Adelaide WFO Build

[vdubber]

Decided to start a thread on my build here. It's really early days yet, things are just at the planning and ideas stage, still undecided on a few aspects, and still got lots to learn.

The basic idea is to construct an outdoor kitchen utilising our existing BBQ, a pompeii style brick oven, the old wash sink (which has been rescued from being a planter) and possibly a wok ring.

The sink will get some removable chopping board type covers that can double up as the food prep area and obviously make a great place to fill with ice and beer on party night.

The space is limited, and things may get juggled around, but here's a basic pic of what I am hoping to put together. You will notice the absence of the wok ring, I can fit it in if I shift the BBQ along a bit, but then the symmetry is lost and to me it doesn't look as good. Form over function? Function over form? I'm sure that it will change a few times before the first stone is cast.

My only thought at the moment is that the oven should really be on the left as it can then be tended without disturbing the BBQ driver.

Any and all comments and suggestions are welcomed.

Mick.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Posted at 1.40 AM? you must be excited.....

Good start with the drawing but you need more bench space, there is never enough once you have a few friends around.

[nissanneill]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Hi Mick,
I totally agree with Al, you must ensure that the assembly area is sufficient to meet your needs. You can always put some 1/2 barrels on casters for your drinks/beer but a fridge will be better than continually buying ice and they can be placed anywhere even out of the way.
I have a couple of pictures of my assembly area which gets rather crowded with a party of 20 or so but we manage, hell where do you stop anyway. I put the proofed balls on the barbeque top and a slab of granite over one bowl of the sink. The pizza trays are behind the granite where you can roll/stretch the dough and then move along to sauce the base and then assemble ending beside the oven which usually has someone turning and retrieving their feed. It's a real buzz and guests are keen to do their thing which leaves me free to enjoy the night.
I also have a bench on the left side of the oven with wood storage beneath and a mixer on top which is used to cut the pizzas. Also besides, is a fridge and my 39l Engel portable fridge for drinks.

The sink will get some removable chopping board type covers that can double up as the food prep area and obviously make a great place to fill with ice and beer on party night. 

This could be a pain in the butt when you want to prepare and others want to lift the trays and get drinks! A dedicated preparation are would be beneficial to the layout no matter what use/facilities you are using.
Cheers.

Neill

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Posted at 1.40 AM? you must be excited.....

Good start with the drawing but you need more bench space, there is never enough once you have a few friends around.

LOL. Sleep is overrated. I get some of my best work done this time of night

Point taken on the work surface area, we'd originally considered that most of the food prep would be done before-hand but completely forgotten that you assemble these things as you go.

Will have a re-measure and see if we can turn the sink 90 degrees on a return at one end to gain some work area in the middle. Just a little worried about the thing taking over the garden, soon we won't have anywhere to sit LOL.

We do have a large bench seat around the base of one the the tree's, this usually get's used for serving food up from when we BBQ, but is at seat height and ideally a little too low.

Will see how we go.

Mick.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Just a little worried about the thing taking over the garden,

Too late for that Im afraid.....
The oven takes over nearly all the back yard...eventually

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Damn rain is coming down hard. But at least it's given me time to doodle.

In this layout, the oven is switched around to other end, the sink is mounted elsewhere - probably on the back of the house, but at this stage the extension is not built so it can temporarily go where you see it. There will also be a wall behind the whole area as it sits on the boundary. Although hard to see, I intend to curve the wall around the oven and will probably go with a round base for the oven too. This is for no other reason than aesthetics.

The finish will be rough render / stucco in a sandstone colour to match other areas of the garden, and a tiled concrete work-surface.

Things are taking shape now

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Too late for that Im afraid.....
The oven takes over nearly all the back yard...eventually

HA, that's awesome.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Managed to clear out the area. Here's some before and after pics.

First one shows the general area and the mock up of the original BBQ area I did using some old pavers and lumber. The second is a closeup. The third pic shows one of the things I found lurking in the woodpile. and the last shows the cleared area with the sink relocated on the end.

