Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

[rjdealhome]

Finally, after lurking on this site for over a year, the build has begun out back next to the pool. Checked it out with the County: no problems with building codes or setbacks (as long as I stay under 200 square feet and 8 and 1/2 feet at the highest point)---and got the sign-off from the HOA (which may have cost me a number of pizzas in the future.) But we begin! Basically, I'm following the FB plans for a 42" Pompeii Oven---never done anything like this before, but hoping for good results. (Many thanks, above all, to everyone here who has provided endless inspiration and ideas: awesome website! Would never have undertaken this effort without all the input found here.)

Really got started the second week of April. The selected site falls aways from the pool deck, so we decided on a supporting wall to build up and retain a level area. This may have been overkill, but I dug out to 24" depth to prevent any frost heave, and laid down a compacted base of 1/2 ton of 21-A gravel before dry stacking 4 courses of 8x8x16 cinderblock. Dropped a 30" piece of rebar in each core and filled every core (16 80-lb bags of Sakrete), then backfilled the trench with 3/4 ton of #57 bluestone. My guess is that I may have overdone it a little, but this sucker is NOT going to move.

Dug out and compacted the sub-base, and laid down a 5" layer of compacted 21-A (another two tons). Form preparation, rebar, and wire mesh as per FB Pompeii Oven plans, and the pour is scheduled for tomorrow morning. It finally feels like I am actually making progress.

For those who may be interested, I'll try to put up some photos in a second posting, once I figure out how to do that.

[Coloradoredusa]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Hi ,sounds like we got started at the same time. I just figured out how to post pics too. click on the paper clip .. (attachment) right next to the smiley face ..when u are posting or replying on a thread.. then another box will pop up to locate and upload the pic.. (I take pics on my camera phone , send it to myself then download it on the computer) then find it and upload it.. sounds harder than it really is.. Welcome.. and good luck..!

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Thanks for the advice on the photo posting process. I'm giving it a try with this first batch of pictures covering the grunt work that took up the last three weeks.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends!

[Coloradoredusa]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

No prob.. looks like you worked hard!

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Poured the foundation pad today. Whoever said concrete work was easy is a lying hack who deserves to be beaten severely. Fortunately, I had chosen to go with Handyman Concrete, a local small batch delivery operation, as opposed to dealing with mixing up a yard and a half myself. Cost was $350 compared to about $250 for the equivalent amount of Sakrete material, without considering the rental of a mixer. Even so, it was a chore to run 20 wheelbarrow loads from truck to site in the allotted one hour of time included in the price, with my cousin John shoveling the mix around the form as I dumped it. The day turned warm and sunny on us, and we really had to hurry to screed and float the pad before the mix set up too hard. It was a tough go with just two guys---one or two more would have been a great help, if only to allow for screeding as we were pouring/dumping/shoveling the mix around the form (For what it may be worth, that is my contribution in the advice column: more than two people to work cement.) We seem to have survived, however, and the pad now sits under plastic to wet cure for a few days.

Which brings up the question: how long to cure the foundation pad before proceeding? The FB Pompeii plans say "Allow the slab to cure for a day or two" but I'm being told by others , "One to two weeks, at least." Does anyone have some experience to share on this?

In the meantime, I'll entertain myself with purchasing and transporting the additional cinderblock I'll need, as well as the firebrick.

RJD

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

True a day or two on the concrete. It is still real green at that point and so don't put any major load on the pad. By the time it will take you to do the next processes like building your walls the required time to load the concrete will pass usually 10 to 14 days. then you can pour your upper base.

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Faith,

Thanks for the feedback on the concrete; it coincides with what I'd been told. Since I have some time available, I had anticipated getting the block walls done in just a few days and then moving on to the upper pad, but I'll back down on that schedule a bit.

Robert

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Hi ,sounds like we got started at the same time.

Trellis:

We may have started about the same time, but you are really making progress! You make me feel as if I'm crawling along here. I don't see myself getting to the dome build itself until the back half of May, and you're there already.

By the way, I like the idea of an ash drop. I recall seeing that done in only a few ovens: are there any particular pros and cons that you considered for that?

Robert

[Coloradoredusa]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Hi RJ... I am no pro.. believe me.. I just studied all the pics when researching, and most had ash drops .. I just incorporated it into the build..On the quick part, I just want to be done around July, so we can have a Pizza Party in the summertime! I guess a deadline of sorts ,self imposed. I hope your build goes well and if I can help on anything ,maybe this novice will get it right! LOL.

