Hello from Minnesota 2.0

[knackjack]

HI Guys - Been six years since I posted anything and now I think the time for me to build an oven!

Right now I just have a Weber grill with a PizzaQue add on - it works ok but takes a 3/4 bag a charcoal each use. But also want to be able to bake breads too so I think a brick oven will be a nice add on to my backyard patio area.

Hoping some of you can lend advice in what style oven you chose and why as well as the oven size and why... Pros/Cons or direct me to a sticky/thread that covers those questions.

I want to incorporate the oven into my backyard but need to understand the footprint size it will take.

The placement for me is really only two options and unfortunately they both will be close to the tree in the backyard. One place is between the shed and the tree or the other is to the left of the tree but pulled up close to the edging boarder. Given I live in Minnesota I am guessing that I need to factor building an enclosure around the oven to keep snow and rain out.

[agrasyuk]

Hey there, sounds like it's about time you get started ) Footprint for oven sizes you can find in the Pompeii drawing download. Size is a very personal choice. before I started my build I wanted to go big and felt very bad that I couldn't fit in a full 42" oven. But now after using the 36" few times I'm actually really happy with the size, I'm not missing a thing.

I guess my point is don't chase the biggest one, your space looks on tight side, but a 36" is a very generously sized oven (unless you shooting for commercial).
In your backyard I'd probably go for the orange "1" spot. Style - Pompeii with house as enclosure. My 0.02 worth

Good luck

[UtahBeehiver]

The Eplans from our blog host (Forno Bravo) are available at this link. They are a good baseline, somewhat dated, none the less a good place to start. As mentioned, oven size is the builders choice, but I can say, no matter what size you decide, insulating the oven and floor are key to the success of the oven. Peruse the Forum and you will find, for the most part, good practical advice and members wanting a new builder to be successful. What part on MN "friendly" are you? I believe there is a recent builder in the Maple Grove area.

https://www.fornobravo.com/store/pom...book-v2-0-pdf/

[knackjack]

Thanks for the information. I will download the Eplans and get started. Agrasyuk - do you have photos or thread link you can share of your build? in a 36" I presume you can get a few pies in there at one time? what is your method and is there any extra build ons that are needed or just the oven and you call it good. I have seen some photos where its like a complete kitchen and I don't have space for that. Do you have a work area or do you assemble pies elsewhere?

[agrasyuk]

There should be a link to my efforts in the signature below. I could fit two pies, as I'm not making them to big. but so far I didn't practice for speed - with only one peel I found that I can't assemble the second one fast enough, with hot oven things are moving really fast.
II do have a countertop area right near the oven, soon there will be an actual countertop on top of concrete - I'm building a full outdoor kitchen actually. In your case I would suggest at least a wheeled table to have nearby. IMO pizza needs to be assembled as close to oven as possible.
ADD: perhaps it's to much of an effort but if it was me I would consider moving the shed to the right - you will be doing concrete work anyways, might as well pour one extra slab.
ADD 2: on Craigslist start searching for used concrete mixer. Its a godsend (useless for mortar though). You will easily recoup costs of otherwise renting.

I agree on the insulation. It took several fires to dry out the floor completely. First bake was with uninsulated oven, once covered by blankets things improved dramatically. very measurable difference,


Good luck!

[knackjack]

What size mixer?

[agrasyuk]

Any size that you can source will be better then mixing by hand. I managed to find afordable 3.5Cu , same as the cheapest mixer home Depot rents. don't get any smaller than that. Still , it was simply invaluable.