The area without pavers laid is the approximate size of the kitchen, the wood oven obviously is on the left.

Hopefully next weekend I can get the slab down.

Mick.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Made some more progress on the oven.

Last weekend I decided to get prepared and do a bit of pre-work. I dug out the footings for the slab. I've opted to lay the slab below the level of my current pavers so that after the BBQ area is finished I can relay the pavers over the slab so that the concrete is hidden from view.

I also made up the hoop for the oven door. I bent up some flat bar and then welded some square bar around the inside to form the door jam. I was very tempted to make the door as well but decided to leave this until the oven doorway has been built.

After making the decision to get new bricks I went into a local builders supply as they advertised the Littlehampton pavers. After chatting with the owner I found out that they had both some second hand solid red clay bricks and also firebricks. At 60c for the reds and 3.50 for the fire bricks I bought enough reds to make the dome and flue and enough firebricks to do the floor laid on their side (for more thermal mass). Evidently the bricks came from a brick kiln out Salisbury way that recently closed down. A case of their loss my gain.

There a still quite a few fire bricks left and I am led to believe that they can also get more of the solid clay bricks as well.

Whilst I was there I also bought some reclaimed soft reds for the base as well as a tonne and half of premixed aggregate for the base and work counter and a tonne of bricksand for the brickwork.

After laying down some REOmesh I've spent this evening knocking up muck and pouring the slab. Unfortunately it was dark by the time I was finished so will have to get some snaps tomorrow but the end result is that the slab is down.

Now I just need to let it cure for a few days and I can start to build the base. I've got the cement mixer on hire for a week so the plan is to get it all done in this time.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

More progress pics...

The archway made up of flat-bar and square-bar plus the brick gauge I made from old scrap that I had lying about.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Yet more progress pics (wish I could add more than 5 to a post )...

Ever wondered how many bricks a Range Rover can carry? I could have got more in but wasn't sure how the airbags would hold up. For future reference It'd do a tonne. The brick in the pic are the soft reds for the base.

The second pic is the site foreman. Between him and the dog I now have brickies sand all over the garden.

Pics 3 and 4 - The slab is 100mm thick. Not sure it needs to be that thick but it seemed like a good round number. The REO is just stuff that I got from Bunnings.

Still got a heap more bricks to pick up which I will do in the morning. I also priced up a brick saw, which is an expensive bit of kit to hire. Think I might be using my grinder instead. I figure I've only really got the arch bricks to cut and maybe the very top of the dome. The rest I can do with a brick chisel.

Will keep you posted of the progress.

Mick.

[OscarA]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Well done Mick you are certainly on your way now.
Keep the photos coming.

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Picked up the rest of the bricks this morning. Seems like I was just in the nick of time. Bumped into another Forno Bravo member building a Pompeii oven - he'd bought the other half of the bricks that I'd bought. Whilst we were there yet another bloke arrived also wanting bricks for a brick oven. Seems like it's a popular pastime.

Apart from unloading the bricks did nothing else. Needed to let the slab dry out a bit. Will hopefully start laying bricks tomorrow arvo.

Here's some pics of the slab...

[cobblerdave]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Gudday
probably a silly question ...the ring of bricks...shape of the base? or position of oven?

regards Dave

[vdubber]

Re: Adelaide WFO Build

Gudday
probably a silly question ...the ring of bricks...shape of the base? or position of oven?

regards Dave

Both.

I'm planning on a round enclosed base filled with hardcore and topped with a layer of concrete. On top of this I will add a base of fire bricks on their side (to increase the thermal mass) and then the oven on top of that. The base will be larger in diameter then the oven so that down the track I can enclose the oven if I feel the need.

The base will be enclosed simply so that I can get rid of a load of hardcore that I have laying about. There's till plenty of space left for wood storage under the food prep area so for me there is no need to have the base open, plus I like the look of a round base.

The base will also tie in with the work prep / BBQ area brickwork, which extends to the right.

Well at any rate that's the plan. Sometimes these things have a habit of going awry