Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

[CroMagnon]

Is there any way to ballpark the cost? I'd like to know if I'm out of my league.

Looking at a very basic structure nothing fancy, do it yourself.

Thanks,
Cro

[Nic The Landscaper]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Depends on where you live. I noticed you are from the northwest, so I'm assuming Oregon/Washington. Also price will depend on if you can get materials at wholesale or retail.

If you are in Oregon or Washington everything you need to build a 42 inch oven is available through Mutual Materials. I can get everything from them at wholesale for around $800.00. Retail will put you well over $1200.00. That is just concrete, block, brick, mortar, etc the "guts" so to speak. The finish materials vary so widely from stucco at almost no additional cost to real stone which can triple your finished cost.

[CroMagnon]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Such excellent information. This is not beyond my budget. Woo hoo!

Thanks,
Cro

[CroMagnon]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

I recieved this quote from a masonry landscaper. $8,450. Is this a reasonable number for the scope of work?
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This would include prepping and pouring the footing, building up the block base using either a 6 or 8 by 16 anchoring to the footing, pouring that, forming up the floor of the oven and pouring that, laying a firebrick floor, building up the dome of 46 interior oven, doing 2 to 3 layers of lightcrete or high heat material, building up the tunnel and installing flue liners or something similar, facing all sides of the base with a standard red brick, applying stucco to the dome and striking all joints.

Included is all material, delivery, disposal and labor.
*******

Thanks,
Cro

[dmun]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

I can't comment on your quote, but I see no mention of insulation under the oven floor. If I were hiring someone to build an oven, I'd learn as much as i could beforehand, and watch them like a hawk. We've heard about more than one beautiful oven that didn't cook at all well because of insulation issues.

[KraemerBAC]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Check out Dino pizzas "cost" spreadsheet He did all the work and it was in the $5000 range. I scoured craigslist and scrounged and am in at around $1200 right now and maybe another $500 to go. So I guess the real question is Do you want to do the work or do you just want an oven. Precast would be your other option...Check out the Forno Bravo store


Good Luck

Peter

[CroMagnon]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Thanks for pointing me to Dinos spreadsheet. From an initial look he is doing a fancier oven than I am planning. Will go over it in more detail later.

I would love to build this myself, but have back problems that make that impossible. I'll also take a look at some of Forn Bravo offerings.

Thanks,
Cro

[splatgirl]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Does this "masonry landscaper" have any experience building wood-fired ovens (or even fireplaces)?

I have no idea the contracted cost of a WFO, but IME you need an itemized quote that separates materials from labor to have any clue. I did not keep track of my hours to build specifically, but lots of guys here probably did in addition to being able to supply you with an itemized materials cost sheet for reference purposes. That would be a useful comparison vs. if this guy hasn't built a WFO before and he's just pulling the labor bid out of his a**. If this contractor does not have pictoral or in-person viewable experience of WFO building, ask yourself if you want to pay someone to learn...? Do you trust this persons judgment about what and how it should be done vs. what you can and will know by reading the instructions yourself? Is HE going to read and follow the pompeii instructions or just make it up? There's more than one tale of that around here, mostly after the screwed up fact.
Most of us who frequent the forum are proof that an oven build is do-able without prior experience, but for some reason many construction contractors seem to be allergic to learning, reading or following directions and that's always where the contracted ovens I've read about get into trouble. It would suck to pay that much money for something that doesn't work right.

[splatgirl]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

And FWIW, I think I spent right around $2K or a bit less on materials including the (relatively inexpensive) exterior finish but not including the $500 bucks I just blew on some seriously fabulous tile for the front of my enclosure.

[CroMagnon]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Appreciate the words of warning. This fellow has built a few ovens, though I'm not sure how well they perform. When I spoke to him and said I wanted a Pompei style oven he said it sounds like I've been to the Forno Bravo website. Made me feel he at least had some familiarity with the product. If I accept his bid he'll send me references, but in reality this bid is way over my budget.

It's very true you have to educate yourself about any construction project and I have and plan to continue reading and learning about this.

Thanks,
Cro

[Tscarborough]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

If you find a contractor willing to give you a breakdown of labor and materials, don't hire him, because he is an amateur and a moron. Quite frankly, it is none of your business. I do not ask for a material and labor breakdown at McDonalds, the Dentist, or at the Ford dealership. It is irrelevant to the task at hand.

If you want someone to build you an oven, and want a fair and accurate price, then you need to develop plans and specifications for the oven complete enough for him to give an accurate total cost, period.

The FB plans are fine for the base and internals, but you will have to develop plan and elevation drawings and material specifications for exactly what you want for a finished oven.

Sorry for the rant, but it is near and dear to my avocation.

[fxpose]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

You can build it stages, as funds become available.

[CroMagnon]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

If you find a contractor willing to give you a breakdown of labor and materials, don't hire him, because he is an amateur and a moron. Quite frankly, it is none of your business. I do not ask for a material and labor breakdown at McDonalds, the Dentist, or at the Ford dealership. It is irrelevant to the task at hand.

If you want someone to build you an oven, and want a fair and accurate price, then you need to develop plans and specifications for the oven complete enough for him to give an accurate total cost, period.

The FB plans are fine for the base and internals, but you will have to develop plan and elevation drawings and material specifications for exactly what you want for a finished oven.

Sorry for the rant, but it is near and dear to my avocation.

Your post is offensive and irrelevant. Please do not reply to my messages.

Cro

[splatgirl]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

Sounds like you are on the right track with someone who at least has some background in what you want to do vs. just some guy who talks a good game. But yea, that's a lot of $$. Good friends, beer and the promise of pizza in exchange for the foundation work...? That is really half the labor right there.
Honestly for that price, I would buy a modular oven and a steel base, get cookin and worry about the rest as the money was available.
I think it would be fair to say most of us chose to build a pompeii vs. buy a prefab either because it was the cheaper option or because we like DIY or both. In your case, with both of those factors negated, the prefabs are awfully tempting.

tscarborough, yikes. How is it none of the consumers business or irrelevant to know what they are paying for? Every construction job is bid on time and materials, period. If you were given a spec for this project (as you rightly say is necessary for accurate costing) you would do the same. What is the issue with disclosing those facts to the client, exactly? Having an oven built is not like buying a Rothko.
Perhaps if there were more transparency in the construction industry as a matter of course...meaning if the consumer was always wise enough to insist on it as they should, it would discourage the abundance of morons you mention from screwing it up for the good, smart, honest guys.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Ballpark cost for a 42" Pompei type oven?

I am sorry, but I have been in construction for 30 years, commercial and residential. Unless you are paying someone on a time and materials basis, the job is bid at a price, no details given or required as to cost breakdown. It is irrelevant. You either accept the bid price or not. "Contractors" that are willing to give a breakdown are not professionals.

Sorry, CroMagnon for replying to your post, I will refrain in the future.