I moved the patio stones from under the pergola to the back to be used as a patio for the fireplace and Laavu. A laavu is a Finnish wood shelter often used by campers/hunters/hikers/fishermen etc. throughout Finland. Mine needed a more pronounced area. I am happy with the results. I used a cub yard of sand and lots of elbow grease. The pad is constructed to comfortably fit a couple of Algonquin chairs and lava, in addition to the fireplace. The second pad is for occasional brush burning.