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Don't feel too bad. I spent $15 grand just getting a retaining wall put in. A bunch of that cost was just to carry dirt down the stairs, as there was no other way to get rid of the excess.
Patio, oven, and kitchen all added to the cost. I don't even want to say the total...
But I love it!
and then there was getting rid of that Laurel tree that is in the far right corner. This was the root ball. It's the size of a big block V8, and weighed about the same.
My oven build went way over my original budget... I thought for 2k I would have the whole project done. The oven went into the 5.5k range and the patio another 4k And I had gotten some great deals on some materials. (that is how I justified the real slate roof and copper flashing I could have saved a fair amount going with home brew instead of heat stop mortar. Next time I would definetly use home brew! Not only for cost, I thought it actually was better holding bricks in place. I am glad I went without the duravent, not only to save money but the flue and brick work will last as long as the rest of the oven. I have seen stainless corrode with coal fires. The sulfur combines with moisture and forms sulfuric acid. spend money on insulation, insulation, insulation and use a heat break between oven and chimney/landing area.
Good Luck
John
I've lost track of how much I've spent on my oven, but mostly that's because after I finished the oven itself, I stopped laying out a bunch of money all at once and started buying little things in dribs and drabs as I've worked on the finish, patio, counters etc.
I built the oven itself for around $850. About $450 for insulation, $350 for bricks, $50 for the ingredients of homebrew mortar. The foundation and stand cost nearly as much--while bagged concrete, blocks and rebar are fairly cheap per unit, you need quite a lot of it... Altogether, the functional parts of my oven cost about $1500.
From there, the other costs add up--~$150 for stucco, $100 for a cheap insulated door, 200-300 or so for concrete countertops, $$$$ for tools (but then, when you're done, you have tools!)
Going back to my first comment about dribs and drabs, if you're concerned about cost upfront, a key thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to finish the whole thing in order to start using it. Once you get the insulation on, you can start cooking. You can wait on the flue pipe, you can wait on a patio, you can wait on a door made out of anything more sophisticated than plywood, as long as you're willing to tarp it when it rains, you can wait on an enclosure etc. Alternately, stucco is cheap if you make your own from sand, lime and portland cement.
I think its important information for anyone starting a build to have idea of what they are getting into.
Before I started mine, I looked at a completely prefab'd unit that arrives at your home on a Semi with a three wheeled rough terrain fork lift that will place it in your yard where you wanted it. I recall the price being just shy of $8,000 USD and it looked cheap and chezzy.
I was worried I couldn't build a WFO on my own but I got the right info here and pressed on thinking I can build one hell of a oven for $8k. I mistakenly thought I'd have to budget something in the $2k range. I currently have invested around $5,000 and I am about 95% done with 99% of material cost in. The majority of the cost for me is the exterior finish costs, not the brick oven. If i would have used something other than copper for my soffit, facia, drip edge and ridge cap I could have reduced that by at least $1,000. Having said that I'm certain I could have cut alot of other corners and saved a pile but I wanted it to be beautiful as well as functional.
Agree with Hodgey, a prefab are an expensive convenience, FB does sell some really nice ones. Taking the time to build your own is a great experience, and this forum has outstanding folks that go out of their way to get you through. I too estimated around 2500, but without finishing products i was already 4000. I went over because i went with a concrete delivery as opposed to mix by hand, well worth it if you have access. One thing is true, you will appreciate the oven for the rest of your days. Good luck
I went over my budget as well. I planned on nothing and ended up spending a couple three hundred on refractory cement, perlite, and beer. The rest was scrounged over a long period.
Costs are local and not applicable across the country, much less the world. The FB plans have a parts list, price that locally then add what you expect to spend to dress the oven, since that is NOT included in their calculations.
As has already been said, building yourself I feel is the most cost efficient especially when you think you are only getting an oven and maybe some insulation. You have to consider if you want countertops and storage and what you want to customize. I have a very oversized set up and I am in to it about 1800 before tool expenses which are probably another $750. Sky is the limit! Finishing materials could skyrocket your prices but to build a basic 36" oven I bet I would have finished one for under 1000 if I did a normal base (not oversized)
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