Hearth size

[JRPizza]

Thanks for all the help! Poured my hearth today - have a few weeks now to make some forms and nail my geometry down. May start a build thread, but don't know if I would have anything to offer over the awesome builds that are already here. Still trying to decide between vermicrete and insulation boards or just extra thickness of board, and whether to put dome on or around floor. Paralysis by analysis ;-)

[RandyJ]

I think most do the dome around the floor. It gives you a expansion joint for the floor to move and if necessary you could replace a floor brick. As for the insulation I did 4"of board insulation. So that was 6 24"x36" pices. I am happy I went that way. But if cost is a problem then you can save a few dollars with Vermicreete. I think you should start a build thread. It is not just a show off. It is a place to get advice, and it is a reference for future builders. And who knows you might come up with a radical new idea that changes everything. Good luck.

Randy

[JRPizza]

JR,
I started over and have been building the arch as I go up each chain. I also moved the entry arch back into my dome to the point of the leading edge of the entry arch bricks meet at the outer edge of the dome ring. ...-Alex

Alex, did you take a side shot yet? My layout "looks" to me like I can move the arch out a few inches from the edge of the dome and still have a full brick on the top of my arch where it ties into the dome. I'd be interested to see what the top of an arch looks like when the face is flush with the dome OD like yours.

[JRPizza]

This is hopefully my last post on the hearth size thread but it is a hearth question.
I was finding center and laying out my oven on the hearth and discovered that my 45 degree "face" at the front of my hearth is not perpendicular to my hearth's centerline. This leaves me with 3 choices (4 if I split the difference). I can 1), use the proper centerline and try to make the 3/4 inch up when I build my landing by having an additional 3/4 inch overhang on one side and adding extra mortar to the face when I brick or tile to bring it out flush with the new perpendicular surface. My first picture shows what my offset looks like - it's over about 31 inches.
2) make a new centerline perpendicular to the face/front, which will shift my oven over to the right by about an inch and put me very close to the right edge when I am done. Second pic shows the shifted centerline.
3) Live with the landing not being square with the face.
My question is how doable is option #1? I won't do #3, and would probably rather not do #2 although it would not be too noticeable.

[Gulf]

................. I can 1), use the proper centerline and try to make the 3/4 inch up when I build my landing by having an additional 3/4 inch overhang on one side and adding extra mortar to the face when I brick or tile to bring it out flush with the new perpendicular surface...............My question is how doable is option #1?

If you cut your own brick for the face of the stand, you can adjust those cuts to match the overhang. The extra depth will not show up in the grout, Just an idea.

[JRPizza]

So looks like option 1 is the best bet. I hadn't thought of cutting brick to make up the difference - I was thinking if I used either splits or tile, I would just have to build up under the face brick on the left side with either mortar or adhesive. As long as nobody looks up when they are getting wood it'll never be noticed

[Gulf]

You could build that corner out pretty easy with a piece of mesh and stucco.