Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

The weather here couldn't be worse so maybe it is related!

[NCMan]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

It just might. You know Chris lives up there near Punxsutawney Phil. That could easily be one of Phil's kin. Maybe Chris should look into installing a lightning rod on his oven......just in case.

[Gulf]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

I wonder if this going to have some effect on the weather .....

[NCMan]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

Watch out for those squatters, Chris!! We had a neighborhood cat that liked to climb up into ours and lay by the nice warm door, but so far, no ground hogs. I now close off the vent area to keep out the critters and the weather. I made a cheap wooden door to close off the vent landing area. That's a cool photo!! Hope it's tail isn't on fire!!

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

I came home yesterday and my wife tells me she thinks she saw something go into my WFO and not come out? I asked what she thought it might be and she replied, maybe a ground hog? I told her that she had to be mistaken because the door was on the oven and the only place it could have gone was up the chimney. I thought if anything maybe a squirrel but not a ground hog? So I went to stove and banged on door and chimney and nothing came out. My wife was still adamant that what ever it was, was still in there. I then lit a piece of newspaper to create some smoke and armed myself with a camera and waited to see if anything came out. Pictured below was the what came out. Weird!

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

The patio completes the area nicely.

Thanks Stone. We can't wait to be completely finished, we will putting seating area back together this coming weekend. We are on our thirteenth year of the back yard improvement project. My wife and I have done it all ourselves except the latest concrete pour. The retaining wall was the biggest of the projects before the WFO. That made the wall seem like child's play, it was finished in one summer, this is summer three on finishing details on the pizza oven.

Thanks again to everyone who's helped me here and all of the prop's along the way.

Chris

[stonecutter]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

The patio completes the area nicely.

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

Beautiful job and great decision. Are they going to apply a couple coats of sealer after it dries? It looks like they did some saw cuts for control joints. Nice looking work.

Thanks NCman, we could not be much happier with the finished product. They have put three coats of sealer on.

[NCMan]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

Beautiful job and great decision. Are they going to apply a couple coats of sealer after it dries? It looks like they did some saw cuts for control joints. Nice looking work.

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

The concrete patio portion of our WFO project is complete. The rain stopped long enough for our contractor to finish it over the memorial day weekend. We are very pleased with how it has turned out. It has definitely enhanced our pizza ovens practicality and beauty and also improved our back yard immensely.

I now have to start putting our seating area back together which has lots of work involved building frame work and cutting counter tops and such. I will update as we proceed.

[NCMan]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

I don't know it all, but I know what I know. Your welcome.

No, you certainly don't. Personally, I think you think you do, and some of the advice you have given to folks on here is questionable, at best and sometimes flat out wrong. Oh....that's right, it's due to "regional differences". The very large majority of people who waste their money on pavers live to regret it. Fact. Yeah, I could go into all the reasons why, etc., but I've got better things to do. And none of them is "moving my pavers". People can just look around at some paver projects, ones that have been around for quite a few years. I'll take my properly designed, poured and cured concrete slab over even a free paver job any day and would recommend the same to anyone contemplating which to use. Now, if an owner likes the look of pavers and really gets into the maintenance required, even have the ability to move them around, I say go ahead and use them, by all means. As was stated by someone earlier, they both have their place. People just need to decide if they want to do it once, correctly, and be done w/it, or.....you know, use pavers. "You're" welcome.

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

Patio is underway! Weather has stopped progress as it's going to rain the next 4 days straight, but can't control the weather. Hopefully we will be done before the upcoming holiday weekend, we'll see.

[hodgey1]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

hodgey,

I just read all of your build thread, loved it! The exterior design of your oven is similar to what I have planned for my build. Thank you for showing me some helpful tips.

As for the patio, I have done paver, flagstone, and concrete. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. I think what truly matters is that you decide on what you want and then find a contractor who is willing to give you references or take you personally to jobs he's done in the past. Proper prep work is crucial for any final top product. If you plan to do the labor yourself, I think it'd still be most helpful if you can locate some fellows who have done the method you decide on; concrete, paver, stone, etc, and ask them to let you see their final result and seek their guidance.

One thing us northernly people have to consider is ease of snow removal. A patio isn't as critical as a driveway for example, but big or small, it still erks when you snag the blade of the shovel or plow on the edge of a paver. I think that may be an advantage of a smooth (relatively) concrete pad over the others.

Personally, if I could afford it, I'd have a heated paver pad, driveway, and/or sidewalk, because I think it looks pretty and I'd never have to shovel it. Based on what you have shown us, you obviously have great skill and attention to detail so I'm certain that whatever road (pun sorta intended) you choose, it'll be done right and look great!

SharpT

This was one of the most difficult projects I ever tackled in my 48 years on the planet. Hearing/reading comments like yours about my project make it even more rewarding. I had never had my hands on a trowel until this project and really had to push myself to start it. This forum maybe solely responsible for pushing me over the edge and getting me to start, let alone all the help I got along the way was priceless. One member "Boylanta" was beyond helpful, he lived about 90 mins away and had us over for WFO dinner prior to my build and answered any/all questions I had along the way.

I have a very good concrete guy who has done my 400' driveway, detached garage floor and basement of my house. All where separate projects over the last 13 years. Their skill and workmanship has been excellent so I trust that they will do a good job on the patio. I think after much consideration I'm headed in the concrete direction. The freeze cycles we've had here the last two winter have been extreme and shown a lot of people the real damage frost up to 4'-5' deep can cause. I think either concrete or pavers will work fine if both are installed properly with the right drainage.

I must admit after two complete summers taken up with my WFO project, daughters wedding and caring for elderly parents I maybe leaning the concrete way so I can enjoy my summer cooking in my WFO on my new patio, entertaining and not fill it with another large project. Oh that sounded lazy!

[sharptailhunter]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

hodgey,

I just read all of your build thread, loved it! The exterior design of your oven is similar to what I have planned for my build. Thank you for showing me some helpful tips.

As for the patio, I have done paver, flagstone, and concrete. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. I think what truly matters is that you decide on what you want and then find a contractor who is willing to give you references or take you personally to jobs he's done in the past. Proper prep work is crucial for any final top product. If you plan to do the labor yourself, I think it'd still be most helpful if you can locate some fellows who have done the method you decide on; concrete, paver, stone, etc, and ask them to let you see their final result and seek their guidance.

One thing us northernly people have to consider is ease of snow removal. A patio isn't as critical as a driveway for example, but big or small, it still erks when you snag the blade of the shovel or plow on the edge of a paver. I think that may be an advantage of a smooth (relatively) concrete pad over the others.

Personally, if I could afford it, I'd have a heated paver pad, driveway, and/or sidewalk, because I think it looks pretty and I'd never have to shovel it. Based on what you have shown us, you obviously have great skill and attention to detail so I'm certain that whatever road (pun sorta intended) you choose, it'll be done right and look great!

[Tscarborough]

Re: Starting 42" NW Pensylvania

I don't know it all, but I know what I know. Your welcome.