39 inch - 1000mm corner brick WFO build - Newcastle au

[Newie newby]

The perlite was medium 3-6mm size, the concrete mix felt a bit weird compared to normal concrete, was also very hard to get any type of smooth finish to top of the insulating slab. I tried to mix up a bit more slurry / wet mix to put on top to help finish, but ended up giving up as I kept digging into finish when I was troweling it. All good, its pretty level so should be a good surface to lay the floor tiles and perimeter bricks on when it cures. I have added wider raised slab for an entry landing as you can see from the formwork. Wet weather again for next 4-5 days from tomorrow, so just put some plastic over it for now and hopefully it will harden a bit before the rain. Will have to do a bit of curing fires when built as there will be a fair bit of moisture in base slab and floor tiles I think..

[Newie newby]

Shoved some rag down conduit weephole and put an old ceramic tile over weephole area. Decided not to put more tiles over suspended slab as mix will be pretty dry and I already have control joints in slab that will also channel seepage that may get under insulating slab out to outside of suspended slab.

[Newie newby]

Once forms in place, pulled out the fire bricks ready to start mixing the perlite concrete insulating slab. We have had a lot of rain here in past few months, the fire brick floor tiles are bloody heavy when they have absorbed lots of water!

[Newie newby]

Kit comes with 50mm calsil board for under floor insulation and insulating fire bricks for 1st course, but decided to cast another 90mm thick slab with 5:1 ratio perlite/cement mix under entire oven floor to get a bit more insulation. Made formwork with 90mm treated pine on suspended slab, then marked up around floor and perimeter bricks and cut some 3mm flexible masonite type sheet and formed curve and screwed into place.

[Newie newby]

Mock up of floor fire brick tiles

[Newie newby]

Bought a precut masonry 1000mm pompeii kit from sydney fire bricks. Looking forward to getting it built.

[Newie newby]

Put down aluminium garden edging, gravel one side and soil and turf the other. got the turf laid just before christmas last year.

Back yard is starting to take shape with new rear covered deck, terraced retaining walls and garden areas, pool and man cave/brewery/boat shed/garage almost finished. Now onto the wood fired oven build....

[Newie newby]

So the slab was poured last September, then worked on some more landscaping and edging to get ready to lay turf to this terrace area.

[Newie newby]

[Newie newby]

[Newie newby]

Didn't realise how long it would take to mix by hand and it was dark by the time I got it in. Could have gotten a better finish on it if I kept going back to it but was getting a bit late and I was over it by this time. Will probably be tiling the slab surface later anyway so all good. Put a bit of fall from back to outsides and also centre slightly higher to reduce water ponding under floor. Will just add some sand under floor to level up later. Beer always tastes nicer when you have done a bit of concreting!

[Newie newby]

[Newie newby]

Few more construction pics

[Newie newby]

With around 140-150mm deep RC slab (and 190mm plus thickened edge beam to perimeter of stand), top of slab will be just under 1000mm high.
Added lots of dowel bars into existing walls, plus internal perimeter beam screw bolted into blocks.
Sacrificial corrugated iron cladding to base of suspended slab, temporary timber supports under.
Form ply to perimeter as formwork, screw bolted to blockwork.
Went crazy with lots of bottom, top and edge beam steel, with steel and slab thickness I dont think it will fall down any time soon.
Added plastic electrical conduit in centre of slab too as drain hole for any moisture under oven floor.

[Newie newby]

Got our block layer back to lay the extra blocks. Added horizontal and vertical starter bars and core filled with home mixed concrete. Bought an old mixer to make things a bit easier for me on site.