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

If I had a do-over on my oven I would incorporate an ash drop. When I rake my coals out the front on windy days I get burning embers flying about as it hits the front of the oven. I think an ash drop would reduce that and have embers going up the flue or back in the oven.

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Thanks for the feedback. We may have to consider this.

Faith, I cannot imagine you wanting to do anything different: your oven is stellar!

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Knocked the forms off the foundation pad today...and then the rain came. Did manage to lay out the first course of CMUs for the block stand. Actually thinking of going to five courses (as opposed to the 4 courses per the FB Pompeii Oven plans) in order to get the oven floor height at 45 inches instead of at 37 inches. A number of threads have commented on the advantage of building the oven floor at a slightly higher level, and it sounds like a good idea.

[papercutter]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

rj - I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. My wife's away at a conference this weekend so I think I'll be digging and pouring my footers (I already own a mixer, so no need for me to fight the truck issue)

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Good luck on getting underway, Papercutter. As I'm sure you know, this forum is a goldmine of information and help.
You reminded me that I haven't posted any progress in a long time...I'll have to spend some time doing that.
RJD

[rjdealhome]

Re: Viennese Pizza...OK, so it's in Vienna, VA.

Rain last night means I can’t mow the grass this morning, so I get to try to post some photos and the latest progress on the oven build. I thought we were supposed to be in a semi-drought situation but it has been hard to find a dry day to work over the last two weeks. And then the Honey-do list gets highlighted every time there is a nice day, too.
Got the block stand built. Went with five courses instead of the four called for in the plans to get the greater height I wanted, based on comments by other builders found here. Also visited a local guy who has a WFO (Pre-cast installed some 5 years ago---from a company we shall not mention with a name starting with M) which provided some good ideas on stand design, height, chimney covers, running electricity out to the oven, etc. Could not find 2x2x3/8” angle iron at either Home Depot or Lowes, but a local building supply had 3x4x1/4” in 5-ft. lengths at the same price as 2x2x1/8” available at Home Depot---so we went with that. Called for a little more grinding on the block to get the fit, but the handy-dandy HF $19.95 grinder did its thing. I have to say, for a total newbie like myself it is constantly surprising how much cement goes into the process of filling the cores of the block. I used 28 80-lb. bags to take care of the alternated cores in this stand, together with the blocks for the adjacent countertop work area. That was kept at four courses, topped with 4” solid block to get the height I want with a stone work surface placed on top. I just did two parallel rows of block for that area, with no thought of saving any space underneath. It may not look pretty, but with a as-yet-undetermined thin stone veneer and the countertop in place, I expect it will be better.
With that done last week, spent this week (between thunderstorms) building the form for the oven pad. Was able to reuse the 2x8’s that had been used for the foundation for most of it; fastened them to the block stand with #10x 2 and 1/2” SPAX construction screws leaving 4” revealed for the pour. Corners are tied together with the SPAX screws, and reinforced with Simpson Strong-Tie angles, and straps where not a right angle. The tops of the form on each side is braced with 2x4‘s. Floor is 23/32 plywood supported on 2x4’s screwed into all block walls with two supporting joists 24” apart down the center (floor is 72” wide). Four legs support each of the 2x4’s and each joist. Have I overdone this? Not enough? I have bad visions of what the mess would be like if this were to blow out and spread cement all over the pool deck. Covered the plywood with a sheet of 6 mil plastic (hoping to be able to re-use plywood, perhaps) and tied in the rebar on 9” centers since I had a few extra pieces.
So we are ready to pour on Tuesday, which is the earliest I can get a conscripted relative to help me. I calculated about 18 cu.ft., making it too small for the service I used for the foundation pour, so I’m renting a 9 cu. ft. mixer from Sunbelt. From the documentation I find on the Internet, there is a notable discrepancy between the stated capacity and the amount of actual material that can be mixed at any one time, but I think we can do this in about 4 batches. Even with the time spent shoveling it up into the form, it should be fast enough to allow working the cement before it begins to set up. I have one of those big cantilevered pool umbrellas which can provide shade over the whole pad, which should help with that, too. Of course, with the warm weather coming on, I now have to dance around the pool furniture every time I want to get some work done. The adventure continues!
Robert

Photos of recent work follow.