Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

[Paul_H]

Has anyone kept track of how many hours is involved in cutting and stacking their build? Even though I'm a year away from building I figure I should be researching in the mean time and I'm debating between a Forno Bravo 2G110 premium 40" or 44" vs. building my own dome from bricks. I know the kit and shipping is going to cost me significantly more than building with bricks, but if it saves me 50 or more hours in labor I figure the added cost might be worth it. Especially if going the brick route results in a project that drags over two summers vs. getting it done in one as our summers our short and I'd rather spend what little free time I have in the summer fishing and cooking outdoors.

[Novaslo]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

I don't know how long in hours because I am not at that stage yet. I have worked mine into number of weekends due to the amount I can get done etc. Concrete pours are done in one day, So far I am 2 weeks in to dig and do forms for my pour.

Then it will be a weekend for the pour, another for the building of the stand, I am using tumbled prefabricated block. So I know I can build the stand in one weekend.
Then I will form the top of the stand on week 4
Pour my top or bottom of the oven week 5
Start the build of the dome
Allowing 4 weekends for that or though week 9
Then cover the dome and stucco 2 weeks through week 11

Add a couple weekends to build the roof, mine will be freestanding wooden slant style structure, now I am into week 13

So three months from now working every weekend?

Much of this you have to do with the prefab kit, but no cutting of bricks.
I bought the Pompeii and am really having fun simply having this project to work on.

If you get a lot of pride being a DIY craftsman, get the Pompeii kit.
If you simply want to get it done, go prefab and don't look back.

Good luck.

[jeeppiper]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

Building the dome should only take you a couple of hours.....

[jeeppiper]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

Just Kidding!!! Building the dome took quite a bit of effort. It is the heart and soul of your oven. I did mine in many short runs. After work, I would mix up a batch of mortar, and build whatever I could get out of that batch....And, if the sun was still hadn't gone down, I would do a second batch. This gave a day's worth of time for each layer to set before moving onto the next layer. I would guess it took me two or three weeks to do the dome. I also took some shortcuts and used a brick-splitter rather than a wet-saw (I wouldn't be able to tolerate the noise!)

[stonecutter]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

If you haven't built an oven before, no contest...a modular is way,way faster.

[Paul_H]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

Thanks for everyone's input. I was all for the idea of the dome kit, until I got a shipping quote of $1500

It looks like I'll just have to plan it as a two year project. Next summer I'll get the site leveled, put in the compacted gravel, pour the base, put in pavers, put up a roof, counters et all as well as landscaping the yard. And the following summer I'll build the oven. I'd like to start on the landscaping this summer, but in order to move in before winter, I want to stay out of the builders way.

I've only got a four month window when I can be assured we won't have an evening frost, so figure that's just too tight to build the outdoor kitchen and the oven. And I know the landscaping is going to be wife's priority the first summer With what I'll save in not buying a kit or shipping it I can get a kamodo grill and slum with that with a pizza stone

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

Has anyone kept track of how many hours is involved in cutting and stacking their build?

I started out tracking the hours I took to build my dome build but went through three calculators. I gave up after tallying 37,458 hours, mostly in 100F southern cal heat.

Kidding aside, if you have garage space you can pre-cut your oven bricks inside and assemble your oven outside when your weather permits. A number of builders have done this quite successfully. Once you settle on a minimum quality level for your joints, it'll go smoothly.

[Campmaki]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

Thanks for everyone's input. I was all for the idea of the dome kit, until I got a shipping quote of $1500

It looks like I'll just have to plan it as a two year project. Next summer I'll get the site leveled, put in the compacted gravel, pour the base, put in pavers, put up a roof, counters et all as well as landscaping the yard. And the following summer I'll build the oven. I'd like to start on the landscaping this summer, but in order to move in before winter, I want to stay out of the builders way.

I've only got a four month window when I can be assured we won't have an evening frost, so figure that's just too tight to build the outdoor kitchen and the oven. And I know the landscaping is going to be wife's priority the first summer With what I'll save in not buying a kit or shipping it I can get a kamodo grill and slum with that with a pizza stone

Just curious if you have thought about frost walls under the base, I am in Wisconsin and put down an 8 in. footing with 6 courses of block. Lots of time and money to watch the frost do bad things to your oven.

[deejayoh]

Re: Labor to cut and build a 42" dome?

Thanks for everyone's input. I was all for the idea of the dome kit, until I got a shipping quote of $1500

This ^^^^


I've seen builds where people get there domes up in couple weeks, and others that drag on for months. Personally, I started cutting bricks for the dome March 4, started curing the oven June 10. This was while working full time and skipping a couple weeks due to seattle rain.

BUT.... The thing to realize is that when you finish the dome/entry, you are still probably only 1/3 to halfway done with the project. You still have to cover the damn thing, and depending on how fancy you get - that can take the same amount of time or more. I built a whole backyard kitchen and I didn't finish it until the next summer. I was able to get most of the work done by August of the same year however.

Nice thing you have going for you is that - land of the midnight sun and all, you'll have plenty of daylight!