting this , it’s really informative, but you have called a professional to make it easier for you. ---
**Author:** ![Talent\_lawrence\_Godw](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/talent_lawrence_godw/32/14485_2.png) [@Talent\_lawrence\_Godw](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Talent_lawrence_Godw)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 6:11am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/5 "2026-05-17T06:11:39Z")
Looks easy to breakdown untill you try to do it, this will be hard because it’s build to absorb heat ---
**Author:** ![Blossom1](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Blossom1](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Blossom1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 6:17am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/6 "2026-05-17T06:17:34Z")
A simple demolition turned into a tough, exhausting job, showing how solid old masonry can resist even heavy tools and effort. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelRobert](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MichaelRobert](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/MichaelRobert)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 6:23am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/knocking-down-a-decaying-brick-barbecue-pit-took-way-too-much-sledgehammer-work/47946/7 "2026-05-17T06:23:34Z")
That sounds like way more work than expected. Old BBQ pits are built like tanks sometimes at least it is down now, but your shoulders probably won’t forgive you anytime soon.