West Virginia Casa90 Build

[kkgator]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build

Dave,

Looks great! Did you cure your oven after stucco or during? It looks like you were finally able to get some nice & bright sunny days. I'm praying for a few days of sunshine myself.

Best,

Kenny

[davemartin88]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build

I did most of the curing before the stucco went on but continued with the curing fires after it was applied. The outside of the oven didn't really get that hot- could still put my hand on it except at the very top of the dome. My last fires was pretty big and only a few very small cracks on the outside of the stucco which actually happened as it was drying without a fire.

We've had 3 days of clear weather (today is supposed to be the third) so hoping to finish the few tiles I need to cut this morning, then seal the tiles. Tile dealer says to seal the tiles before doing the grout to help keep the grout from getting stuck in the nooks and crannies of the tiles, guess it can't hurt.

Will probably have to give it a day or two before I can get to the epoxy so will keep the oven covered with a tarp until then. Going to the store today to make sure I have all that is needed to make some sauce!

Good luck on your build kkgator.

[davemartin88]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build, I'm done!

Finished my oven this morning. Finished the tile and grouting and added a small counter next to the oven. We made our first real pizzas in the oven last night, will post some pictures in a different thread.

Here I am attaching the counter to one of the existing pavilion support poles- used the same rough white pine on the counter as was used in the rest of the pavilion- will need to seal all of this wood before winter.



Here a couple of pictures showing the oven and counter area.



Obviously, the tile on the counter is the same as the oven and decided to go that way since I had enough left. Used a 5/8" sheet of ply for the counter base, added a 1/4" hardi backing board, and then applied the tile to the backer.



Has been a lot of fun and I'm very satisfied with the kit from FB. Thanks to all who have commented along the way.

[davemartin88]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build

Thought I'd share a follow up for others who might be looking at the Casa90 kit from FB. My oven has only been done for a few weeks but we're very happy with how it works, the size, and how it holds heat. For construction and insulation, I used only the material with the kit- the oven floor sits on the fiber board and the oven is covered with 3 layers of the fiber insulation that came with the kit. I added two thin coats of stucco and then the dome is covered with travertine tile and epoxy grout for weatherproofing.

When fired for about 75-90 minutes, the dome clears and pizzas cook in about 2 minutes or so. We've also cooked a couple of roasts and some vegetables with good success other than one silly experiment trying to cook a brisket overnight with the fire too hot. Needless to say, no amount of foil will protect meat from too much heat!

We cooked pizza on Sunday evening about 630pm and after the fire had turned to coals, I placed the door on the oven. The thermometer in the door read about 650 degrees. The next morning at about 630 am, still read 450 degrees, and on Tuesday morning, about 30 hours later, it was still showing over 100 degrees and the door was hot to the touch. Just trying to give an idea of how the heat held up, external temps here were in the 70's and going to about 50 degrees overnight with a light drizzle.

Although the cost of the kit was relatively high, the ease of construction and knowing it was a well tested product seems to have been very worthwhile. Long term, I'm sure the kit will hold up but for the most part, I think the longevity will depend on my building skills and how the outside of the dome holds up to the elements.

[kanoer54]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build

dave, beautiful set up in a beautiful setting. you shouldn't have any problem finding fire wood where you live.

enjoy your cooking.
jon

[davemartin88]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build

Thanks kanoer54- no issue with firewood other than keeping up with the downed trees and getting it processed!

[kkgator]

Re: West Virginia Casa90 Build

Dave,

Great job! Your pictures of the build has helped me tremendously in visualizing my own build as the build instructions seemed a bit basic from the company website. I agree that for anyone else who lacks the necessary construction skills that they also think about a composite kit from FB. That was the main reason I chose the composite kit. All in all a great product made in the USA!