42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

[dsimon17]

Hello all, I'm new to all of this and finding the tools and info in these forums to be extremely resourceful. I'm in the beginning stages of building a 42" Pompeii style oven in our backyard. I work as a chef and it has always been a dream of mine to have a wood oven at home.

The plan is a 42" Pizza Oven off my basement walkout patio. Not too much room in my backyard so it will be part of the challenge. I have planned for a 8'x8' insulated slab of concrete resting on ALL ROCK. The build is in North Ontario where there is no shortage of rock!!

Hopefully as I go forward I can post pics and info and get some much needed advice and help along the way.

Thanks in advance!
DS

[DavidApp]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

Hello DS

Welcome to the Forum.
You have come to the right place for help and advice. There are a lot of people here who will help you along the way.

One thing I notice on your sketch is the corner of your slab will make working your oven difficult. You could cut the corner off the slab to make it easier to reach into the oven.

Good luck with your build
David

[Greenman]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

Hi DS I take it that your plan is not to scale and you intend to have the oven centred on the stand.

The pic of the slab is on the ground right?

I like the corner builds, they make a lot of sense. Those with a curved brick base make even better sense in the right surrounds.

All the best with your build. There is a lot of people happy to provide help on the forum.

[dsimon17]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

Hello DS

Welcome to the Forum.
You have come to the right place for help and advice. There are a lot of people here who will help you along the way.

One thing I notice on your sketch is the corner of your slab will make working your oven difficult. You could cut the corner off the slab to make it easier to reach into the oven.

Good luck with your build
David

Thanks for the note David - Yes, I intend on squaring off the front oven where it meets the corner to have more easy access to the oven. So where the opening is on the stand it will run parallel with the oven opening! Thanks!

[SableSprings]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

Welcome to the forum DS!

Remember that you only need to insulate the portion of the top slab under the oven hearth & dome...not the entire top. Also, if you are using 1/2 firebricks for the dome you will have 4.5+4.5=9" width added to the 42" hearth...then you'll have 2-4" (4-8" total) insulation over the dome...then you'll have some sort of external render (stucco, stone, brick, etc.). All of this adds up to more than the 10" allotment (52") you've set for your outside diameter.

Consider a covered area over the oven for you to work and set down the mis en place items. The grass between the kitchen door and slab will be mud or dirt in pretty short order and don't forget about wood storage. I've also got a corner build that incorporates carts under my top slab for more versatility and counterspace. You might want to take a look at my setup for ideas (SableSprings link below, then Dragonfly Den photo link on the main page).

These ovens are fantastic for foodies & chefs...you're gonna love it! Looking forward to watching your dream progress.

[dsimon17]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

Hi DS I take it that your plan is not to scale and you intend to have the oven centred on the stand.

The pic of the slab is on the ground right?

I like the corner builds, they make a lot of sense. Those with a curved brick base make even better sense in the right surrounds.

All the best with your build. There is a lot of people happy to provide help on the forum.

It's roughly to scale, lol! The slab is right on the ground almost completely on rock surface. It will be a 6-7" slab with 1/2 or 3/4" rebar (probably 3/4 just to overdo it a bit. Thanks for the advice and I'll post a few more pics as I go along!

[dsimon17]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

Welcome to the forum DS!

Remember that you only need to insulate the portion of the top slab under the oven hearth & dome...not the entire top. Also, if you are using 1/2 firebricks for the dome you will have 4.5+4.5=9" width added to the 42" hearth...then you'll have 2-4" (4-8" total) insulation over the dome...then you'll have some sort of external render (stucco, stone, brick, etc.). All of this adds up to more than the 10" allotment (52") you've set for your outside diameter.

Consider a covered area over the oven for you to work and set down the mis en place items. The grass between the kitchen door and slab will be mud or dirt in pretty short order and don't forget about wood storage. I've also got a corner build that incorporates carts under my top slab for more versatility and counterspace. You might want to take a look at my setup for ideas (SableSprings link below, then Dragonfly Den photo link on the main page).

These ovens are fantastic for foodies & chefs...you're gonna love it! Looking forward to watching your dream progress.

The stand is actually 72" X 72", not sure where the 4.5' go marked in the sketch?? The reason I'm putting rigid insulation under the foundation slab is for the frosty winters we get up here - it's extra protection against the seasons - it's not insulated concrete like for the hearth.

Thanks for the note on the width size, it's something that's been tricky for me to visualize - I'll check my numbers again and if I have to boost the size of the stand/hearth to accommodate I will do it now!!

I've admired your build from past posts already - very sharp - I don't have much room to play with but I have a covered patio area just feet from where this will live, but I am in the middle of trying to figure out how to "finish" the whole job. Looking very forward to it!!

[RandyJ]

Re: 42" Pompeii Pizza Oven Build...Amateur Build!

I am almost done with my 40" corner build and I did 70"x70" and I liked the size of my base. So you should be good at what you are thinking. Just be careful. You can run out of room quick .

Randy

[dsimon17]

It's been a while but I've been making progress! I just put the insulation on the dome. It's been a great learning experience for an amateur builder who's never mixed mortar before. My 42" Pompei Style dome took shape in a great way and I'm quite proud of it - I've attached a few pics as promised.

I have to say I have come back to this forum a MILLION times to double check my work as I progressed and got all the answers I needed - thanks to all who input for that!!

[RandyJ]

Looks like you have made a lot of progress. Keep up the good work and you will be done in no time.

Randy

[dsimon17]

[dsimon17]

I feel like I needed to cap off this thread with at least a pic of the final product. I am more than impressed with the performance and look forward to using it whenever I get the chance!! Thanks to everyone for their help and input. I have a lot more pics of the whole build step by step and hope to get them on here sooner than later!