Making plans

[rsandler]

For some time I've been coveting a wood-fired oven, but lacked the money and yard to acquire one. But, in the next month or so, I'm finishing grad school, moving across the country to a house that we bought in DC, and starting a Real Job. So, it's oven time!

I've been poking around the forums on this site and staring at the Pompeii oven plans for the last several weeks, learning a lot (to echo what many newbies say, this site is amazing!) and enjoying all of the amazing builds people have done.

I'm trying to make plans and figure out my general design in the (probably foolish) hope of hitting the ground running after I move in July. As if a native Californian like me will be able to do anything but wilt in the humidity and heat of a DC July .

Anyway, I'm wanting to do a 36" Pompeii, with an enclosure. I've attached some pictures from Sketchup to show what I have in mind, although I have not finished modeling the enclosure or vent at all.

To explain my thinking, I like the idea of a full outdoor kitchen, but it doesn't really work with my back yard. The house has a huge raised deck, and it would make much more sense to have the grill, seating areas etc. on the deck. If it weren't a hideously bad idea, I'd be tempted to build the oven on the deck too (anti-gravity rebar in the foundation slab, perhaps? ). But, the place where I'm thinking of putting the oven is far enough from the kitchen (down the stairs from the deck), that I'd like to have a little more counter than the oven landing, enough to assemble pizzas or stage a batch of bread right next to the oven.

So, I'm thinking about extending the foundation out to allow 3 feet of counter (2 feet deep) on the side of the oven. The counter would be supported by a stack of concrete blocks on the end, and then the back of the under-counter area would be closed off by something thinner--cement board or even plywood? As you can see in the pictures, this leaves an awkward square area behind the counter but in front of the deck, which we're thinking would be an excellent place to hide the compost pile for the garden my wife is planning .

Does this sound sensible? Is a 3'x2' piece of counter enough/unneccessary/could be placed better?

[vtsteve]

Re: Making plans

I don't think I'd want a compost heap that close to my food prep area, but it looks like a good spot for more firewood.

[rjdealhome]

Re: Making plans

Rsandler:
I incorporated a similar counter area in my build (photos are posted of the work in progress) since I wanted an area for staging pizzas right at the oven; also thought that the area could become a focal point for family/guests and it provides an immediate place to serve out the pizza fresh from the oven. IMHO, 2x3' would be ok; I went with 2x4' because she who must be obeyed suggested that it would allow for two people working side by side.
Regarding your oven location, my one thought is that your chimney might be dumping smoke right at the same elevation of your deck, thus making it a not so nice place to gather. (I can't really judge the distance from chimney to deck, so this may not be an issue.)
Good luck with the build!
Robert

[rsandler]

Re: Making plans

vtSteve: Well, my wife, who is in charge of all things gardening, assures me that a properly managed compost heap shouldn't smell or attract flies. They are, however, ugly as heck, so sticking it behind the oven counter has some appeal.

Robert: Good point about the chimney. The stand in my diagrams is ~6ft deep, as per the standard Pompeii plans. I may have to make the chimney taller than I otherwise might, I guess. Of course, the height of the deck in the drawings is total guestimation. We haven't moved into the house yet, so my Sketchup work is based on an amalgamation of photos and measurements that the appraiser took when we were buying the place. I'll be able to get more precise after we move! (BTW, love the look of the counter in your build, coming out at an angle around the patio. I don't think that would make much sense with how my yard is set up, or I'd try something similar).

I took another look at my Sketchup plans, and it turns out the counter is actually 4ft long :P.

I just came across Jaranimo's build thread , and I like the look of the oven angled to the deck. Might try something like what's attached. Would resolve the "what do I do with the space behind the counter" issue, since it wouldn't be boxed in.

[rjdealhome]

Re: Making plans

RSandler: I'm sure you have considered this, but is the space to the opposite side of the stair out of the question? Might be an option, thus moving the chimney farther from the deck as well.
(By the way, you may have to consider building codes regarding the height of the chimney. In my case, at least, if I keep total height below 8 and 1/2 feet, I have no limitation on placement. Exceed that height, and I have to worry about set-backs from the property line.)
Anyway, best of luck with the build, and the move to DC.
Robert

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Making plans

vtSteve: Well, my wife, who is in charge of all things gardening, assures me that a properly managed compost heap shouldn't smell or attract flies. They are, however, ugly as heck, so sticking it behind the oven counter has some appeal.

I have seen a number of photos of compost piles that are contained within a very attractive and smart-looking redwood-slat box that completely conceals the contents within.

[rsandler]

Re: Making plans

Continuing to make plans in sketchup. We move in a just a couple weeks, so it's possible I could start this project in the nearish future and stop just dreaming about it .

I've had a couple other design thoughts, and wondered if anyone has input. My current design idea has an attached counter extending from the oven stand. One idea is to attach a planter box to the end of the counter (or rather, a receptical into which you would place a large pot) as shown in the schematic attached. The idea is to make a small "pizza garden", where the gardener in the family would grow basil, oregano, sage, marjoram etc. Mind you, I have no idea how I would actually fabricate such a thing, or how to do so in a way that attaches it securely to the blocks which support the counter. Any suggestions?

Another crazier idea pertains to what to do with the under-counter space. I had originally thought that somehow or other I would put a shelf or something and use it like cabinet space. But it occurred to me that perhaps I could put hooks along the back wall, and use the space to hold oven tools, peels, rakes etc. This would almost certainly require the counter to be longer than the 4 feet I originally had in mind, but that's no big deal. Problems I can see is that I would need some way to close off the space to protect the tools from weather, and this might be complicated. What other problems are there?

[bluecrow]

Re: Making plans

Wow, your sketch-up renderings are great! Regarding the herb planter, check out this oven ( if you haven't seen it) with the herbs on top. Brick Pizza Oven Models and Photos

Don

[rsandler]

Re: Making plans

Wow, your sketch-up renderings are great! Regarding the herb planter, check out this oven ( if you haven't seen it) with the herbs on top. Brick Pizza Oven Models and Photos

Don

Thanks! I'm not sure that design would work in my set-up (since the oven will be backed up against the deck), but that is a seriously cool oven at the link. Thanks for the pointer! Gives me some ideas of what might work.