Rustic Oven Project: Design Suggestions Needed!

[Dave_S]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for design feedback and advice on a rustic pizza oven project that I'm building at a mountain cabin. Our concept is to build the oven on top of an existing BBQ structure that we rarely use.

A few weeks ago, we put together a simple stacked-brick prototype just to check it out. It worked [mostly]. Now the challenge is to come up with a simple plan for a permanent structure, while hopefully avoiding the pitfalls of the "BrickWood Ovens" route. We are working completely off the grid.

A few specific questions:

General Design suggestions. Our plan is to build 2 connected arches: a shallow entryway and a taller cooking area. Any general suggestions or tips, given the space we're working with?

The Base. Right now, the base is solid stone. Would it improve oven efficiency if we added an insulating layer under the cooking surface? If so, any specific suggestions for this?

Oven Depth. The dimensions of the space are 18" wide x 10" tall x 36" deep. We have flexibility with the depth. Should we make it more shallow for greater efficiency?

Thank you all so much!

[Dave_S]

Feeling pretty lonely over here...

[cnegrelli]

There's a ton of stuff on this sight of how to build your own.

If you are asking questions such as adding insulation under the cooking area... then you have quite a bit of reading to do because that's one of the basics.
I'd suggest downloading the forno bravo DIY plans as a starting place and then reading the forums. Some of the sticky's are well documented builds

[deejayoh]

I would suggest tearing off the back "L" area that is raised and pouring a concrete slab on the top of the now level(ish) area because an area 18" wide x 10" tall x 36" deep is going to yield a 9" wide pizza oven using bricks that will work for a pizza oven. And you will need insulation for the base or the oven won't really perform well at all - as you need a hot floor for pizza and without insulation all the heat will just go into your base.

As the poster above suggests, a bit of research is probably in order. This forum is mostly about dome ovens - so you can get great advice on that. There is a sub forum for "other oven types" if you are still looking at a different alternative