42 build in queensland

[SirClutzz]

I've been a bit slack starting this thread, but here I go.

Started my build earlier in the year. The plan is to build an L shaped outdoor kitchen. Will include a built in gas bbq, corner wood oven, and a large bench. Total about 3 metres on one branch, and 4 metres on the other.

Project required a new slab for the kitchen, a roof extension, concreate blockwork, suspended slab for the oven, and then the bench space, and of course the actual oven.

I learned a vast amount from this forum over the years, and have previously built a couple of precast ovens, but this is my first true brick oven.

I recently completed the brickwork of the oven.

[SirClutzz]

first up, the slab. I also did a heap of work on drainage that run under this slab, but I'm not putting those pics in the thread. One thing to keep in mind with this slab is, the original slab has a fall away from the house, so the slab poured here is not actually level, it's following the existing slab level, although I did put a small fall back towards the drain. We want the kitchen bench to be flat, so the first course of concrete block are being cut to level the follow courses out.

[SirClutzz]

The existing insulated roofing would not have covered the new kitchen or oven, so I replaced some of the panels with longer ones, and 2 extra, so it's all under cover.

[SirClutzz]

Concrete blockwork mostly finished here. We want the internal floor height of the oven to match the final kitchen bench height to match, so the slab the oven sits on is lower then the kitchen bench. Once the oven is built, will pour the benchtops up and around the oven so it all levels up.

[SirClutzz]

Oven slab formwork. The back edge of the slab is actually cantilevered out, as the rock wall behind would have been in the way at ground level.

[SirClutzz]

Slab poured in first pic, then once the formwork came off. Pretty happy with how it turned out.

[SirClutzz]

Started layout, and it tool. I'm using a ring of IFB under the dome bricks, with CalSil board under the oven floor. Total of 75mm insulation.

[SirClutzz]

Floor layout. I'm not buliding the dome on the floor, but having it as a drop in floor. I found it took quite a bit of time to place the exact position of the open brick, to ensure that once the dome curved up the inner arch, everything would still still well. Using the it tool to manually stack the bricks up to simulate that curve helped.

[SirClutzz]

Given I'm using a ring of ifb, and calsil for the floor, I was worried about the gap between these, allowing too much heat to get to the slab, so I cut a rebate in the ifb, so the first sheet if calsil cloud slide into it. Complicated things a little bit, and I've not idea if it will really do much, but was fun to work it all out.

[SirClutzz]

At this point, I was having trouble finding sand of a grade I was happy with. I'm making homebrew mortar, at 3 sand, 1 lime, clag and cement. The sand was 1mm grade silica sand from a pool filter, but I found it too course by itself. I managed to find a place that sold other grades used in concrete coatings. I was able to get too smaller grades, one was about .5mm and the other was much finer. I found 1 part of each of these 3 grades made a nicer, workable mortar, and when I had finer joint work to do, like the arches, I used just the 2 finer grades.

Here I've got the first course of fire brick, which is actually the floor level. Also, using mosaic tiles as a moisture spacer under the insulation (i've got a drain hole in the slab, which is probably not obvious from previous pics).

[SirClutzz]

Floor in and first couple of courses. I'm trying to get pretty tight joints, and seems to be working out pretty well so far. At this early stage it's nice to be able to bulk cut a heap of bricks, I know that won't continue up the courses.

[SirClutzz]

I manage to largely fluke the entry brick levels to allow me to tie them in pretty well with the dome course. In the last post can you see I flatten the top of the last 2 dome bricks so the entry bricks could sit true and flat on them, here you can see the tie in.

[SirClutzz]

At this point, I needed to finally create the form for the inner arch. Then was able to complete the entry upright bricks, and measure out the inner arch bricks. This part took ages to get right.

[SirClutzz]

Getting the back edge of the inner arch right was very difficult. Once again, wisdom from this forum on using the IT tool to mark the under and top edge of the back of these was the only way to get it right. This was also a really painful part as the weight of these arch brick dislodges the top entry upright bricks twice on me... Ended up getting a clamp that could span across to give it more support until mortared in. I recommend that as a tip, or be more patent before doing the arch...

[SirClutzz]

Inner arch mortared in. Took a couple of attempts to get right. Getting them all square, and the gaps even took a couple of attempts. But pretty happy with the end result.