[JRPizza]

I also found that a 3.5 ft^3 worked well. I mixed two 60 pound bags at a time and had someone pouring while I did the next batch - worked well and nobody was ever standing around looking for something to do.
I bought the mixer new from Harbor Freight when it was in sale and used a 20% off coupon. Most of the used ones in my area were pretty hammered and priced not much lower than what I paid with discounts. Since I poured concrete into the cores of the bricks for my stand, then poured my hearth about a week later, having my mixer saved me from renting twice and it was nice not being on the clock racing to return it on time.
I never tried wet mixing mortar but I did use it for dry mixing all the ingredients of my home brew. I'd mix up enough to fill up a 5 gallon bucket and scoop that into a smaller container to mix with water. I mixed the wet mortar using a HF gear reduction drill (yep, another coupon special) and a mixing paddle and it worked great. Hand mixing the mortar is fairly hard on the wrists and your hands will be getting enough of a workout laying the bricks. Lastly, speaking of hands - do yourself a favor and wear gloves. I wore surgical type gloves under some rubber/vinyl coated cloth ones and the combo worked well.

[knackjack]

Guys.. given I live in a small little towns I was surprised... landed a 3.5cu. concrete mixer on CL for $100 and it looks spotless!! Seems to run good.
Got that done in less than 24hrs.

What other sort of tools might I need to get started or should be looking out for?

Also, what is the best way to calculate how many bags of concrete are needed for the slab or hearth and using the big box stores what type of concrete are you using?

[JRPizza]

I used an online calculator to guesstimate how much concrete I needed (input thickness and area) and came out with maybe a bag to spare, but I rounded up as I didn't want to run out. I used whatever the local hardware store had for general purpose concrete. My brother in law had the tools needed to float the slab, but if you don't have them you'll need some. Also a set of trowels - I bought a set but only ended up using a few - a small square one and the small angled one.

[pecker88]

Guys.. given I live in a small little towns I was surprised... landed a 3.5cu. concrete mixer on CL for $100 and it looks spotless!! Seems to run good.
Got that done in less than 24hrs.

What other sort of tools might I need to get started or should be looking out for?

Also, what is the best way to calculate how many bags of concrete are needed for the slab or hearth and using the big box stores what type of concrete are you using?

1) 4" angle grinder with diamond tipped masonry blade
2) masonry hammer
3) 11x5.5" london trowel
4) wood line blocks withfluorescent colored string

[knackjack]

Few questions after looking at the pompeii oven plans........ am I correct in my understanding that for a 36" oven my concrete slab would be 59" x 70" ?

I don't plan on doing any footings, etc. but will do 6" crushed/compacted base. That said, How thick does the slab need to be?

What is the standard height of the oven opening? Looking at the plans it appears it would be around 37.5" --- just want to make sure it's at a comfortable height as I have back issues.

What type of bag concrete is suggested? I just looked at the nearest Big Box "Menards" and they have a large variety of bags so I am not sure what is ideal for this type of build. Any suggestions?

[agrasyuk]

Your 36" ID will end up being ~42" OD, add 3-4" of blanket and 4" of outer vermicrete shell. Indeed Ends up around 60" at the end. If you plan a brick wall around that you will need to add room around.

6" of foundation slab should be enough. With that do it on your own risk, only If you know for sure hat your soil is dry and well drained. Heaving oven will be an eyesore even if it doesn't crack. If it would be me I would dig 4 feet deep just to make sure

For application of foundation , core fill and slab you dont need any special concrete type - so fo with cheapest general purpose.

Dont be concerned with Height of the opening. Your supporting structure going to be 4 stacked blocks high , 4-5" slab on top, 2-4" of floor insulation, 2" floor brick. These will dictate the resulting opening height , whatever exact inches that makes thats what 99% are using.

[UtahBeehiver]

Are you enclosing the oven or not, this will affect the dimensions of the hearth, IE, 36" ID oven, 4.5" X 2 brick, "min" 2"x 2 insulation (3" better),1" x 2 stucco = 36 + 9+4+2 = 51" not including any enclosure walls and finish materials (IE rock, etc.).

Rule of thumb is elbow height for hearth elevation.

I formed slab with 2x6 (5.5") with 8" of 1" minus underneath.

Bagged concrete - general purpose is fine