Just starting my build

[WoodchuckDad]

I am on a lunch break from shoveling gravel out of the area I want to build my outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and WFO. I will be laying a patio 18x25 with the hearth and WFO next to each other on one side. the Patio is extending from the end of the cement area that surrounds our pool, so I have a good level straight edge to work off of. The ground slopes down about 10 inches on one corner and a bit over 12 in another. I am going to begin excavating the area for my wall footers later today and will probably start my footer/foundation pour this weekend. This is my first venture into Cement work so I am sure I will have a ton of questions. I expect the whole project to take most of the summer but hope to be cooking in the Oven by mid July.

Thanks. WCD

[Neil2]

Re: Just starting my build

Post pictures !

[Jed]

Re: Just starting my build

WCD,

Welcome to the forum! I'll look forward to watching your project come together.

I had very little experience with cement before my build. In fact, one of the reasons to build the oven was to get some experience with masonry products. It worked! I am more confident after the build about working with the masonry bits, and have a pizza oven as a verifiable outcome...!!

And the oven is cool! A great addition to the back yard, and the party scene on our block.

Keep us posted on your build and let us know if we can help with any questions that might come up....

And do send along pictures!

JED

[Raffy]

Re: Just starting my build

A pool and an oven! You'll be the envy of all your neighbors. Post some pics. we all like some show and tell here at the forum.

[scottz]

Re: Just starting my build

There is nothing better than having a hot summer day with beer in hand, cooking pizzas and then jumping into the pool!!! I loved it this summer...but our weather in just starting to turn...cool mornings are here!!! Going to miss those 40 degree C days!! Enjoy your build, heaps of fun!!!!

Scott

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Just starting my build

Hey WCD..
Welcome to the forum.. You will be surprised how fast your confidence level will increase with each step pf the build... Good luck.. Enjoy It... as as you can see.. Take lots of pics.. we like them all, including digging foundation pics..
Cheers
Mark

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: Just starting my build

Well I have been planning this for a couple years now. I have a stack of 700-800 red bricks that I don't even know if I will be using because my plans have have changed so many times. I finally decided that I would stop coming up with reasons that I couldn't do it and just make it happen. So I broke ground 2 weeks ago, then last week my wife told me she wanted me to finish a part of our kitchen that I promised but didn't get to several years ago. I spent last Saturday .....ALL day pulling the wood from a bakers window and replacing it with Sappelle and giving her a 6 inch ledge above the sinK . It turned out nice although it took so freaking long.
So this week I took a day off an started sifting thru the rock garden at the end of the pool that I will be using for my out door kitchen. I will find time to post pictures tomorrow. Yesterday when I was working out there it was almost 90 degrees.....Whooped my butt. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 60's so I will be digging out the footers in the morning and probably laying some concrete. I stopped by Home Despot and bought a Husky cement mixer tonight on the way home from work. Damn the torpedo's and full steam ahead. Yesterday around 2:30 when I felt I was beginning to fade I piled the wife and kid into the car and went to a landscaping place to check out what they have. Lots of nice brick and block but some of the block runs 400+ a pallet. Nice stuff but I just can't bring myself to do it. I am leaning toward a foundation of cement pads for the forno and fireplace, cinderblock walls with stucco and some brick or stone work, and a scavenged granite cutoff patio.

Questions. morter the bricks empty to each other, or use rebar, dry stack them , then fill with concrete? any consensus?
when correcting grade problems, what do you use to fill the lower parts? Is crush a sufficient material, or do I need to use something else?
Round vs Half Oval ? I read bigger is better but when is it too big?
10 inch block, 8 inch block, 6 inch block.....hello? what do I need to use?

Tomorrow I will double check my lines, start digging my foundation, , go get some cement and lay some foundation. I am certain I can come up with enough reasons to wait and research to last 20 yeas so I am just gonna start building, and check back every day or so to see what others say.
By the way, someone mentioned how good it is to sit by the pool with a beer and a pizza made in your own oven......I just kegged up an Imperial Porter than I made that comes in at 9.73% and will probably brew up a batch of lime pepper cerveza this weekend so when it is ready, perhaps my fricking oven will start looking like something more than ust a butch of string art in the yard.

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: Just starting my build

DOH!
Forgot to ask. Since I have access to some pretty big slabs of granite. ( cutoff pieces from counters...) I am wondering if it would be a suitable material for he floor of the overn. it would save me money and time if a piece or three coule make up the floor and I woulid think that it woulid make a nice smoothe cooking surface.

[eprante]

Re: Just starting my build

The granite won't work as a cooking surface. Some people have used soapstone instead of firebrick. Good luck, this project is a lot of fun. You learn a lot and there are plenty of guys like me who didn't know anything before their project and now will share their experience with you.
Eric

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: Just starting my build

Hey WD,

Questions. morter the bricks empty to each other, or use rebar, dry stack them , then fill with concrete? any consensus?

I poured my slab,(almost 12" thick with rebar and wire) mortared the first course of block, dry stacked and rebared every other core, filled rebarred cores and finished in and out of block with quikrete SBC, Surface Bonding Cement... I used the 8" block.. like to say, If your not gonna overbuild it,, dont bother building at all... (my daughter was sure I was building a bomb shelter)

QUIKRETE? - QUIKWALL? Surface Bonding Cement

Do It Yourself Soapstone : Slabs Sinks Countertops Soapstone Self Installation Check out the soapstone.. They have some decent DIY slabs with "free" shipping...

Cheers
Mark

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: Just starting my build

I can't figure out how to resize the photos I took yesterday I will post them wen I get it figured out.
I spent a few hours with the wife laying out all the string lines for the design....moving things and looking, moving and looking. Finally got everything the way we want and actually started to do some work. Wife and youngest son removed sod from the oven area and I dug post for the 6x6 supports for the pergola. 2 holes are 44 inches and 2 are 50. I might deepen the shallower ones. Then we went to the hardware store and picked up 2 of the 4 posts and 5 bags of cement. today should be fun, but I have to get out to the garage and change the wife's radiator before I can do anything out side.

[olddude]

Re: Just starting my build

as far as block go i would dry stack and fill them

i didn't and it was a lot of work ended up fill them too would have been a lot easier and from what i've read more then strong enough for kitchen bbq and brick oven

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: Just starting my build

Lets see if I have figured out how to post pictures here.
I have a couple shots of the side yard after we got our posts in for the pergola.

I went 50 inches with the holes. The posts are 16 Ft long I only brought home 2 at a time because I have a 6 ft bed so with tailgate down and that funky extender rack I was still hanging about 6 feet over the edge.

I loaded the beams onto the truck, dug the holes by hand, unloaded the beams, set them in the holes, level and squared them and cemented all by myself. I'm kind of proud of that.

[Raffy]

Re: Just starting my build

Hey WCD,

Your pics are too small to view. I use a simple program to resize the photos to a manageable size for attachments. The name is Irfan View and it's free to download.

Here is the link

If you need help using it to resize the pics, don't hesitate to send me a personal message.

Sincerely,
Raffy

[Raffy]

Re: Just starting my build

I loaded the beams onto the truck, dug the holes by hand, unloaded the beams, set them in the holes, level and squared them and cemented all by myself. I'm kind of proud of that.

I know how you feel. I don't know if it's a genetic predisposition for men to love to build. It's more satisfying for me to build something with my hands than sit in an office all day.

Your pics, although small , gives me a good idea of whats going on. I can tell you now that that oven will make a great addition to your pool area. You'll be the talk of the town and people will want you to invite them around more often

Keep 'em pics coming and we are all eager to hear about your progress on the build.

Raffy